Nonprofit & Impact Search Practice

Overview & Fee Structure

Our Promise | We bring missions and people together

At Dovetailed, we craft the perfect fit between the unique leadership and talent needs of mission-driven organizations and the skills, experience, and passion of exceptional candidates. We believe the right hire is about more than credentials; it is about finding someone who connects with your mission, culture, values, community, and vision for the future.

Our Partnership | We are committed to your mission

Nonprofit organizations do critical work, and every hire matters. Dovetailed serves as an extension of your team, providing the time, attention, and proactive outreach needed to move a search forward while allowing your staff and leadership to remain focused on your mission.

Our team works closely with each client to understand the organization, its strategic priorities, and the qualities that will make someone successful within its community. From building the candidate pool through the hiring process, we provide thoughtful guidance, consistent communication, and highly personalized service.

Our Expertise | We find unicorns

No matter the complexity of the position, hiring timeline, geographic reach, or candidate-market challenges, Dovetailed specializes in finding the people who may not be actively looking for a new role, but whose experience and values align with your organization. Our search practice supports nonprofits, foundations, associations, and other mission-driven organizations across a range of leadership and professional roles, including:

CEO / Executive Director
CFO / Financial and Operations Leadership
Chief Technology Officer
Chief Advancement Officer
Director of Human Resources
Director of Marketing & Communications
Administrative & Executive Support

Through targeted research, direct outreach, relationship-based recruiting, and proactive sourcing, we help organizations expand beyond the traditional applicant pool and discover exceptional candidates who might otherwise never encounter the opportunity.

Unparalleled Communication and Service
At Dovetailed, we pride ourselves on thorough and consistent client communication and highly personalized service. We go beyond being a candidate clearinghouse or resume provider; we become a trusted search partner, working alongside your team to make the process more manageable, thoughtful, and successful.

Cutting-Edge Applicant Tracking Platform
Dovetailed provides real-time access to candidate profiles and application materials, allowing leadership teams and search committees to efficiently review and manage candidate information. Our streamlined platform is designed to save valuable time and internal resources throughout the search.

Innovative One-Way Video Candidate Interviewing Tool
For no additional cost, Dovetailed offers an optional one-way video interviewing tool for searches. This resource can enhance early candidate screening, reduce scheduling demands on hiring managers and search committees, and provide additional perspective on a candidate’s communication style, experience, and connection to the organization’s mission.

Enhanced Position Statements
Every Dovetailed search includes a compelling, professionally designed Position Statement that tells the story of your organization and opportunity. More than a job description, it highlights your mission, impact, culture, priorities, and community, helping prospective candidates understand not only the role, but why the work matters.

Fee Structure

At Dovetailed, there are no annual membership fees or commissions, and no fees calculated as a percentage of a candidate’s compensation.

We offer a straightforward flat-fee structure designed to make search costs predictable, transparent, and aligned with finding the right person.

Launch a Search

Viable Pool Fee

Organizations pay the Viable Pool Fee once Dovetailed has developed and delivered a pool of three or more qualified, interested candidates.

This fee reflects the research and relationship-building behind the search, including identifying, researching, sourcing, engaging, evaluating, and curating candidates whose experience and interests align with the role and organization.

Hiring Fee

Organizations pay the Hiring Fee only when they successfully hire a Dovetailed candidate or one who applies through the exclusivity period.

Our two-stage fee structure provides a flexible and scalable alternative to traditional retained executive search while keeping Dovetailed and our client partners focused on the same outcome:

Finding the Perfect Fit.

