Frequently Asked Questions
We know that you may have many questions about our services. Here is a listing of our most frequently asked questions. If you don’t see your question answered here, don’t hesitate to contact us.
How long does a search for a CEO or Executive Director generally take?
We prioritize both efficiency and effectiveness in our search process. From the time we post the position and start accepting applications, we are reviewing what is coming in so that no qualified candidates fall through the cracks. If we do find that there are no qualified candidates responding to our job posting, we will review the job description, salary, and other considerations to make sure we’re putting something competitive on the market. The typical search process takes 8-10 weeks, from the time we begin working together on a search to the time your final candidate accepts the offer. Note: We do see some candidates selecting a delayed start after acceptance to allow for a smooth transition from their previous employer.
How much does an executive search cost?
Our executive search service fees are all inclusive of expenses – meetings with the search committee, posting positions on job boards, consultant time, interviews, onboarding, etc. The fee does not include candidate travel expenses if they need to travel to participate in in-person interviews. NPN uses a percentage of base salary to determine fees. This allows for adjustments due to the organization’s size and/or complexity of the search. Note: Our search consultants have no stake in the final salary negotiation – they are paid on a retainer or salary basis.
Who should be represented on the Search Committee?
We recommend choosing your search committee members carefully and engaging with a combination of Board members, staff,– read more on our blog about Who is on the Search Committee? Clarity, consistency, and commitment to a defined process allows us to run searches smoothly. To aid in the search process, ask that search committee members sign a confidentiality form before the process begins. Your search consultant will meet with the search committee to identify key stakeholders and assign roles and responsibilities, establish a timeline that determines when and how to involve committee members.
What is the ideal size for a Search Committee?
The ideal search committee should be an odd number either five or seven members. The larger the committee, the more challenging it will be to organize meetings, conduct candidate interviews, and hold discussions with everyone. Larger committees also tend to drift from our search timeline to accommodate busy schedules. If you are considering committee members who have typically busier schedules, consider blocking days and times for the interviews in advance of them joining your committee. We will accommodate whatever size search committee that you choose, however, we know that committees that are able to move more swiftly create a more efficient search process.
Should staff be represented on the Search Committee?
This is always a challenging question. We are traditionally accustomed to staff not participating in the hiring of their supervisor. However, in many nonprofits, we are seeing the value of having staff perspective on the day-to-day operations of the organization and the operational needs of staff. In the early conversations about a search, NPN will have a conversation with the Board chair for Executive Director roles or with the Executive Director for senior staff roles to determine who should be involved, when, and how their input will be used in the final decision-making process. At a minimum, we firmly believe that staff need to meet finalists and have an opportunity to ask questions and provide anonymous feedback to the hiring manager.
How much time will be expected of Search Committee members?
A conservative estimate of time that will be needed for the search process for committee members is between 20 and 30 hours spread out over the 4-5 months. Your search consultant will outline the timeline for the search and ensure the committee is prepared for reviewing candidates after phone screenings, scheduling face-to-face interviews, and final interviews. We know that working in the nonprofit field is dynamic and priorities may shift, if you know any major initiatives that could potentially block the timeline from moving forward, let us know early on in planning and we are happy to accommodate.
Should the Board Chair or President serve as the Search Committee chair?
Not necessarily. However, we highly recommend involving your Board Chair or President on the committee.
How do you approach recruiting and engaging with diverse candidates?
Many organizations desire to recruit and hire BIPOC and/or LGBTQ+ candidates into leadership positions. We do not make assumptions about individual candidate identities. As part of our application process, we do collect Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) data about candidates that is self-reported anonymously to gauge the diversity in your pool. We recommend that organizations consider their internal commitments to diversity, equity, and inclusion as values in their organization and how they are supporting existing and future BIPOC and/or LBGTQ+ employees in their current organizational culture. We will do our best to lead outreach and conversations with a wide diversity of candidates. We are transparent with candidates as well as organizations about the environment and how BIPOC and/or LBGTQ+ employees will be supported in their work.
Should we appoint an interim leader until we find a permanent hire?
If you are experiencing a sudden or unplanned departure of your senior leadership or have had a senior leader in place for more than 7 years than, appointing an interim leader could help prepare your organization for its next leader. NPN has a network of interim leaders we can source to work with you to prepare your organization internally for new leadership, understand where potential gaps are, and assess the needs of the organization from the inside. Interim leadership can also be helpful for planned leadership transitions as well, working inside an organization alongside the existing senior leader to assist with the transition and enable the search committee to focus on working with our team to find your next leader.
What if the candidate selected leaves the organization or we choose to part ways?
We guarantee our search for 90 days for any reason (e.g. the candidate leaves or the organization fires them). We will work with you again to do a new search at no additional cost. Sometimes that means we are going out and searching for the same position. In other cases, we are doing a search for a new role because there was some learning from what happened with the candidate. Gain some insights on our approach in our blog article What is a “failed search?”
What if we don’t like any of the candidates you find for us?
If we are not pulling the right candidates for your position, we will go back out to the market. However, we will also adjust the job description and posting language after careful evaluation and conversations with the client to make sure we’re not just putting the same thing out there and expecting different results. Our goal is to find the right person for your organization and sometimes that means re-evaluating and shifting our strategy.
Do you offer your search services outside of the Pacific Northwest?
While our organization is based in Portland, Oregon, we do have networks outside of the region in Washington, Idaho, California, and beyond. We are always expanding our networks and looking to reach more nonprofit professionals across the country. We have completed searches in Washington, Idaho, California, Minnesota and national organizations operating virtually.
What happens after the search is completed?
We are truly committed to the success of every new hire. We provide ten hours of onboarding support to you and your organization to ensure that the first 90 days on the job go smoothly. We provide coaching and support with other senior leaders in a cohort model with our executive leadership coach and onboarding specialist.