Musings of a sheltering recruiter

Full disclosure: my interview subject this time around is a good friend.  She is also a licensed Zumba instructor and a world traveler whose photos I enjoy on Facebook. 

I first met her more than ten years ago with a dual purpose.  She was a headhunter in the animal sheltering business and I was curious about a new opportunity.  I was also trying to find someone to fill a speaker slot for a DC-based planned giving conference I was helping to organize. 

Her ultimate topic for the conference: how nonprofit leaders can groom themselves for higher-level positions.  That’s something about which Jane Luiso of Chicago has lots of knowledge.

Not only has Jane been president of The Anti-Cruelty Society in the Windy City, she was vice president of Noetic Executive Search, which helps nonprofits recruit for top positions.  Also based in Chicago, the boutique firm often has clients in the animal sheltering field.

And that’s why I wanted to pick her University-of-Chicago-MBA brain. 

See, Jane recently retired.  I thought it would be interesting to learn what she’s noticed from her unique vantage point about the animal sheltering field that comprises hundreds of nonprofits nationwide. 

Their role in helping our fellow species—typically, companion animals like dogs and cats—is a critical one in lifesaving.  Meanwhile, their efforts are often highly dependent on unpredictable private support in the competitive donor-dollar marketplace.

No surprise, then, that expertise in development is the chief consideration for most animal protection organizations conducting a leadership search.

“The trends continue to be the same as they always were: money and money,” said my spiky-haired friend in our interview. 

“I think humane societies, like many nonprofit organizations, are continually looking for strong fundraisers,” Jane reported. “Regardless how many times people state that the board should be assisting in these efforts, it falls on the president or executive director to lead these efforts.”

Why the heavy emphasis on fundraising, rather than a stronger focus on backgrounds in shelter operations or veterinary care?

“First, you need money to help more animals,” according to Jane.  “So, hiring someone that understands donor relations and how to raise major gifts will translate into helping the humane society better care for the animals.”

Of course, professional experience with animal care programs is highly valued, as well.  But not always necessary.  Jane noted that searches more recently are much more likely to look at people who have no prior animal sheltering background.

Members of shelters’ search committees “usually say they are open to candidates outside of the animal welfare field; however, it usually ends with someone in the field.”  Typically, a leader with awareness of industry trends is sought to ensure that the organization will be “on par with others in the country.”

Jane would often talk with prospective candidates about their experience in two areas: fundraising and board relations.  Though some potential candidates may have been managing a significant staff, even in a sheltering environment, they many have not had the opportunity to assist in development or interact much with a board.

Despite being nonprofits often struggling with cashflow, SPCAs and the like that want to attract exceptional talent will have to carefully consider their compensation.  Perhaps paying more than initially budgeted.  According to Jane, the field is competitive and people aren’t going to make a move if they don’t feel the new salary warrants it.  It’s now a buyer’s market for the job hunters, she claimed.

For potential shelter leaders who want to make themselves more attractive to hiring nonprofits, Jane has several suggestions.

“If you are seeking a top-level position, you need to be aware of the changes, the issues and the new developments within the field,” she explained.  “Demonstrating to the board how you grew your organization is also important with perhaps mergers, taking on more animal control contracts, increasing adoptions, etc.”

Being a team player while simultaneously being a leader respected by the staff and the public is also a mix of skills in demand.  Too, experience in fundraising and board relations are key, especially for people who’ve been in second-tier leadership roles but not the top spot.  This includes internal candidates trying to move into the president/CEO position at the organizations where they’re currently working.  The credential of Certified Animal Welfare Administrator is a plus.

Jane stated emphatically that potential leaders should be prepared to accept positions if they are offered them, noting that some have changed their minds after receiving offers.  Ultimate refusals to accept positions often result from family members not supporting the move.  Whatever the excuse, such an action means the process must start again, placing a significant burden on several people.  

Occasionally, applicants struggle with a history of bad press.  This unfortunate legacy can be “difficult to overcome,” the former recruiter said, but sometimes the reputational issues are overlooked by hiring shelters with the reasoning that “it can happen to the best of us.”

I mentioned to Jane my own belief that the sheltering business could economically benefit from consolidation among so many small organizations and thus have more funds available to help more animals.  She agreed.

The organizations, we concurred, are frequently running the same sorts of programs and chasing after the same donors. 

“Consolidation is a good thing. I think we are going to see more mergers,” Jane told me.  “It is going to be happening more and more, I believe, as we move into the future.”

“I often think [shelters] can’t all find great leaders and why not get rid of so much duplication.  I also see so much turnover in shelter leadership, which just seems to be a waste of time and energy for all,” she also said.  “I often think that if you had fewer, bigger organizations, then you could eliminate some of the frequent turnover as well as all the fits and starts that come with it.”

Not fewer facilities or services, mind you; rather, fewer organizations.  Amen.