Frequently Asked Questions

The expansion into nonprofit and mission-driven search is a natural extension of Dovetailed’s work. As our independent school partners increasingly engaged us for senior leadership searches, we observed significant overlap between the independent school and nonprofit talent markets. Candidates were moving between the two sectors, and our school clients frequently asked us to identify professionals with nonprofit and mission-driven experience because those professionals often bring a strong understanding of mission, community, stakeholder engagement, and values-based organizations.
We also began hearing from candidates interested in transitioning from independent schools to broader nonprofit leadership opportunities and from nonprofit professionals interested in bringing their experience to schools. That crossover made it clear that Dovetailed’s relationship-driven, proactive recruiting approach could serve both sectors well.
The expansion also builds on the professional experience of Dovetailed’s partners, Zack Lehman and Lynda Hamilton-Kirk, both of whom have worked in nonprofit and mission-driven organizations. Together, these experiences made the nonprofit and impact sector a natural next step for Dovetailed and an opportunity to continue doing what we do best: bringing missions and people together to find the perfect fit.
At Dovetailed, we understand that nonprofit hiring is about more than credentials, it is about finding people who connect with your mission, culture, values, community, and vision for the future. We serve as an extension of your team, combining targeted research, proactive outreach, and relationship-based recruiting to identify qualified candidates, including talented professionals who may not be actively looking for a new opportunity. Our search practice supports a range of administrative, senior leadership, and CEO/Executive Director roles, with highly personalized service and consistent communication throughout the search process.
Click here to download Dovetailed’s Nonprofit & Impact Search Practice Overview and learn more about our approach and flat-fee search model.
Every search is different depending on the role, location, and candidate market, but Dovetailed is built to move quickly. We typically begin identifying and engaging prospective candidates immediately after a search launches, and in many searches, we are able to introduce an initial group of qualified candidates within the first two weeks.
Our goal is to build a viable pool of qualified, interested candidates, not simply generate applications. Organizations do not pay the Viable Pool Fee until Dovetailed has developed and delivered at least three qualified, interested candidates whose experience and interests align with the opportunity and organization.
From there, we continue recruiting, sharing additional candidates, and supporting the search through the interview and hiring process. Our proactive outreach and relationship-based recruiting also allow us to reach candidates who may never encounter the opportunity through a traditional job posting. In many searches, we are able to introduce five to ten candidates within the first two weeks.
Yes. Dovetailed builds a custom candidate pool specifically for your organization and opportunity based on the role, mission, culture, priorities, and experience you are seeking. Candidates actively engaged in your search are not presented to other Dovetailed clients while they remain under consideration. If you decide not to move forward with a candidate or formally release them from your search, we may then consider them for another appropriate opportunity.
This better reflects Dovetailed’s emphasis on creating a tailored candidate pool through targeted research, direct outreach, and relationship-based recruiting rather than simply circulating the same candidates across multiple searches.
Dovetailed offers a straightforward two-stage, flat-fee structure with no annual membership fees, commissions, or fees based on a percentage of a candidate’s compensation. This approach keeps search costs predictable, transparent, and focused on finding the right person for your organization.
The Viable Pool Fee is due only after Dovetailed has developed and delivered a pool of at least three qualified, interested candidates. The Hiring Fee is due only when your organization successfully hires a Dovetailed candidate or a candidate who applies during the exclusivity period.
This two-stage model provides a flexible, scalable alternative to traditional retained search while keeping Dovetailed and our client partners focused on the same outcome: Finding the Perfect Fit.
- Administrative
- Senior Leadership
- CEO/Executive Director
If you still have questions, click here to fill out the inquiry form, and we will schedule an initial call to learn more about you and your organization’s needs. If you are ready to launch your search, click here to complete the Dovetailed intake form, and we will be in touch within 24 hours to get started!

"As a board we knew we needed to take a different approach to hiring our next executive director and decided to invest in hiring Dovetailed to help after some positive references from a similar organization. I'm very thankful for the work Zack and his team did in recruiting qualified applicants and screening out ones we knew wouldn't be a good fit. We never would have found our new executive director without Dovetailed's help. We are so excited to start our next chapter with a strong leader."

Leslie Hamilton, President of the Board of Trustees | Loveland Ski Club
"Dovetailed’s responsiveness, care, and expertise made such a difference for BELONG Partners as a small nonprofit taking on a Director of Advancement search. They brought us such a strong pool of candidates, and I’m so grateful for the time and thought they put into understanding our vision and purpose and finding people who truly aligned with it. Thank you for being such a wonderful thought partner throughout this process."

Stacy Lappin, Director of Program, Shared Leadership Team | BELONG Partners
"Dovetailed was an excellent partner throughout the search for our next Executive Director. This was a complex leadership role in a highly specialized sector, made more challenging by the realities of recruiting to a mountain community with a particularly high cost of living. We had previously managed our searches in-house, but quickly recognized the value the Dovetailed team brought to the table. They took the time to understand our organization, culture, and leadership needs, and their professional, thorough process gave our Board confidence from start to finish while producing an excellent outcome."

Jeffrey Martz, President of the Board of Trustees | Ski & Snowboard Club Vail
"McKee Botanical Garden engaged Dovetailed for its Executive Director search in 2023. Though the firm had historically worked in education and this was one of their first searches in the broader not-for-profit field, we were beyond impressed with the overall process and results. The recruitment materials were comprehensive and professional. The candidate pool was dynamic and geographically diverse. The entire process was seamless. In the end, we landed the perfect match Director for our Garden and have Dovetailed to thank for our success."

Peter Benedict, President of the Board of Trustees | McKee Botanical Gardens
“Dovetailed was a terrific partner to the Vail Valley Foundation throughout our search for the Executive Director of Youth Power. They took the time to understand not only the experience and leadership qualities we were seeking, but also the unique mission and community at the heart of Youth Power’s work. Their team brought a thoughtful, organized, and highly responsive approach to the process, while reaching beyond the obvious candidate pool to identify and engage strong prospective leaders. We appreciated the consistent communication, sound guidance, and personal attention throughout the search. Most importantly, Dovetailed helped us find an outstanding leader for the role, and we are very pleased with both the process and the outcome.”

Sarah Clubine, SVP Operations | Vail Valley Foundation