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EXECUTIVE SEARCH

RETAINED EXECUTIVE SEARCH

PNP’s Retained Executive Search provides a high-touch, structured partnership designed to successfully place senior nonprofit leadership, including Chief Executive Officers, Executive Directors, Chief Financial Officers, Chief Development Officers, and other executive roles.

With deep nonprofit expertise and a national reach, PNP partners directly with boards, executive teams, and hiring committees to manage the full search process—from initial alignment through candidate onboarding.
Since 1996, PNP has helped organizations nationwide build high-performing leadership teams and make confident, mission-aligned hiring decisions.

OUR APPROACH

Our approach is particularly effective for organizations navigating complex hiring structures—whether working with a Board of Directors, an internal leadership team, or a combination of both. We bring clarity, structure, and consistency to multi-stakeholder searches, helping align priorities, streamline decision-making, and maintain momentum throughout the process.

We begin by working closely with your team to define the role, understand your organizational priorities, and establish a clear leadership profile. From there, we conduct a targeted, national search that combines proactive outreach, strategic marketing, and access to our extensive network and proprietary database of nonprofit professionals.

Candidates are carefully screened and evaluated through a structured interview process that assesses not only experience, but leadership capability, motivation, and alignment with your mission and culture. Only highly qualified and genuinely interested candidates are presented for consideration.

Throughout the process, PNP manages all logistics, facilitates communication, and serves as an objective advisor—supporting your team through interviews, decision-making, and final selection.
Our partnership continues through offer negotiation and onboarding to help ensure a smooth and successful leadership transition.

Take a Look at Our Client Roster

SEARCH TIMELINE

While each search is customized, most engagements follow a structured timeline:

  • Weeks 1–2: Organizational alignment, role definition, and search
    strategy
  • Weeks 2–6: Active recruiting, outreach, and candidate sourcing
  • Weeks 4–8: Candidate evaluation, presentation, and interviews
  • Weeks 8–10+: Final selection, offer negotiation, and onboarding support

PNP continues recruiting and screening efforts until the position is successfully filled.

COMMITMENT TO RESULTS

  • Dedicated recruitment team for every search
  • National reach with access to extensive nonprofit talent networks
  • Ongoing sourcing until a successful placement is made
  • One-year replacement guarantee for retained search engagements

AREAS OF FOCUS
PNP specializes in executive-level searches across:

  • Executive Director
  • Chief Executive Officer
  • Chief Financial Officer
  • Chief Development Officer
  • Other C-Suite Level Roles

START A CONVERSATION

If your organization is preparing for an executive search, we welcome a confidential conversation.

Request Talent

Recently Filled Executive Searches

EXECUTIVE

  • CEO, Community Housing Innovations, White Plains, NY
  • CEO, Volunteer Fairfax, Fairfax, VA
  • Executive Director, Good Shepherd Housing, Lorton, VA
  • Executive Director, Health People, Bronx, NY
  • Executive Director, Wellspring Center for Prevention, East Brunswick, NJ
  • Executive Director, Water for South Sudan, Rochester, NY
  • Executive Director, I Have a Dream Foundation, Atlanta, GA and Dallas, TX

FINANCE

  • Chief Financial Officer, Fortune Society, Queens, NY
  • Chief Financial Officer, EOC of Suffolk, Yonkers, NY
  • Chief Financial Officer, Neighborhood Coalition for Shelter, NY, NY
  • Assistant VP of Finance, Westhab, Yonkers, NY
  • Director of Finance, Women’s Audio Mission, Oakland, CA
  • Director of Finance, Accompany Capital, New York, NY
  • Director of Finance, Philadelphia Children’s Alliance. Philadelphia, PA

FUNDRAISING

  • VP of Development, Westhab, Yonkers, NY
  • VP of Development, AFS-USA, New York, NY
  • Chief Development Officer, Experience Camps, Westport, CT
  • Chief Development Officer, Phoenix Multisport Alliance, Denver, CO
  • Director of Development, I Have a Dream Foundation, New York, NY
  • Director of Development, GRIP Training Institute, San Francisco, CA
  • Director of Development, Women’s Audio Mission, San Francisco, CA
  • Vice Provost of Research and Innovation, Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, CA

……….and many more!

Testimonials

We thought that our ideal ED candidate with 10+ years of experience in international development in sub-Saharan Africa would be difficult to find and that we’d have to compromise in any number of directions.  In fact, PNP found several qualified people for us to interview but one was so perfect that we fast tracked her and sealed the deal in 3 months.  Throughout PNP was thoughtful, a great resource, very responsive to our requests, and flexible to accommodate our needs and timelines.

Anne Turner, Board Chair, Water for South Sudan, Executive Director search

Throughout the process PNP demonstrated a clear understanding of the organization’s needs and the board’s priorities, resulting in a stellar pool of highly qualified candidates. I appreciated their regular updates and communication, which allowed us to keep the process moving in a timely manner. Thanks to PNP’s diligent efforts in negotiating the offer, both the board and the final candidate came away satisfied that we had an ideal person to lead the organization into its 50th year.

Donna Patchett, Board Chair at Volunteer Fairfax, Executive Director search

We felt informed and supported by PNP throughout the hiring process and observed some strong emotional intelligence on the part of our search partner which greatly contributed to the successful outcome.

Mary Jo Brock, Vice President at AFS-USA, Director of Volunteer Engagement search