Over the coming weeks, we’ll be sitting down with all of the senior team members at DRiWaterstone Human Capital to find out, in their own words, what drives them and why DRiWaterstone is one of North America’s top executive search firms for the non-profit and social impact sectors. First up, President and CEO, Jennifer Dunlap:
- How does your background in the non-profit sector influence your approach to executive search?
At the core of DRiWaterstone is our belief in the organizations we work with, our clients, and in what they do and why. I take very seriously our impact and feel the weight of what we do. I believe that what we do matters – it has a significant impact on an organization’s ability to deliver their critically needed services.
If a search doesn’t work out – it’s not just money. There’s a negative impact on our clients’ services and on the people they serve. And that’s just unacceptable. Having grown up in the non-profit sector, having lived that for 25 years, that’s at the core of why I do what I do. It isn’t just a search; it’s helping an organization find the right leadership to move them and their mission forward.
- What kind of bench strength does your team bring to mission and purpose-driven clients?
All of our senior consultants have worked in the non-profit or social impact sector. They all come to us having real understanding in those sectors. They are purpose and mission driven individuals and know how to hire for that.
Our Executive Search Associates, administrative support, and consultants all come from a wide variety of backgrounds, but they have one thing in common – they’ve all made a conscious decision to work for an organization that supports mission and purpose-driven organizations. Some worked in non-profit, some worked in corporate and were unsatisfied – that commitment to the mission and purpose-driven organizations we service is the commonality.
The whole team believes what we’re doing is important and that we’re doing it for important organizations.
- Why should mission and purpose-driven organizations consider working with a firm like DRiWaterstone to fill their leadership roles?
There are a few reasons. One is productivity cost. A lot of organizations don’t understand the cost of not recruiting the right person at the right time. They may say “we can do this ourselves,” or “we can’t afford a recruiter,” but then all of a sudden it’s been nine months and the role still isn’t filled. That has a cost associated with it.
Another reason to work with DRiWaterstone is that you’re working with a partner who understands not just the industry but the individual organizations. We’re a world class firm that does this work at a price point that’s appropriate and affordable for most non-profit organizations, and we work with our clients to develop relationships not just complete assignments. That’s really what we want to do, not just a series of one-off searches. For example, I’ve been doing searches with the AARP and the AARP Foundation since 2002. I understand the AARP enterprise so I can assess candidates on technical expertise, but also on their alignment to the culture and what it takes to be successful at AARP.
At DRiWaterstonewe bring expertise and value, but we also care about what we’re doing.
Read part two of our interview with Jennifer Dunlap.
—
At DRiWaterstone, we work with mission and purpose-driven organizations across the U.S. to help them build mission and purpose driven teams. We’d love the chance to work with you – reach out today and book a meeting with our team and find out how we can help.
Archives by Month:
Archives by Subject:
