Dickerson Bakker & Associates

Talent Development for Nonprofits. We help find and develop talent for key fundraising roles including CDO, CFO, Major Gift Officer and more.

Talent Development
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When it comes to assuring success in nonprofit leadership and fundraising, nothing is more important than selecting the best person for a job. Success of any organization depends, in large measure, on this principle.

Talent Development

The people in your group are the single most valuable and indispensable asset you have. You know firsthand how challenging it can be to recruit talent — particularly as the demand for people with the right combination of skills and experience is intensifying once again. Equally important within a nonprofit environment is the need to find a leader who will be the right fit — someone who understands your mission and culture and will relate well with your staff and stakeholders.

Recruiting Top Talent for Nonprofts

Dickerson, Bakker & Associates has helped dozens of nonprofits just like yours recruit highly experienced, accomplished and personable professionals for key fundraising and chief executive leadership roles.

Serving the nonprofit sector is not just part of what we do. It´s all we do. We have the marketplace knowledge, understanding, expertise, and access to networks and relationships that are critical to succeed in recruiting top talent. Why not put our team to work for you?

Cru-logo-No-background“Here at The Great Commission Foundation of Campus Crusade for Christ, our expertise is in planned giving and estate design. We, however, are not experts in finding the talent needed to grow our foundation. For that, we engaged the experts at Dickerson, Bakker & Associates. They did a remarkable job identifying and recruiting top candidates who not only were exceptionally qualified for the work, but were also a great fit with our vision, values and culture. They identified highly qualified candidates that I could never have found on my own. I highly recommend their personalized service.” Bob Hawkes, Executive Director, The Great Commission Foundation of Campus Crusade for Christ, Orlando FL

Read more about our Talent Development Process

 

When you engage our firm to help you find a key leader for your organization we seek to do two things. First, we will walk you through a seven-step structured process to find, evaluate, present, and recruit the best available candidates for your position. More importantly, however, we seek to stay flexible to respond to unique circumstances that may arise or specific needs or requests that you–the client–have as a key partner in the process.

“Our Two-Year Placement Guarantee sets us apart from every other search firm out there. In an environment plagued by short tenures and regular turnover, this is a significant added value for your organization. No other search firm in the nonprofit industry offers anything like this, and it is an indication of the level of commitment we make to our clients.”
Derric Bakker - President of Dickerson, Bakker & Associates

Our Talent Development Process
Most searches will require at least four and up to six months to complete.

  • 2 Weeks

    Discovery, Planning and Documentation

    • Appoint a Search Team
    • Establish a master timeline and budget for the search
    • Interview staff and stakeholders to build a full understanding of the organization, the position, and context for the opportunity
    • Create an Opportunity Profile
  • 4 weeks

    Promotion & Sourcing

    • Research opportunities for promotion and sourcing
    • Aggressive networking and direct sourcing from within circles of influence
    • Placement of advertising and position postings
  • 3 TO 5 WEEKS

    Due Diligence Evaluation of Candidates

    • Review of candidate submittals
    • Pre-Screening interviews
    • Personality assessments
    • Preliminary reference calls and background investigation
  • 2 to 4 weeks

    Cohort Assemblage & Interviewing

    • Select cohort of top-tier candidates
    • Schedule interviews and prepare logistics
    • Produce comprehensive candidate profiles
    • Conduct in-person interviews with candidates of interest
  • 2 weeks

    Reference Research and Background Investigation

    • In-depth reference research
    • Formal background checking
    • Candidate follow-up and call-backs
  • 2 TO 4 WEEKS

    Negotiation and Appointment

    • Final candidate visit(s) with board and staff, as appropriate
    • Final candidate selection
    • Determine compensation and contract specifics
    • Formal Offer of Employment
  • 2 Weeks

    Formal Announcement & Executive Transition

    • Courtesy calls with other top-tier candidates
    • Communication plan to announce the appointment publicly
    • Provide Executive Transition support & assistance as needed

Learn More

Click these links to read relevant entries on our blog and/or to download free white paper resources

Top Ten Characteristics of Top-Producing Major Gift Fundraisers

Free White Paper

How to Find and Recruit Great Fundraisers to Your Organization

Blog Article
"Not only do we guarantee that we will successfully find and recruit a successful placement for your position opening, we also guarantee our placements for two whole years."
- Derric Bakker, President of Dickerson, Bakker & Associates

What does forward look like for you?

Contact us today to discuss how our team of experienced professionals can help you get there.

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