AAW HOW TO: Sourcing Top Talent- A Guide for Non-Profits.
As we continue to explore the top trends in charity recruitment we hope you enjoy these pieces of wisdom from our search team! Do get in touch if you’d like to find out more.
If your current hiring plan is less optimised than you want, consider partnering with a specialist in executive search for charities.
Are you in charge of executive recruitment at a non-profit or charity organisation? It’s a tough job, we know. Recent studies show that over a quarter of non-profits polled had unfilled job openings for nearly 30% of their organisation’s vacant jobs.
In short, sourcing top talent can be difficult. It requires knowledge of the industry and the job market, and there are unique challenges when it comes to sourcing professionals for non-profits.
Don’t worry, though. At the AAW Group, we’re experts on UK executive search for non-profits and charities. We’ve used our years of expertise to craft this guide full of tips and strategies to make your job easier when recruiting executives into your team.
Let's begin by exploring why it pays off to bring on board experienced people who are efficient, capable leaders. After all, having the right executive on your team is essential for future growth!
Why Non-Profit Talent Quit
We're about to dive into why having highly qualified talent in your non-profit’s leadership positions is so important. However, it’s helpful to know why these types of candidates quit. It's part of understanding how you can work to retain top talent once you find them.
According to a recent Forbes survey about The Great Resignation that began last year, the biggest reason why non-profit employees left their jobs was that they found better opportunities.
However, more interesting was the fact that 44% of employees said they felt they were on an invisible career path. They felt there was no more room for professional growth or career advancement. Another 35% were disengaged with their workplace culture.
Understanding this can help you while you’re recruiting. Firstly, it can help if you address those common concerns during the interview process. It can also help to consider these points when you’re creating job positions and descriptions.
The Importance of Experienced Non-Profit Talent
Having qualified talent in leadership positions within a non-profit organisation is essential for greater success. Qualified executives have the experience and ability to make changes that take your charity to the next level.
They have many qualities, for example:
Problem-solving
Communication
Motivation
Leadership
Management skills
Why is this so important? And what are we talking about when we use the term “highly qualified” in this context?
Highly qualified executives have a range of skills that are vital for your organisation. Firstly, they can manage a team of professionals who share their passion and commitment to the cause.
They also understand how to allocate resources and funds effectively and critically, they understand the legal requirements for fundraising or dealing with finances or investments.
Qualified executives also have a clear knowledge of how charitable organisations are run. This oversight allows them to create effective strategies that target both current needs and long-term goals.
Ultimately, having qualified talent in leadership positions within a non-profit organisation is vital for its success. These experienced individuals bring about tangible changes through the following:
Smart decision-making
Effective resource allocation
Proactive stakeholder engagement
If you’re unsure what that looks like, check out these two great examples.
Example of a Great Board Member
An ideal non-profit board member should be passionate and highly motivated to succeed in the organisation's mission. They should have the necessary expertise and experience appropriate for their role to support the charity. This could include financial acumen for a finance officer or organisational abilities for a secretary.
Ideally, they should also have extensive knowledge and insight about fundraising, communication strategies, and other crucial areas for furthering the cause. Finally, a great board member would also have a range of relevant contacts that would be helpful for the organisation.
Example of a Great Executive Manager
An excellent executive manager is a leader who possesses a strong vision and drive. They are passionate and committed to their cause, and they inspire team members to carry out the non-profit's values.
Their exact skillset will vary depending on their role, but it’s likely that they will possess exceptional managerial skills, such as being able to coordinate staff, create strategies, make decisions, and handle difficult situations. Moreover, they may well have experience in financial planning, fundraising, and long-term goal-setting.
Above all, they are great communicators who can connect with different people from all walks of life.
What Is the Executive Search Process Like for Non-Profits?
Perhaps you already know what kind of candidate you’re looking for, and you simply have trouble finding someone who ticks all the boxes. If this is the case, perhaps your candidate search and selection process isn’t quite right.
We can offer you insight and help (which we’ll get onto later), but here is a general overview of what the executive search process looks like. This should help you get a basic idea of what goes into finding a great candidate so that you can craft a great hiring plan.
Create Position & Job Description
Creating a job position for a charity leadership role is an important step in finding the right candidate for the organisation. It is essential to define the desired skillset and qualities that you’re looking for. In the job description, you should specify:
The level of the role
The expected responsibilities
Any required qualifications.
For example, let's say the goal is to replace your Chief Executive who is leaving the organisation. In this case, you'd want a senior manager with budgeting experience and an understanding of organisational structure. Additionally, making sure that prospective candidates have relevant experience in the non-profit sector will be invaluable.
