A Guide to Recruiting Your Next CEO: The Executive Search Handbook for Nonprofit Boards
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About this ebook
Recent studies estimate that more than 75% of current nonprofit executives plan to leave their positions in the next five to ten years. What will you do when you need to recruit a new executive for your nonprofit’s leadership team?
Hiring and onboarding a CEO is one of the most important (and challenging) actions a board will ever undertake. Choosing a poor match will require you to repeat the search within a year, at best. At worst, it can have devastating consequences for your organization’s mission.
Recruit your next CEO knowing that you have identified an individual whose core leadership competencies and values align with your strategic vision and mission.
Dennis C. Miller is a nationally recognized strategic leadership coach and executive search consultant with more than thirty-five years of experience working with nonprofit board leadership and chief executives.
In “A Guide to Recruiting Your Next CEO,” Dennis provides a handbook that can be used by any nonprofit board to guide their executive search efforts and feel confident that the outcome will be a positive one for their organization.
In it, you'll learn:
- What the search process entails
- How to develop a position profile for your ideal CEO
- How knowing your strategic vision will help choose the right candidate
- Which key leadership competencies and values will help your organization thrive
- Who should be on your search committee
- How to go about identifying and screening candidates
- What the interview process consists of
- Why checking references is critical
- How to negotiate a compensation package that works for everyone
- How to ensure your new CEO stands the best chance for success possible
If this guidance sounds like something your nonprofit organization could use right now, you'll want to buy this book!
Dennis C. Miller
Dennis C. Miller is a nationally recognized strategic leadership coach and executive search consultant with more than thirty-five years of experience working with nonprofit board leadership and chief executives across the country. Dennis is also an expert in board governance, leadership development, philanthropy and succession planning. In addition, he is a sought-after motivational speaker, retreat facilitator and board and leadership performance coach.Dennis’ experience working with hundreds of nonprofit organizations has provided him with the knowledge and insights to understand the competencies required of today’s nonprofit leadership, whether as chief executive officer, chief operating officer or chief development officer. As Managing Director of The Nonprofit Search Group, he recruits executives who can inspire their organization to achieve greater levels of success and measurable achievements.As the former president and chief executive officer of a major medical center and foundation in New Jersey, his reputation as a respected healthcare executive resulted in numerous honors, including the status of Fellow in the American College of Health Executives. He has served as a member of the Board of Trustees for the New Jersey Council of Teaching Hospitals, Chaired the Board of Trustees for the Center for Health Affairs, Inc. in Princeton, and served in a leadership capacity on many other nonprofit boards.Dennis obtained his undergraduate degree from Rutgers University and Master’s degree in Public Health Administration from Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health.Passionate about leadership and governance, Dennis was the Founder of the Center for Excellence in Leadership, Governance and Philanthropy at Fairleigh Dickinson University, the largest private university in New Jersey. He served as the Center’s Executive Director from 2012 to 2016. He was also the Chairman of the Board of Trustees for Saint Joseph’s Regional High School in Montvale, New Jersey, a highly respected academic college preparatory school. He served as Chairman of their Profiles in Excellence Capital Campaign and was recently inducted into the school’s Green Knights Hall of Fame.Dennis is the author of three books on nonprofit organization success: "A Guide to Achieving New Heights: The Four Pillars of Successful Nonprofit Leadership;" "The Nonprofit Board Therapist: A Guide to Unlocking Your Organization’s True Potential;" and "The Power of Strategic Alignment: A Guide to Energizing Leadership and Maximizing Potential in Today’s Nonprofit Organizations." Dennis is also a regular columnist for many of America’s leading nonprofit business publications and blogs.With his autobiography, "Moppin’ Floors to CEO: From Hopelessness and Failure to Happiness and Success," Dennis mixes together the right ingredients for an engaging, illuminating and compelling memoir, providing a gut-honest recount of his highly eventful life with engaging stories and valuable life lessons. Dennis shows how anyone, including a troubled kid from New Jersey, can overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles, make it to the top and live a happy and fulfilling life.
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Reviews for A Guide to Recruiting Your Next CEO
4 ratings1 review
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Offering more than a step-by-step process, Miller helps frame the unique occupation and specialization of nonprofit executive leadership. While many nonprofit board members will likely have hiring, managerial, or HR experience in their own profession, the realm of nonprofit management is different from most industries. This book will be very helpful in identifying not only the particular qualifications and skills needed in a candidate, but also in creating a search process that is tailored to the nonprofit organization and its unique needs and requirements.
