Executive Search

Each of our senior search consultants has more than 20 years of experience in nonprofit leadership; our team has held most of the roles that we fill. We bring to each search our combined experience as nonprofit executives, advancement and development leaders, board members, and search consultants, and we draw on the knowledge, extensive networks, and perspective of dozens of associates and advisors. We also serve as thought leaders in the nonprofit sector. Our team and network are published book authors, and they serve as regular contributors to dozens of industry publications, as well as faculty leaders and speakers at dozens of conferences annually.

• All of our resources are focused on the nonprofit sector and the philanthropy field.
• Our national and global network is extensive—we handle more advancement searches than any other firm.
• Our principals, associates, and advisors have built relationships with diverse leaders across the nonprofit sector and around the globe over decades. These networks allow us to open doors to top candidates and nominators more easily.
• Our team members have experience working with boards and leadership teams. This allows for a robust exchange of ideas and deep discussion—with organizational leaders and with candidates—of the elements most important to ensuring an excellent and lasting appointment.
• Diversity, equity, and inclusion have been priorities for ALG since our founding. Every aspect of our search process incorporates knowledge gained from our research, writing, and partnership with diverse nonprofit professional associations.
• We provide a network of support for individuals we place. We introduce them to other nonprofit professionals in a position to help them, we offer executive coaching and professional development, and we invite them to contribute as experts to published thought leadership and conference presentations.

Learning Your Organizational and Team Needs

In all of our searches, we begin with in-depth discussion with those who will be working most closely with the selected candidate. This up-front, detailed discussion allows our client and the lead search consultant to clarify the most important qualities required for success, both in the position and as a colleague to other institutional volunteer and administrative leaders. Rather than fill isolated positions, we place people as members of strategic teams. Our discussion and our experience as executives also allow us to identify and resolve issues that might diminish the effectiveness of the search and the appointment.

Search Launch and Outreach

We work with our clients to develop an attractive, comprehensive, and inclusive search prospectus. We then reach out to thousands of nonprofit professionals in our active global network, and we conduct research to identify additional candidates whose profiles match the required and desired attributes. Because we offer free career counseling to anyone in the nonprofit sector, we have hundreds of diverse nonprofit professionals across the globe who actively and eagerly assist us in reaching additional potential candidates.

We follow up on each and every lead. All outreach is handled by principals and other senior group members who have decades of experience in the sector. Prospective candidates hear directly from professionals fully prepared to answer their questions and motivate them to explore the opportunity further. Each member of our search management team and research team is an AIRS-certified Diversity and Inclusion Recruiter and they contribute to every search.

Candidate Screening and Interviews

True alignment between position requirements and candidate experience and aspiration can only be determined by personal contact, and our process involves extensive telephone outreach and screening, followed by video and in-person interaction. Our discussions with you and your colleagues will be designed to allow us to serve as highly effective ambassadors, able to ask intelligent questions and process information from candidates through an informed lens.

Client Interviews and Successful Hires

We do not stop sourcing candidates until our client and a candidate have reached an agreement and a successful conclusion. If a first round does not yield a successful candidate, additional candidate conversations are in progress, allowing pools to be expanded or rebuilt without delay.

Aspen Leadership Group’s objective is success not only in the recruitment process, but also in the tenure of the selected candidate and in that person’s contribution to the client’s leadership team, mission, and vision. Searches typically take 14-16 weeks.

At Aspen Leadership Group, we believe that an organization’s capacity to reflect and respond to the rich diversity of our society profoundly impacts its ability to fulfill its mission. Accordingly, we are committed to fostering a culture of diversity, equity, and inclusion, both in our own company and in partnership with our clients and the individuals we serve.

Because we are in constant communication with philanthropy professionals inside and outside searches, we have developed a strong reputation as a trusted partner committed to supporting the career goals of diverse members of our community. We employ inclusive recruitment practices.

We also support leaders who are dedicated to building inclusive organizations; we help our clients build diverse and inclusive teams, not just diverse candidate pools. We partner with clients to strengthen DEI within their organizations and in their engagement strategies through consulting, supporting courageous conversations, and sharing resources, including books, whitepapers, and presentations on DEI authored by ALG team members.

We have established strong relationships with various industry associations to increase diverse representation in the nonprofit sector and the fundraising profession. For years, we have built lasting, deep partnerships with numerous organizations as advisory board members and volunteer chairs, through presenting and attending conferences, and through meeting with leaders as they build their capacity.

Our industry partnerships and activities include:

• The African American Development Officer Network (AADO);
• CASE and AADO Conference on Diverse Philanthropy and Leadership;
• CASE’s Minority Advancement Institute (MAI);
• Women of Color in Fundraising and Philanthropy (WOC)/Allies in Action Network
• Association of Fundraising Professionals diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives;
• Association of Healthcare Philanthropy diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives;
• Women’s Philanthropy Institute and The Lilly Family School of Philanthropy at Indiana University;
• and many more.

Learn more about ALG’s organizational commitment and contributions to increasing diversity, equity, and inclusion in the nonprofit sector and the philanthropy profession.

Leadership Consulting

Not only do we have broad talent networks, but we also know the conditions for success for a person in a role. While we conduct more nonprofit advancement searches than any other firm in the country, our objective is to reduce turnover in the profession by encouraging more thoughtful approaches to careers and teams. Instead of simply fulfilling searches, we can offer recommendations for more effective department structures, internal means of recognizing and cultivating in-house talent, and effective onboarding, professional development, and team culture practices, to ensure that the right talent is in place long-term.

Our extensive suite of consulting services can be customized to your team’s needs to ensure that your leadership and staff have the cultural competency, skills, structures, and strategy in place to perform at their maximum potential, capable of engaging all potential stakeholders and raising your largest gifts. Explore ALG’s Consulting Services.

Comprehensive Leadership Transition Solution

Aspen Leadership Group (ALG), a recognized leader in executive search and leadership consulting in the nonprofit sector, and Marts & Lundy, a leader in strategic fundraising consulting, offer clients a holistic and seamless approach to philanthropic leadership transition. Combining our expertise and services, ALG and Marts & Lundy offer comprehensive talent solutions to presidents, boards, vice presidents, chief advancement officers and other nonprofit leaders that include:

• Assessment of current potential, staffing and programming
• Interim on-site management of fundraising staff and programs during leadership transitions
• Executive search
• Executive coaching
• Successful onboarding of new advancement leaders and launch of new management structures, with ongoing advancement and campaign consulting as desired

Learn more about Marts & Lundy

Contact Ron Schiller to inquire about leadership transition services.

Aspen Leadership Group offers competitive rates for executive search. We also provide a guarantee that can be adjusted to meet each organization’s needs and budget. Contact our team to discuss your needs and receive full pricing details.