Ultimately, defining these parameters before you start recruiting will help to ensure that you only consider those who are qualified for the role.
Outline the Ideal Candidate
Outlining the ideal candidate for a non-profit leadership role provides clarity on the qualities and experience required and enables a search firm to source candidates accurately. It ensures that you choose the right person.
This process requires you to consider characteristics like:
Technical knowledge
Cultural fit
Record of past successes
In most cases, it’s okay to start with a long list of ideal traits. Feel free to construct the “perfect” candidate in your head.
Then, while working with a search firm, you can slowly whittle that down. Group traits into “must haves” and “nice to haves.” You’ll likely discover the most important factors for you and your team during the process. The search firm can help you understand when you’re being too picky and when requiring certain candidate attributes is okay.
Ultimately, outlining the perfect candidate will help you find an individual who can help you to achieve the organisation’s mission.
Appoint a Search Committee
A search committee will usually be responsible for interfacing with search firms to find and screen potential candidates. They do so while ensuring stakeholders receive representation (e.g. board and executive directors). This helps to ensure that you’re considering all perspectives when selecting the right person for the job.
A search committee will also use its expertise to vet candidates thoroughly. They’ll conduct due diligence every step of the way on the potential candidates.
It’s helpful to have a solid point of contact (or a few) from your organisation just to ensure the search firm has someone to consult with. Executive search firms can also play this role.
Outline Selection Criteria
In most situations, the board of directors or executive team will make the final choice. However, other members of an organisation may be involved in the process.
The exact criteria will depend on the role, but it should include both hard and soft skills, such as:
Finance
Fundraising
Programme management
Leadership experience
Communication skills
Interpersonal abilities
Additionally, candidates should have competencies specific to your organisation’s goals and objectives.
A search firm can help you iron out the details. However, going into the process, you should have a clear idea of what a successful candidate looks like. Having a list of “must haves” can help you know when you’ve found your successful candidate.
Set Deadlines & Budgets
Deadlines give the hiring process structure and urgency. This allows an organisation to make a quick decision while still considering the best candidate. A hiring budget ensures the organisation can afford the salary needed to attract qualified candidates.
Establishing both a timeline and financial limits helps organisations make informed decisions that align with their goals and mission. This makes the entire search process easier and in most cases, it’s also more cost-effective for you and your team.
What is an Executive Search Firm?
An executive search firm is a professional recruitment service that specialises in recruiting and hiring executives. In our case, for example, we specialise in hiring for non-profit organisations.
Non-profit boards of directors hire them to help them find, assess, and place qualified candidates into executive positions. Executive search firms have expertise in interviewing and assessing candidates based on the specific needs of the organisation they represent.
During the interview process, these firms provide valuable advice to non-profits by helping with the following:
Crafting job descriptions
Developing recruitment strategies
Conducting market research
Guiding presentation techniques
In addition to working in a consultative capacity, executive search firms also provide access to talented candidates through advertising, networking events, social media platforms, and referrals from their networks.
Executive search firms can assist non-profits with candidate assessment and selection processes such as psychological testing and background checks. Furthermore, they can sometimes negotiate hiring bonuses or other forms of compensation that may be needed to attract top talent.
The bottom line? We help provide critical oversight throughout the hiring process until you secure a successful candidate.
Benefits of Using an Executive Search Firm
We briefly mentioned a few benefits above, but if you’re not sold on how a search firm can help improve and optimise your candidate search, here are three main benefits of using a search firm to help you find suitable candidates.
Talent Network
The team at the firm typically has access to an extensive network of talent that is not available through traditional searches. This innovative approach allows nonprofits to identify potential candidates who have the right skill set for their organisation’s specific goals and needs.
Additionally, executive search firms often have resources that allow them to conduct in-depth background checks on potential candidates, which helps nonprofits make informed hiring decisions.
Moreover, since executive search firms are experienced in recruiting top talent, they’re able to offer useful advice and guidance throughout the hiring process. This means that non-profits are able to make better-informed decisions about who to bring on board as part of their leadership team.
Expertise
Using an executive search firm to hire leadership roles for a charity is beneficial because such firms possess specialised knowledge and expertise in the hiring process.
For example, at the AAW Group, our team has a wealth of experience in the charity sector. They not only bring an understanding of the unique challenges that non-profits face, but they bring first-hand experience working in leadership roles with charities.
This means that we know the skills and qualities needed to lead a successful organisation, and we can help you find someone best suited for those roles.
Technology
Executive search firms specialise in sourcing and recruiting top talent, meaning that they can access a large pool of candidates with specific skill sets and backgrounds to suit the organisation’s requirements.
