Hiring Corporate: What Nonprofits Need to Know

Hiring Corporate:
What Nonprofits Need to Know

Laura Gassner Otting
October 19, 2011

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Today’s Speaker

President
Nonprofit Professionals Advisory Group

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Hiring from the Corporate Sector:
Knowing the Candidates,
Knowing Your Organization

More and more, our firm is being asked:
“What about hiring people from the for-profit sector?”

LAURA GASSNER OTTING, Founder and President

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

Nonprofit Professionals
Advisory 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.


About
Laura Gassner Otting is Founder and President of the Nonprofit Professionals Advisory Group, a retained Us
executive 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 LGO@NonprofitProfessionals.com.

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

And
Young Experienced Baby
Rising Stars Everyone
Professionals Executives Boomers
Else


Motivations for Career Change
Why
Move?

Passion for
Organization’s Geography
Mission

Organizational
Brand
Scale of Impact
Leadership and
Colleagues
Scope of Position
Growth Potential
and/or Skill
Salary/Benefits
Development


Skills that Transfer Well
Opening
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 Board
Education Homework
Record Experience


Understanding Your Organization
Should
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 Organization
Should
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 Transitioners
Keeping
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 Professionals
Advisory Group

LAURA GASSNER OTTING, Founder and President
617-527-9661
LGO@NonprofitProfessionals.com


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

NonprofitWebinars.com

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Hiring Corporate: What Nonprofits Need to Know

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