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 leading newspapers and journals, 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 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 fit.

Learning Your Organizational and Team Needs

We begin with an 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 reach out to thousands of advancement professionals in our active global network, and we conduct research to identify additional candidates who match the desired attributes. Because we offer free career counseling to anyone in the advancement profession, we have hundreds of advancement professionals across the globe who actively assist us in reaching additional potential candidates. We then follow up on each and every lead. All outreach is handled by principals and 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.

Candidate Screening and Interviews

True alignment between position and candidate can only be determined by personal contact, and we conduct 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 not only intelligent questions, but to hear and process information from candidates with informed ears and eyes.

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 weeks.

Aspen Leadership Group has established strong relationships with various industry associations to increase diversity in the nonprofit sector. For years, we have built lasting, deep partnerships with numerous organizations as advisory board members, volunteer chairs, presenting and attending conferences, and 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);
• Association of Fundraising Professionals diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives;
• Hispanics in Philanthropy (HIP);
• Asian American/Pacific Islanders in Philanthropy (AAPIP);
• Women’s Philanthropy Institute;
• The Lilly Family School of Philanthropy at Indiana University;
• and many more.

ALG’s commitment to diversity does not end with these efforts. Since 2017, Aspen Leadership Group has maintained a groundbreaking Diversity Talent Partnership with several major research universities, aimed at connecting diverse candidates with organizations that have demonstrated a commitment to diversity and inclusion at their institutions. Together with these colleagues and our partners, we intend to increase the interest and advancement of diverse, under-represented, and non-traditional candidates in the nonprofit sector.

We offer Diversity and Inclusion Consulting services to help your advancement office recruit, retain, train, and inspire diverse and inclusive teams. Explore our D&I consulting services and read more about ALG’s organizational commitment and action around diversity, equity, and inclusion.

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 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.

Through our grow-your-own services, ALG consultants are available to evaluate an internal candidate’s potential and readiness and design customized coaching to ensure a successful promotion or transition into a new area of responsibility.

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

Aspen Leadership Group offers competitive rates for search. Contact our team to discuss your needs and receive full pricing details.

We offer an optional 12-month guarantee—whereas most firms require a guarantee and build it into their fees, we make the guarantee an option, reducing the cost for all our clients (fewer than 10% of clients select the guarantee). The guarantee provides for a replacement search at no additional professional fee.