Aspen Leadership Group
Building Inclusive and High-Performing Teams for Philanthropy

Diversity and inclusion is a hot topic in the executive search space. According to Cowen Partners Executive Search, companies having diverse management teams report a significant increase in productivity. Besides, nearly 68 percent of job seekers consider diversity an essential factor for a job.

In light of this, Aspen Leadership Group (ALG) partners with nonprofit organizations to help them build diverse, inclusive, and highperforming teams.

“We aim to support exceptional careers in philanthropy, strengthen the advancement profession, and enhance philanthropy’s impact on society,” says Steven Wallace, senior consultant and vice president for stewardship and strategic partnerships at Aspen Leadership Group.

ALG’s specialty lies in finding the most suitable executives whose passions and principles align with the organization’s mission, vision, and culture. It leverages inclusive search practices, diverse networks of philanthropy leaders, and partnerships with professional associations to find and recruit top talent for nonprofit advancement roles.

Its executive search process ensures transparency between the client and candidates throughout the journey. It ascertains the various challenges and needs of candidates regarding the job position and workplace. It shares this information with clients, making them aware of the questions they must address in the interviews. Through regular meet-ups with clients, ALG also learns their favored attributes for the vacant position and uses this information to find the most suitable candidates for the role.

Expert search consultants at ALG have a minimum of 20 years of experience in nonprofit leadership. It enables them to effectively address the needs of organizations that aim for inclusive, high-performing team members.

ALG fosters inclusive cultures and helps clients strengthen their teams and approaches to talent management to maximize fundraising and organizational effectiveness.

ALG’s peer-to-peer, leader-to-leader consultation model creates a congenial environment where clients feel a sense of comfort with its consultants. They don’t need to elaborate on their challenges, as the experienced team at ALG understands client needs better than firms that don’t have this deep professional experience in the field and resolves their challenges to attain successful fundraising.

Many clients have benefited from ALG’s dedicated services so far. A case in point is a national client with over 100 candidate applications for their top philanthropy leadership position. The massive response to the remote role was overwhelming for the client, who sought new ways to wade through the applications and cover letters to find the most suitable candidate. ALG collaborated with them to keep them focused on the traits they needed for the role. This was made possible through numerous productive conversations and stakeholders around the position. ALG’s unique search tools and methods made the process as easy as possible, and the client acquired the most talented candidate with all the necessary attributes.

Another success story features a client that wanted to build a culture of philanthropy in their organization. Discussions with ALG provided them with relevant examples based on the experiences of its expert philanthropy leaders. It enabled them to better understand and clarify the leadership position they needed. They elevated their leadership position and attracted over 30 suitable candidates with ALG’s help. The search was narrowed to three finalists equally competent and deserving of the leadership position.

A continued focus on relationships drives ALG’s results. Unlike a vendor that only provides transactional services, ALG works handin- hand with clients as a strategic partner offering comprehensive support. Its dedicated team consists of authors, speakers, and thought leaders who have made significant contributions to the healthcare philanthropy space with leading nonprofit organizations like the Association for Healthcare Philanthropy and The Woodmark Group.

Moving forward, ALG aspires to make philanthropy a habit for the next generation and continues to be a helping hand for nonprofits with its life-long commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion.