Executive Search

Our Process

Leadership transitions are moments of great opportunity—opportunity for an organization’s leaders to assess strategic priorities, and to ensure they are serving their missions most effectively. Transitions are also moments of uncertainty. Whether an organization is experiencing a planned transition or a more sudden one, they can all benefit from an executive search that aligns stakeholders around a shared vision.

Benefactor Group’s Executive Search and Talent team can help your organization not only survive—but thrive—during your next leadership transition.

Discover

Our first step is to understand your organization’s vision for your incoming leader, and from that, create the profile of your ideal candidate. Together, we answer three fundamental questions:

  • Where are you?
  • Where do you want to go?
  • Who will take you there?

Engaging your stakeholders in this process creates deep alignment to your vision and goals. It also allows us to provide candidates with a realistic preview of your organization. Our process prevents surprises during onboarding and supports long-term retention.

Recruit​

Your candidate pool should reflect the diversity of your organization and the individuals you serve. We identify exceptional candidates by conducting labor market research, building a comprehensive market map, employing online research, and leveraging our national nonprofit and business networks.

Screen​

We treat your candidates with the highest care and attention—just as you steward your donors. We assess candidates through a series of in-depth behavioral interviews: the first focusing on experience and interest in the role, and the second focusing on alignment with the core competencies for success.

Select & Hire​

We present a slate of exemplary candidates with the skills, interests, and experience necessary for success. Our team will support you at every step—interview scheduling and candidate stewardship, questionnaire creation, interview training, and decision coaching—through a transparent, equitable process that mitigates the impact of implicit bias. When your finalist has been identified, we complete final reference checks and assist with offer negotiation.

Transition & Onboard​

Day one is only the beginning. We will remain a resource to you and your incoming leader, drawing on the strategic planning, governance, and fundraising expertise of our full firm to support your organization’s continued success.

Find Your Next Leader

The work and end product produced by our Benefactor team provided substantial savings in time and resource allocation. Their work will enable us to follow a solid plan which will create a stronger Foundation in terms of funds raised and relationships built. Most importantly, the new plan will increase the number of people served who are in need of care and assistance.

Current Searches

Help & Hope Center

Executive Director

Castle Rock, Colorado

Mercy Housing

Vice President, Philanthropy

San Francisco, California

Parkersburg Area Community Foundation

Executive Director

Parkersburg, WV

Completed Searches

Kilgore Samaritan Counseling Center

Executive Director

Louisville, Kentucky

Second Harvest Food Bank of Clark, Champaign, and Logan Counties

Executive Director

Springfield, OH

Dublin Arts Council
Dublin Arts Council

Executive Director

Dublin, OH

IBH Addiction Recovery

Chief Executive Officer

Akron, Ohio

Local Matters

Executive Director

Columbus, Ohio

Buckhorn Children & Family Services

Chief Executive Officer

Buckhorn, Kentucky

Community Housing Network

Chief Executive Officer

Columbus, Ohio

Mid-Ohio Food Collective

Senior Vice President, Development

Grove City, Ohio

HelpLine

Executive Director

Delaware, Ohio

Special Olympics Kentucky

Chief Executive Officer

Frankfort, Kentucky

Caracole

Chief Executive Officer

Cincinnati, Ohio

Tim Hortons Foundation Camps

Senior Manager, Fundraising

Remote, USA Based

Columbus Museum of Art

Deputy Director for Advancement

Columbus, Ohio

National Museum of Wildlife Art

Director of Development

Jackson, Wyoming

Epilepsy Foundation of America

Chief Development Officer

Remote

Local Matters

Executive Director

Columbus, Ohio

Lima Community Foundation

Executive Director

Lima, Ohio

South Dakota Mines CARA

Chief Executive Officer

Rapid City, South Dakota

Ghost Ranch Education & Retreat Center

Development Director

Abiquiu, New Mexico

ACUHO-I Foundation

Director of Development

Remote

Momentum-Excellence

Executive Director

Columbus, Ohio

Greater Fredericksburg Habitat for Humanity

Executive Director

Fredericksburg, Virginia

The Buckeye Ranch

Director of Marketing and Communications

Columbus, Ohio

The Buckeye Ranch

Director of Development

Columbus, Ohio

How to Conduct a Strategic and Equitable Search in 2025

How to Conduct a Strategic and Equitable Search in 2025

Leadership transitions are critical change moments for organizations. In 2025, as nonprofits navigate economic uncertainty, evolving workforce challenges, and heightened scrutiny around how to talk about equity, these transitions carry even greater weight. To ensure your next leader is well-positioned to move your organization forward, you need to take a step back and assess your strategic direction. You can’t afford to begin the process of recruiting, interviewing, and selecting your next leader or high-impact team member until you are aligned around the needs of the role and vision for where the organization is heading. Follow this guide to know how to approach your next strategic and equitable executive search.

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25 Stories of Impact: 28% Growth and a Flourishing Future with Help & Hope

25 Stories of Impact: 28% Growth and a Flourishing Future with Help & Hope

In 2023, Help & Hope Center engaged Benefactor Group to conduct a feasibility study for a potential campaign to reimagine the physical space. The study assessed organizational readiness, donor engagement, and fundraising potential. Ultimately, the board decided to invest in building capacity across the development department and strengthening donor relationships to set the organization and its clients up for long-term success and sustainability. In the years following, Help & Hope Center boasted achieved a 28% increase in annual fundraising in one year and has a blossoming major giving program.

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