Gilman Partners Forms Non-Profit Leadership Practice
August 1, 2016 – Due to growing demand for talented leaders of non-profit organizations, executive search firm Gilman Partners has formed a non-profit leadership practice.
Under the direction of partner Barry Elkus, in collaboration with partner Karen Finan, the firm’s new non-profit leadership practice works with non-profit organizations to identify, screen, and attract talent for mission critical roles including CEO, COO, CFO, executive director, and chief development officer.
Mr. Elkus and Ms. Finan have led more than a dozen searches for key leadership roles since 2015 and have experience working with boards and search committees to attract top talent from the business and non-profit communities. The two will lead and work on all executive level searches in the non-profit leadership practice and will guide search committees through the recruiting process.
The Gilman Partners team will provide hands-on support from creating the job profile all the way through offer acceptance and onboarding. The firm also uses an online behavioral assessment and targeted interview questions to address any red flags along the hiring process chain. Additionally, non-profit organizations will receive a reduced fee and a performance-based fee schedule, so payment is tied to results, according to the search firm.
The Gilman Partners team has a 15-year track record of working with a broad mix of non-profit clients and has relationships with an extensive network of leaders in business and non-profit communities. Of the senior leaders placed by Gilman Partners, 96 percent are still with the same organization three years later, according to firm reports.
Gilman Partners has worked with the following non-profits: Lighthouse Youth Services, Holly Hill Children’s Services, Life Learning Center, Redwood, Girl Scouts, Habitat for Humanity, and St. Vincent de Paul.
The economic strength of the non-profit sector has been increasing and the sector is now the third largest employer in the U.S., according to recent labor and industry reports. Nearly two million non-profit organizations now employ close to 11 million people and produce revenue in excess of $1.9 trillion.
Hiring among non-profits continues to grow. According to the 2016 ‘Non-Profit Salaries & Staffing Report’ by PNP Staffing Group, more than 50 percent of hiring managers are reporting staff increases. The report found that the non-profit sector has grown by 20 percent over the last 10 years.
“The non-profit search practice was usually an afterthought or ‘nice to have service’ at a bigger firm,” said Katie Bouton. CEO of Koya, a search firm focused on the non-profit sector. “But now, non-profits are seen as viable career paths for top industry leaders. Today, 80 percent of the candidates we see are at the executive level.” As a result, she said, candidates and clients are demanding personalized attention and sector-specific expertise from search professionals.
Contributed by Dale M. Zupsansky, Managing Editor, Hunt Scanlon Media
