NONPROFIT EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP SEARCH AND SUPPORT

EXPERIENCED PROFESSIONAL RETAINED SEARCH SERVICES FOR COMMUNITY BENEFIT ORGANIZATIONS

TWO Options for levels of service:Full Retained Search in partnership with Third Sector Company, or “pay as you need” services through FindALeader.org.

You know that great leadership makes great organizations. When the time comes to locate the future leader of your nonprofit, we can help.

For over a decade, principals of SST Nonprofit Services have been providing “Leadership Continuity Solutions” in partnership with Third Sector Company to the nonprofit sector. Like all Third Sector Company services, Nonprofit Leadership Search and Support was created by nonprofit executives in tandem with executive search professionals to benefit our peers and to the entire nonprofit sector. Using an “Organizational Capacity- Building Process,” Search Strategists help volunteer search committees and nonprofit executives explicitly determine their leadership needs. Our well-articulated process includes best practice organizational assessment, position profiling, executive search, onboarding, peer mentoring, how-to manuals, committee training, group facilitation and other tools to help nonprofit organizations make the best hire possible at the most reasonable cost.

With expert insight and extensive experience in identifying and orienting nonprofit leadership, FindALeader.org is uniquely equipped to help. Our team is dedicated to supporting volunteer search committees and current leadership to coordinate a successful hiring process. Whether it’s an outside search or an internal hire, equipping the hiring team with the tools they need to feel engaged and active in the selection process is vital to a successful leadership change. We believe, if done strategically, a search process can unify the organization’s leaders behind a common vision of its future success in serving the community or its professional members.

HIRING A NONPROFIT EXECUTIVE CAN BE A DAUNTING TASK

When a nonprofit organization is looking to hire its next chief professional officer, the circumstances impacting a good hire can be daunting:

• Boards of Directors accustomed to administrative staffing by their executive suddenly find themselves without sufficient infrastructure and support to accomplish their hiring tasks in a timely and orderly fashion.
• Volunteer search committee members may have limited experience with or exposure to the outreach, interviewing and selection processes vital to the successful hiring of nonprofit leadership.
• Crucial details associated with hiring such as developing screening criteria, managing timelines, and updating executive compensation policy and onboarding can easily be overlooked.
• The costs associated with traditional professional search can be high relative to the budgets and reserves of most smaller and mid-sized nonprofits.
• Legal liability and state specific regulations can be costly to address after the fact, if not done correctly in advance.
• The organization’s image is impacted by the response to EVERY applicant, which can be a daunting task.

OUR GOAL IS TO SUPPORT AN EXECUTIVE SEARCH PROCESS AS AN ORGANIZATIONAL CAPACITY-BUILDING OPPORTUNITY AT AN AFFORDABLE PRICE

The Executive Leadership Search and Support Program at Third Sector Company and FindALeader.org has been designed as a price-sensitive alternative to other executive search choices. We offer features known to help organizations understand their capacity needs to effectively and efficiently pursue a mission. Our services typically include the following elements:

• A search committee training to review the search process from start to finish with estimated timelines
• Coaching to the board of directors and/or search committee to eventually result in a board-approved search, selection and onboarding process
• A facilitated organizational assessment process that identifies a clear and concise view of the organization’s goals and organizational needs for the next two to three years, and includes an assessment of the culture of governance that the new leader will inherit, along with suggestions for improvement
• Drafting a new job description based on the organizational assessment results
• Creating an enticing job announcement and placing it in key locations; reviewing applications as an independent third-party, and conducting a pre-screen of applicants based on approved scoring criteria
• Arranging meeting logistics and communications between the organization and candidates
• Facilitation of two rounds of interviews, culminating in a selected candidate that fits the culture and situation facing your organization for the next few years as identified in the assessment and picture of success
• Handling contacts and negotiations between both parties to ensure the needs of each are met to the highest degree of satisfaction
• Coaching and support to a transition committee responsible for coordinating communications and activities related to the hiring and onboarding of the new executive

OUR MENU OF SERVICES:

A Customized Approach to Support Every Nonprofit Organization in Fulfilling its Objectives

Every nonprofit organization is different. The needs of volunteers for support to make a good hiring decision are as unique as the individuals involved and the stakeholders who have a vested interest in the outcome of the search processes. The FindALeader.org Retained Executive Search Program is customized to each client organization.

Don’t need the full complement of services comprising a typical retained executive search?

FindALeader.org also offers pay-as-you-need, individualized search support services to complement your own search efforts. We can also support your own HR team or executive in other “C-suite” hiring. A custom plan is laid out for each client, based on our experience with the steps in a search process. An agreement is developed for how many of the tasks will be done by FindALeader and how much by agency volunteers, committee members, or staff.

ADDITIONAL LEADERSHIP SEARCH SUPPORT

Our Search Professionals are experienced not only in the mechanics of search, but are also experienced nonprofit executives themselves. They have lived the reality of executive management in today’s complex, competitive and challenging nonprofit environment. Among the supports provided are:

• A comprehensive 110-page volunteer search process manual including interview guide, committee proceedings, and executive transition tools.
• A team approach to the search that assures our best people are working together bring the best hiring solution to your attention.
• A quality assurance process that monitors the progress of the search and provides a client service strategist who periodically confirms that the highest levels of customer satisfaction are being achieved.
• A phased-approach to search that divides the search process into a series of phases that range from understanding organizational need to selecting the right person.
• Access to additional services that provide added value to the FindALeader.org relationship which could include the recruitment and placement of a qualified interim leader or access to ongoing board training and succession planning workshops.

WHY NOT CONSIDER AN INTERIM LEADER AS PART OF YOUR TRANSITION PROCESS?

Since 2002, Third Sector Company has been a national leader in training, vetting, and supporting interim leadership at social benefit organizations and professional associations. An interim executive can further support the capacity-building opportunities that an executive transition affords, meanwhile ensuring that the day-to-day operations are skillfully managed.

What’s the FindALeader.org Advantage?

All the nonprofit leadership continuity programs at FindALeader.org have been developed by nonprofit executives who have used and perfected nonprofit management best practices themselves. Our brand guarantee is based on an expected level of service, quality and price that we would expect for our own organizations. We are a nonprofit ourselves, and build on over 65 years of direct nonprofit leadership experience.