When It Comes to Hiring, Do Foundations Look for Something Different?

by Sherry Ettleson , Principal

As someone who has been an executive recruiter for the past 20 years, I have worked with many nonprofits and foundations that are looking to hire talented new staff. ?Part of my job includes talking with job seekers who have had amazing careers in nonprofits and politics and now want to pivot to work on the other side. Instead of being a grantee, they want to work for a foundation to make grants to impactful organizations.?

Job seekers always ask me what foundations look for when they hire.? Is it any different from what their organization traditionally looks for?? Certainly, it depends on the role, but I often find it is very similar to hiring for a nonprofit.? But even after 20 years in this business, and 20+ years on the boards of two Donor Advised Funds, I thought I would ask my friend and long-time colleague, Marilyn Machlowitz , for her thoughts on this subject.? Marilyn has had a long career in executive search and has worked with many large foundations to help them find talented new staff.?

Here is what she said:

For a grant-making or program role, foundations typically seek candidates who:

1. have a strong commitment to the foundation’s mission,
2. understand nonprofit structures, grant-making processes, and current trends within their program areas, such as environmental justice, education, or healthcare,
3. can think critically and evaluate initiatives for impact,
4. have strong relationship skills to collaborate effectively with grantees, community organizations, and other stakeholders,
5. demonstrate cultural competency and a commitment to DEI principles, and
6. have expertise in project and budget management.

Non-grantmaking or non-program-related roles such as leadership, operations, or communications, require strong management, strategic planning, organizational, administrative, and project management skills to ensure the foundation runs smoothly.? They also need to have strong communication and writing skills.? Some non-grantmaking roles also require data management and analysis skills. (Foundations are increasingly data-driven, and staff often analyze metrics to improve internal decision-making).? Leaders, of course, need strong strategic thinking and analytical skills to support overall planning and organizational health.

And, specifically for leadership roles, foundation leaders need to be very strategic with a clear vision, focusing on funding allocation and ecosystem-level change. Foundation leaders focus on distributing resources effectively and building partnerships to drive systemic impact.

As you can imagine, some of these skills and experiences are transferable from a nonprofit organization that is a grantee, to a foundation that is a grant-maker.? But be careful when hiring:?Marilyn warns that one of the biggest mistakes fundraising professionals make is thinking they can easily “be on the other side” and work in a foundation.?

I will add that because the nonprofit landscape can shift rapidly due to economic, political, or social factors – this recent election is a case in point -- foundations value candidates who can adapt to these changes, embrace innovation, and explore new approaches to philanthropy, like impact investing or advocacy-based funding.

From my experience and the lessons I’ve learned from my friend and colleague, foundations are not all that different from other nonprofits when it comes to hiring.? They are often keen on finding smart, dynamic, people who have the long view and look for measurable ways to have an impact by working closely with the organizations they support.?

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