We place philanthropy leaders as members of strategic teams, and we support them throughout successful careers.
Aspen Leadership Group partners with nonprofit clients to recruit chief executives and development and communications professionals whose passions and personal objectives align with each organization's mission, vision, and culture. We leverage inclusive search practices, networks of relationships built over decades, strong partnerships with affinity groups and professional associations, and active involvement in the sector to identify top talent. Our goal is to help our clients build inclusive, high-performing advancement teams capable of achieving transformational results.
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.
Strengthening search outcomes requires attention to inclusion in every part of the search process. Informed by years of research and experience, we have developed an inclusive search process that assists us and our clients in removing conscious and unconscious bias from all parts of the process, from the identification of potential candidates to advertising and outreach language and methodology, to interviewing and evaluation.
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.
How We Work
Inclusive Recruitment That Leads to Lasting Placements
A detailed discussion allows the client to clarify the qualities required for success in the position.
Senior staff reach out to thousands of advancement professionals in our global network who match the desired attributes.
Extensive outreach and inclusive screening ensure that we identify exceptional candidates.
We do not stop sourcing candidates until our client and a candidate have reached a successful agreement.