hiring corporate: what nonprofits need to know

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Hiring Corporate:

What Nonprofits Need to Know

Laura Gassner OttingOctober 19, 2011


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Advising nonprofits in:

• Strategy

• Planning

• Organizational Development

www.synthesispartnership.com

(617) 969-1881

[email protected]

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Today’s Speaker

Laura Gassner OttingPresident

Nonprofit Professionals Advisory Group

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Hiring from the Corporate Sector:Knowing the Candidates,

Knowing Your Organization

Nonprofit Professionals Advisory Group LLC © 2011 NPAG LLC. All rights reserved.

More and more, our firm is being asked:

“What about hiring people from the for-profit sector?”

LAURA GASSNER OTTING, Founder and President

Nonprofit ProfessionalsAdvisory Group

About Us


The Nonprofit Professionals Advisory Group was founded from the simple notion that every organization, regardless of its budget or geographic footprint can better fulfill its mission with a highly-tailored, innovative, and strategic approach to acquiring and retaining its most important resource: talent.

Designed to operate with ‘new economy’ savvy, the Nonprofit Professionals Advisory Group offers traditional executive search and leadership transition packages tailored to our clients’ various needs. We are committed to passing along our knowledge throughout our process so that our clients’ internal capacity and independence is enhanced.

We work worldwide with mission-driven client organizations in the nonprofit, academic, and public sectors, as well as with the job seekers who serve them. For organizations, we offer executive search and leadership transition services. For candidates, we provide leadership development, job search strategy creation, and resume/cover letter assistance. For both organizations and candidates, we supply professional and organizational development in person through our customized training programs and online with our groundbreaking, complimentary “NPAG U” webinar series.

Our team members are personally dedicated to our clients’ missions and together offer more than 40 years of executive search experience in addition to the wealth of perspective, expertise, and networks they offer from previous careers in the nonprofit, academic, public, political, and private sectors.

Laura Gassner OttingAbout

Us


Laura Gassner Otting is Founder and President of the Nonprofit Professionals Advisory Group, a retainedexecutive search firm dedicated to building the capacity of nonprofit organizations, associations, institutions of higher education, the public sector and the professionals who make them run smoothly.

Prior to forming the group, Laura served as the senior vice president of ExecSearches.com and as vice president at Isaacson, Miller, one of the largest search firms in New England.

Laura served as a presidential appointee for the White House Office of National Service and a program officer for the Corporation for National and Community Service, where she was part of the team that created the AmeriCorps, and as a member of the Clinton/Gore Transition Team and 1992 Election Team. She holds a Master of Arts in Political Management from the George Washington University and a Bachelor of Arts in Government from the University of Texas at Austin.

Laura serves on the boards of College Bound Dorchester, AmeriCorps Alums, and the Eli J. Segal Citizen Leadership Program at Brandeis University, and is the Clerk and Governance Chair of the board of Newton Montessori School. She has served as a member of the board of Camp Starfish and the Alumni Board of the Graduate School of Political Management at the George Washington University and as the founding board chair of both Strong Women, Strong Girls and the Boston Choral Ensemble. Laura is the author of Change Your Career: Transitioning to the Nonprofit Sector and is widely quoted for her expertise in mission-driven work in publications including The New York Times, The Chronicle of Philanthropy and Money magazine.

Laura can be reached at 617-527-9661 or [email protected].

Change Your Career: Transitioning to the Nonprofit Sector

The Book


“Change Your Career … offers an invaluable perspective from her work in

executive searches to all those considering a move from success in the

world of business to the wide-open world of making a difference.”

-Marguerite W. Kondracke, President and CEO of America’s Promise

“Change Your Career is a wonderful resource for everyone from those just

getting started in the nonprofit sector to those well along the path.”

- Wendy Kopp, President and Founder of Teach for America

“If you are looking for a more fulfilling career, Change Your Career is the

book for you.”

- Alan Khazei, Co-Founder and Former CEO, City Year

“Laura Gassner Otting will help you catalyze a lifetime of experience and

learning into a deeply meaningful second, third or fourth career.”

-Marc Freedman, CEO of Civic Ventures

“Laura Gassner Otting has created the perfect compass for anyone who

has ever considered taking a journey towards work that is fulfilling and

makes a difference in the world.”

- Michelle Nunn, Co-Founder and CEO of the Hands On Network

Who Transitions?The

People


Young Professionals

Rising StarsExperienced Executives

Baby Boomers

And Everyone

Else

Motivations for Career ChangeWhy

Move?


Scope of Position

Leadership and

Colleagues

Organizational

BrandScale of Impact

Salary/Benefits

Geography

Passion for

Organization’s

Mission

Growth Potential

and/or Skill

Development

Skills that Transfer WellOpening

Up


1• Leadership and influence

2 • Managing up, down and sideways

3 • Delegating with kindness while demanding accountability

4 • Adaptability and openness in management style

5 • Ability to manage a broad portfolio of responsibilities

6 • Knowing how to get to yes

7 • Managing dotted line relationships

8 • Delivering impressive results

9 • A long term view

10 • A distinct passion for the work of the nonprofit

Preparations?Is s/he ready?


Volunteer Record

Board Experience

Education Homework

Understanding Your OrganizationShould

You Hire?


Friendly Nonprofits

• Already adapted business practices into daily work

• On the precipice of great change, at a key moment

• Use words like entrepreneurial and cutting edge

• Actively recruit change agents

• Seek out new and inventive funding models

Understanding Your OrganizationShould

You Hire?


Unfriendly Nonprofits

• Interested but have yet to adapt best business practices

• Chasing changing whims of philanthropic community

• Small, grassroots, hands-on, direct service weighted

• Slow pace of change

• Long-tenured board and staff

Retaining TransitionersKeeping

Good Hires


Announce the person’s background AND their passion.

Discuss your personal expectations of success.

Engage other champions.

Assign them an internal buddy and an external mentor,.

Predict possible idiosyncrasies, hot button topics, impactful words, and sacred cows.

Do whatever you can to help them from making missteps, but when they make them, and they will, be available to help reduce the time between the failure and its fix.

Resources


NPAG’s Article Library:

Hiring from the Corporate Sector

Searching for a Search Firm

Wednesday Webinars:

NonprofitWebinar.com

Nonprofit ProfessionalsAdvisory Group


LAURA GASSNER OTTING, Founder and [email protected]


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Find listings for our current season of webinars and register at:

NonprofitWebinars.com

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