Home » Executive Search » Executive Search

Your Nonprofit Executive Search Partner

Finding Great Leaders to Drive Missions Forward

Lindauer is proud to be one of the world’s leading retained executive search firms focused on nonprofits. Founded 25 years ago, Lindauer is today a global firm serving education, health, arts, policy, foundation, and charity organizations across the United States and on four continents.

We are honored that clients, candidates, and search peers continue to recognize and refer us. We are grateful to be recognized in the top 20 of Forbes‘ Best Executive Search Firms, as well as Women of Color in Philanthropy’s Top 10 Search Firms for Women of Color. Hunt Scanlon, the leading talent intelligence provider to the human capital and private equity sectors, has also placed Lindauer among their Top 50 Executive Search Firms, HR/Diversity Recruiting Power 65, and Top 40 Healthcare and Life Sciences Search Firms lists.

Lindauer consultants and team members are known for bringing rigor, candor, integrity, dedication, and a spirit of collaboration and commitment to all search and talent engagements. Long known as fierce advocates for diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging, Lindauer remains a trusted partner, convenor, leader, and driver of equity and anti-racism across the nonprofit sector. Fortunate to partner with the world’s leading institutions and organizations, the firm today offers a wide range of talent management, leadership, and search services.

Our consultative approach is designed to leverage the breadth and depth of our Search Team’s experience in a robust working partnership with clients. We are grateful that this combination of industry knowledge, experience, and innovation continues to earn Lindauer the respect of leaders and boards who entrust us with their talent needs.

Why Use an Executive Search Firm?

Search firms specializing in nonprofit recruitment have a deep understanding of the nonprofit sector and its wide range of organizational and leadership contexts. Executive search leaders can advise on position expectations and reporting structures, understand functional expertise that might make or break a placement’s success, and tap into extensive and unique networks to find the right candidate for your specific needs.

As your trusted partner, your consultants bring critical knowledge of nonprofit hiring processes and best practices and are expert guides in competitive hiring markets. This includes informing early engagement of community members, probing position nuances that guide candidate selection, framing interview and site-visit plans, designing a candidate review that reduces bias and promotes equity, and supporting your negotiation, offer, and onboarding plans.

By probing specific client needs and candidate qualifications, an executive search firm offers market and third-party insights that are often difficult to discern in-house. You also have the assurance of an advisor and guide through roadblocks that may arise in competitive hiring. As the 2020—21 pandemic unfolded, for instance, Lindauer’s clients described the firm’s experience as invaluable in continuing to make critical hires in virtual and hybrid contexts and to adjust to shifting candidate expectations. With a toolkit of best practices and a wealth of experience, our expert services ensure that you successfully hire top talent that will shape your mission impact for years to come.

70%

of placements are people of color and/or women

1,250+

successful placements with 450+ clients

41/4

partnered with clients in 41 U.S. states and on 4 continents

What Distinguishes Lindauer

Our Focus: 100% of Lindauer resources are devoted to the nonprofit arena.

An Assigned, Experienced Team: The search team you meet at intake is the team working with candidates and representing you — authentically and thoughtfully — in the market.

Our Consultants and Staff: All Lindauer team members have deep professional experience in the nonprofit sector or in nonprofit search, and we collaborate to create success.

Driving Results: Lindauer drives both pace and results in competitive hiring markets, applying a systematic approach that factors in unique client needs and expectations.

Our Network: Lindauer’s local, regional, national, and global relationships with leaders and professionals bring outstanding reputation, reach, and expertise to every project.

Reputation: Lindauer is a firm with integrity and ethics. We’ve been leaders in nonprofit diversity and inclusion since our founding, and continue this real work every day.

Philosophy: Lindauer brings targeted expertise, proven and proactive approaches, and client focus. We engage with candor, innovate and adapt.

A Complete Understanding of Nonprofits: Lindauer understands how mission-driven organizations mature and change, how units and functions intersect, and how to navigate nuances of nonprofit culture.

Building Teams: Lindauer brings unique expertise in building and scaling high-performance teams across the nonprofit sector.

Let us help your organization recruit + retain top nonprofit talent

Ready to find your next great hire?

Whether you’re looking to hire a leader or build your team, we’re here to help.