During tremendous societal transformation, nonprofit organizations provide support and stability for individuals and their communities. Recently, the value of mission-driven organizations has only intensified because of the COVID-19 pandemic and corresponding progressive social movements. At this moment, senior leaders are more vital than ever to drive mission impact.
With over 25 years of executive and senior-level experience across the nonprofit sector, Lindauer CEO Deb Taft was interviewed by Hunt Scanlon Media regarding her insights on the current demand for nonprofit leaders. Here is what she had to say:
Lindauer is seeing strength from every part of the non-profit sector in 2022, even in the face of potential recession pressures. Lindauer CEO Deb Taft notes that leading non-profits understand that they need to stay focused on driving top strategic priorities and strong talent to be successful in any operating environment. “Education, healthcare, and larger charities are all strong,” she said. “Even arts and culture organizations hit hard by the pandemic are emerging with increased strategic focus and hiring to thrive forward. Perhaps only with smaller non-profits are we seeing recalibrations and struggles, which should result in increased mergers. When mission-based strengths and operations could be stronger together, I urge boards to suspend egos and be bold in exploring smart combinations.”
Taft notes that nonprofits offer senior executives the opportunity to apply all their best executive expertise in environments that simultaneously feed their souls. Lindauer says it has seen a number of extraordinary leaders seeking a transfer from for-profit companies into mission-based organizations, and more “Boards seem more open to these recruitments than ever before,” said Taft. “The results can be energizing, as long as all parties do the work to ensure success vs. assuming a corporate leader will be an automatic home run. Mission success can be akin to corporate success in many ways, but these new leaders typically need to adjust how they navigate stakeholder engagement, understand power dynamics with non-profit customers, implement process, and communicate.”
– Excerpt from Hunt Scanlon’s Executive Search Review
In the face of economic forces, disease outbreaks, or even natural disasters, some organizations may be quick to implement hiring freezes or holds. Historically, the world’s leading organizations move forward and continue to hire the leaders and team members they need in critical roles. In fact, Bain and Company completed an analysis of winners and losers from the 2008 economic downturn and found that the winners tended to hire before the markets rebounded. Having the right senior leaders was key to their success.
Lindauer provides executive recruitment and talent management across a range of industries. Contact the firm to find out more.
Hunt Scanlon, the leading talent intelligence provider to the human capital and private equity sectors, has placed Lindauer on their Top 50 Executive Search Firms, HR/Recruiting Diversity Power 65, Top 60 Nonprofit Recruiters, Top 40 Higher Education Firms, and Top 50 Healthcare & Life Sciences Search Firms lists.