Book preview
A Guide to Recruiting Your Next CEO - Dennis C. Miller
Praise for
A Guide to Recruiting Your Next CEO
As you know, hiring and onboarding a CEO is one of the most important actions a board will ever undertake. So often, even experienced boards struggle to find the right person and are challenged by the process. I think this book will provide a solid set of guardrails for any nonprofit board in their next search for a CEO.
David A. Williams, President & CEO Make-A-Wish America
Dennis’ new book is a very useful outline for nonprofit boards of directors of the need for the board to rethink about the whole executive recruitment process, especially since most board members only go through this once or twice. The risks of getting it wrong are too high.
Jim Purcell, Chief Executive Officer Council of Family and Child Caring Agencies of New York
One of the primary responsibilities of a board is to hire a great CEO to lead and push ahead so the organization doesn’t become mediocre This book provides an excellent roadmap to ensure the board recruits a high-performing CEO.
Jonathan R. Pearson, Executive Director Corporate Social Responsibility Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey
Hiring a CEO is the single most important task a board will ever take on. To find a person not only with the right qualifications, but the right personality, passion for the mission, understanding of the complexities of the nonprofit arena, and leadership skills to inspire both staff and board members, is not an easy task. This book provides a solid set of fundamentals to guide you in that process and ensure that your next CEO is the right CEO to lead your organization to its greatest potential. A must-read before you begin the hiring process!
Diana A. Blankman, Senior Director U.S. Corporate Giving & Social Impact Novo Nordisk Inc.
Dennis C. Miller has provided a practical roadmap to succession planning, new CEO recruitment and transition of leadership. He offers many insights into excellent management, planning and coordination by board members. It’s a must-read for board members and CEOs in the nonprofit sector.
Charles Venti, President Inventive Strategies, LLC
A Guide to Recruiting Your Next CEO
Other Books by Dennis C. Miller
A Guide to Achieving New Heights: The Four Pillars of Successful Nonprofit Leadership
The Nonprofit Board Therapist: A Guide to Unlocking Your Organization’s True Potential
The Power of Strategic Alignment: A Guide to Energizing Leadership and Maximizing Potential in Today’s Nonprofit Organizations
Moppin’ Floors to CEO: From Hopelessness and Failure to Happiness and Success
A Guide to Recruiting Your Next CEO
The Executive Search Handbook for Nonprofit Boards
By Dennis C. Miller
with a little help from my good friend, Michele Hickey
A Guide to Recruiting Your Next CEO
Copyright © 2017 Dennis C. Miller
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system, without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
Books published by Emerald Lake Books may be ordered through booksellers or by visiting emeraldlakebooks.com.
ISBN: 978-0-9971207-9-0 (paperback)
978-1-945847-00-4 (ebook)
Library of Congress Control Number: 2017954252
Dedication
This book is dedicated to the millions of men and women who voluntarily serve on a nonprofit board, committed to creating a positive social impact in the communities they serve, whether locally, nationally or globally.
Contents
Introduction
Understanding the Search Process
Defining the Strategic Vision
Identifying the Right CEO Leadership Competencies and Values
Activating the Search Committee
Identifying and Screening Candidates
Conducting the Interview Process
Checking References
Negotiating the Offer
Onboarding the Candidate
A Note from the Author
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Bibliography
Introduction
As a board member of a nonprofit organization, the most important responsibility you are likely to assume will be to hire your chief executive officer. Recent studies have estimated that more than 75% of current nonprofit executives plan to leave their positions in the next five to ten years. For the purpose of our discussion, the terms chief executive officer,
CEO
or executive director
will be used synonymously in identifying the top-paid leader of the nonprofit organization.
Two major factors are driving the increased focus on succession planning in the nonprofit sector. First, we are experiencing the expected retirement of a baby boomer generation that sought out careers in the nonprofit sector because of the culture of social change in the 1960s and 1970s. Second, nonprofit boards are realizing the need for executive leaders to possess new leadership competencies to navigate today’s rapidly changing environment while successfully leading their organizations into the future.
Traditionally, a passion for the mission along with skill sets ranging from program development, grant writing and community relations were considered sufficient when selecting an executive. This is no longer the case.
Today, nonprofit boards appreciate that the skills required to successfully lead an organization have changed dramatically.
In this book, I will describe the new leadership competencies required to succeed as a social impact leader in the 21st century.
In addition to the new leadership competencies, there also needs to be a cultural fit as well. I will also address the importance of incorporating your organization’s values into the recruitment and hiring process.
In my thirty-five years of experience as a board chair,