2024 Hunt Scanlon Non-Profit Executive Recruiting Special Issue
A Hunt Scanlon Media Publication
Although there has been a cooling off from last year’s frenzied market, the non-profit search sector continues to be strong, according to Michelle Kristel, managing partner of McCormack+Kristel. “Robust activity can be attributed to several factors, including a rise in transitions related to two distinct generational trends,” she said. “During the pandemic, many boomer-age executives delayed retirement to steer their organizations through seismic financial and cultural disruptions. Over the past two years, as organizations have stabilized and adjusted to the new normal of remote and hybrid work, searches for successors to retiring executives have accelerated.”
Emergence of a New Generation of Non-Profit Leaders
Additionally, Ms. Kristel says there’s a palpable energy fueled by the emergence of a new generation of non-profit leaders. “Like their predecessors, they are driven by a strong sense of purpose and a desire for impactful work,” she said. “However, they are more likely to change jobs in pursuit of opportunities for growth and impact and, of particular importance to younger staff, to find organizational cultures that are aligned with their personal values. The combination of a wave of executives retiring and the openness of next-gen leaders to explore new opportunities has created a dynamic environment for executive search within the non-profit sector, driving significant activity in the market.”
“As a search consultant charged with finding unicorns, we seek and evaluate candidates with myriad backgrounds to curate talent pools comprising candidates with diverse perspectives and lived and professional experiences,” Ms. Kristel explains. “Generally, however, corporate executives constitute a minority of the candidates we introduce to our clients. The reason why for-profit candidates infrequently advance in the selection process relates to the specialized technical skills and personal qualities required of non-profit leaders.”