They are experienced in conducting detailed job searches and can easily identify the right candidate while also minimising the time spent by an employer on recruitment processes.
Furthermore, executive search firms often use sophisticated applicant tracking systems (ATS), which streamlines all stages of recruitment, from screening resumes to interviewing candidates.
In summary, using an executive search firm provides organisations like yours with access to advanced hiring technologies, industry experts and experienced recruiters who can identify the right candidate quickly, saving time and money in the long term.
Executive Search Services
Ready to explore our executive search firm services? While we strive to tailor the hiring process to your needs, our main services for sourcing top talent typically fall into one of the following three categories.
Executive Search
Are you trying to fill roles that have been difficult to fill in the past? Are you searching for C-suite and trustee appointments? Our fully managed executive search service gives you complete peace of mind in these situations.
We will shape and deliver a hiring plan guaranteed to produce a successful outcome. We do so with our:
Expert guidance
Technical expertise in search
Charity leadership network
From the very beginning, we will be with you every step of the way. This starts with candidate profile creation and leads all the way to the candidate being hired.
We understand the importance of finding the right candidate for every role. Our highly regarded AAW Assessment Process, led by none other than Mark Astarita OBE himself, ensures that each shortlisted candidate is fully vetted and ready for appointment.
Our track record speaks for itself; we rarely fail to fill roles the first time around. But in the unlikely event that we do, we won't leave you out to dry. We'll continue to support you until we've helped you achieve the successful outcome you're looking for.
Shortlisting Services
Candidate shortlisting is the process of selecting a limited number of top candidates for a job position from a pool of applicants. We do this using specific criteria and screening methods which could involve resume and cover letter reviews, online assessments and initial interviews.
This benefits organisations by saving time and resources as only qualified candidates receive an invitation for in-person interviews. This helps identify the most suitable person for the job and it reduces wasted time on your end. Forget about sifting through long lists of unqualified candidates.
Our search team is the best in the business. Combined with the unique networks of our founders, Tobin, Mark and Imogen, we provide an unbeatable service. We specialise in exclusively commissioning heads of function roles and senior managers for our clients.
Our advisors have a wealth of experience and expertise. This gives them unparalleled access to highly sought-after shortlists. This rare combination means that our success rate is high. We rarely fail to find the right candidate for the job.
Our team has a knack for finding precisely what our clients need. This is true whether that’s an individual with a specific skill set or someone who can bring something different to their organisation.
We understand that selecting the right person is key to successful recruitment. So, we take great care to identify individuals who have just the right balance of qualities and fit perfectly within your company culture.
Interim Management
Interim management services are temporary management positions. They're positions you need to fill with experienced professionals who can lead an organisation during a period of transition or change.
This could be due to factors such as the following:
A sudden resignation
Mergers
Acquisitions
Restructuring
It is beneficial to organisations as it provides immediate access to high-level talent, cost-effective solutions, and the necessary expertise to implement strategic plans effectively.
At the AAW Group, our network of interim directors and specialists is quick to respond. We are often able to provide a shortlist of candidates within 48 hours.
Whether it's a gap that needs filling due to sudden departures, or the need for an expert eye on a special project, our team is ready to hit the ground running. We are experts in contracting processes. We know how to handle all aspects of hiring the right candidates, and we can do so quickly and efficiently.
Our comprehensive service also provides businesses with peace of mind as every specialist has been vetted for relevant experience, qualifications and skillsets so you can feel confident in your decision.
How It Works
The executive search process looks different from one company to the next. This means it’s important to familiarise yourself with the process depending on the company you work with. However, at AAW Group, the process looks a little something like this.
By having an experienced recruitment professional discuss each role in detail, we are able to create a comprehensive profile of the ideal candidate. This starts shortly after you contact us about your hiring needs.
We gain insight into the qualities, experience and skills that you are looking for to ensure your next hire is well-suited to your team. Our UK search firm has built up a wealth of knowledge and contacts over many years, allowing us to pair you with the best possible person for the job.
We will begin by connecting with you via phone or email. We'll discuss all the necessary details. Our team then gets to work on narrowing down an impressive list of potential candidates. With our guidance and expertise, you'll have access to top talent with speed and accuracy so that your organisation can move forward quickly.
Work with AAW Group
Are you ready to make the most of executive search services? We're ready to help you start sourcing top talent. At the AAW Group, we are ambitious, collaborative, curious, and passionate. Our team has the experience and connections to help you fill non-profit leadership roles.
To learn more about us or our services, get in touch here.
