Every nonprofit board in the middle of a CEO search eventually says some version of the same sentence: “We need someone who can steer us through a fast-changing technology landscape. Maybe an outside perspective is what we need.” Then one of two things happens. The board passes on its strongest crossover finalist because “they don’t […]
The Founding Team Reckoning: When to Replace, Reshape, or Keep Your Early Leaders
Most conversations about executive mis-hires focus on the outsider you brought in and got wrong. This one is about the insider you got right, the founding VP who built your company from nothing, and the much harder question of whether they’re still the right person for what comes next. Research on founder turnover offers a […]
What AI Fluency Is Worth in the Nonprofit CDO Market in 2026
Boards keep asking what a competitive offer looks like this year. The honest answer: it depends less on the org chart than on whether your candidate can operate the technology stack the best development organizations now run on. In an earlier piece in this series, we made the case that AI fluency has become a […]
What AI-Driven Agency Restructuring Means for Senior Leadership
Old Pyramid, New Barbell The agency org chart is being redrawn, and not in the way most predictions expected. For decades, the agency model ran on a pyramid: senior leadership at the top, a wide layer of mid-level executors in the middle, and an even wider base of junior staff grinding through drafts, research, and […]
Hiring at a Pivotal Moment: What a Nonprofit Can’t Afford to Get Wrong
Why nonprofit executive hiring during a crisis, funding shift, or political inflection point deserves a different kind of process, and a different kind of urgency Every mission-driven organization eventually reaches a moment when the ground shifts. A funding source disappears overnight. A regulatory or political environment turns hostile. A founder or long-tenured leader departs at […]
The Board’s New Fundraising Mandate: What Governance Looks Like in the Age of AI
Passive nonprofit board membership is fading. In 2026, trustees are being asked to lead through technology, uncertainty, and a fundraising environment that rewards institutions that govern boldly. In Part 1 of this series, we examined how AI is reshaping the competencies nonprofits need in their senior philanthropy leaders. In Part 2, we turned to the […]
Nonprofit Chief Development Officer Search: Five Questions Your Board Must Answer
In Part 1 of this series, we examined how AI is reshaping the competencies nonprofits need in their senior philanthropy leaders and why the organizations that adapt fastest will have a decisive fundraising advantage in an increasingly competitive environment. This piece is the harder conversation. Because attracting one of those leaders requires more than a compelling […]
Understanding the Different Types of Executive Search
Updated May 2026 | Originally published March 2015 We’re often asked by new potential clients: “How does this work?” And honestly, after more than twenty years in the business, we’re still surprised by how many companies including well-funded, sophisticated ones make the same costly mistakes when it comes to choosing the right executive search model […]
The AI Talent War Is Asymmetric. Here’s How Founders Win Anyway.
The leaders who will define your company aren’t browsing job boards. Here’s how to reach them and why your startup has structural advantages some founders never use. You already know the pitch you’re going to get from the other side of the table. Big company. Big brand. Big package. Four-year vest. Good luck. What doesn’t […]
Leadership in High Growth Startups vs. Mature Organizations
The leadership skills that make someone successful at a Fortune 500 company can sometimes be a liability at high growth startups and vice versa. While both environments demand excellence, they require fundamentally different skillsets, mindsets, and approaches. Two capabilities stand out as increasingly critical differentiators in today’s landscape: learning agility and AI literacy. The Tale […]