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Recruiting Exceptional Nonprofit Leaders
Best Practices from Witt/Kieffer
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Effective Nonprofit CEO Search Committees
Organizations faced with a CEO transition are often unsure how to identify a successor. An effective search committee can be a great asset in enabling an organization to attract top talent. Conversely, a poorly constructed search committee can frighten away even the most motivated candidates.
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The Best Search Committees
Invariably (and in no particular order) the best search committees: appoint a strong chair; solicit broad input; focus on the knowns; listen to the search consultant; advance candidates on potential rather than experience; balance evaluating with selling; and make diversity a priority. Reflecting upon these and other characteristics can help make search committees great.
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How Search Committees Can See Bias in Themselves
In an effort to reduce bias and to ensure a diverse candidate pool for leadership roles, institutions populate search committees with a mix of representatives. Ideally, the diverse points of view and backgrounds will bring implicit bias into the open and prevent it from coloring decisions.
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What to Look for in a Nonprofit Leader Today
Today's nonprofits cannot run on passion alone. Organizations seek leaders who can build a brand, differentiate the organization in a crowded space and guide it to financial sustainability. Clarity on strategic priorities and proof of impact are at the top of organizations' priority lists.
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How to Spot Cultural Fit in Nonprofit Leadership Candidates
Cultural fit is critical in hiring for not-for-profits. An executive must passionately speak about the mission internally, while creating strong, committed relationships within the community.
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How to Spot Fundraising Potential in Leadership Candidates
All not-for-profit leaders must be capable of building donor relationships and securing gifts. Identify qualities in leadership candidates that do not necessarily appear on the CV or resume.
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What Not-For-Profit CEO Candidates Must Ask
What is the health of the organization? What are the measures of success for leadership? Considering these questions is an essential part of your due diligence regarding the top job with a not-for-profit. If you get positive information and are passionate about the mission, the position may be a good fit.
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Gender in the Job Interview
As women move up the leadership ranks, they find fewer and fewer female peers. That's been fairly well documented and is no surprise to those of us in the executive search industry. Of the many factors that limit women's advancement, two are things we ought to be able to resolve: how candidates present themselves in job interviews and how search committees interpret those interviews.
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Replacing an Iconic Nonprofit Leader
Long-standing leaders of not-for-profits bring organizational stability and success around the mission. The challenge arises when that leader steps down. Not only are there proverbial "big shoes to fill" atop the organization, but there is little knowledge as to how to recruit a new top executive.
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Effective CEO Transitioning and Onboarding
New leaders have a much greater likelihood for early and lasting success if they participate in a well-planned and explicit onboarding process. This simple philosophy helps keep transition plans in focus: ensuring the right people are doing the right things at the right times to support a new leader.
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