Client Demographics

Nonprofit HR Practice Area: Impact Search Advisors by Nonprofit HR

Location: Washington, D.C.

Sector: Nonprofit

Mission Type: Association for nonprofit organizations

Staff Size: 11 employees

Annual Budget: Less than $5 million

Type of Engagement: Executive Search

Engagement Scenario A D.C.-based association needed to fill a newly created Controller position. The association required a partner to develop and implement a strategic, timely and equitable executive search process. The leadership required facilitating the project, from designing the search strategy and interview framework to ensuring a successful placement.   Search Duration: Six months

Engagement Details

The organization engaged Impact Search Advisors by Nonprofit HR to source and place the Controller, which would be its first in-house financial employee. The financial oversight of the role had previously been outsourced, so a transfer of information was required upon the start of the role. The person in the role would then establish new processes and protocols for staff, as well as attend meetings with potential and current funders to the organization.

Considerations

1. As Nonprofit HR’s Search Consultants reviewed interested candidates, they found that the skills needed went beyond the title of a Controller. They shared their findings with the client and advised that changing the job title to a Chief Financial Officer would open the market to candidates with the caliber of experience that would benefit the client in its search.

2. Adjusting the job title also involved increasing the salary to be competitive with the nonprofit market. Nonprofit HR’s CFO joined the engagement as part of the interview panel, which offered another layer of support to the client by advising on what skill set would benefit the first CFO in the organization’s history, given also the role would function without the support of a financial team.

3. Budget considerations and financial responsibilities needed to be evaluated to identify what would best suit the client organization’s needs. Impact Search Advisors by Nonprofit HR sought to ensure the organization was paying a competitive salary that aligned with its budget to a strong financial professional who could lead the organization in its growth.

Placement/Solutions

The Impact Search Advisors by Nonprofit HR’s team presented the candidate who was subsequently selected for the role. This candidate’s diverse set of experiences lies within the federal government, private industry and owning their financial consultancy firm, which has worked with multiple nonprofit organizations, association and for-profit clients. This candidate had grown from accounting to analyst to a Controller before taking the role as CFO. With the placement, this client is now positioned to benefit from the strong financial oversight and strategic decision-making that are crucial for mission-driven work. By redefining the role to attract a candidate with this level of expertise, the organization is now positioned to enhance fiscal resilience, drive sustainable growth and ultimately maximize impact for the community it serves.

Due to the exceptional work delivered to the client organization, Nonprofit HR team members (including a search consultant for this engagement) were invited to lead a roundtable at the organization’s network meeting. These team members spoke on compensation best practices and negotiation strategies for CEOs entering and remaining in their roles.