(WEBINAR) | When Assessment Works (and When It Doesn't): Leadership Assessment in Nonprofit Executive Search

  • 10/15/2026
  • 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM
  • Virtual Via ZOOM
  • 100

Registration

Registration Now Open
NNSC Members: Complimentary as a member benefit.
Non-Members: $50 per person.
Select the “Register” button on the left to reserve your spot.
Why Attend?
Nonprofit clients are increasingly bringing leadership assessment into their hiring processes, sometimes on their own initiative and sometimes without much warning. Whether or not you use assessment in your own practice, the ability to speak knowledgeably about how it works, what it can and cannot tell a search committee, and how it fits alongside your own findings has become part of the job.

This session offers a practical, non-promotional look at leadership assessment in the context of nonprofit executive search. David Donnay of SKS Consulting Group will be joined by a search firm partner who has integrated assessment into live engagements, and together they will walk through what a strong assessment partnership actually looks like: how the data is collected, translated into insights, and presented, how it can sharpen a client’s understanding of a candidate’s strengths and risks, and how it supports the consultant’s advisory role rather than competing with it. The conversation will draw on real case examples, including situations where assessment confirmed what the search process already surfaced and situations where it complicated the picture, along with guidance on navigating those harder client conversations. The session closes by looking at what happens after the hire, where assessment data can inform onboarding and early leadership development, and a substantial portion of the hour is reserved for open discussion with attendees.
Meet Your Presenters
David Donnay
David Donnay, PhD
Partner & Chief Executive Officer | SKS Consulting Group
[BIO TO COME FROM SKS. Approximately 75 to 100 words. Suggested emphasis: David’s background as a psychologist and psychometrician, the scope of SKS’s leadership assessment practice, his experience partnering with executive search firms, and the firm’s growing work in the nonprofit and mission-driven sector.]
Co-Presenter to Be Announced
Executive Search Firm Partner
David will be joined by a search firm leader who has integrated leadership assessment into live executive search engagements. She will share the consultant’s perspective throughout the session, including what the partnership looks like in practice and how assessment findings shape client conversations. Watch for the announcement in the coming weeks.
You’ll Learn
  • How behavior-based leadership assessment works and what it can (and cannot) tell a search committee
  • Why assessment strengthens rather than competes with the consultant’s advisory role
  • What a strong partnership between search consultant, client, and assessment provider looks like
  • How to navigate client conversations when assessment data contradicts first impressions
  • How to set expectations early so findings become insights rather than surprises
  • How assessment data carries forward into onboarding, early performance, and leadership development
  • Real case examples from live nonprofit search engagements, including what worked and what did not
Who Should Attend?
This webinar is designed for search consultants, firm principals and owners, recruiters, researchers, and project managers who advise nonprofit clients on leadership hires. Whether you use assessment regularly, have reservations about it, or simply want to be prepared the next time a client raises it, you will leave with a clearer understanding of how it works and how to talk about it with confidence.

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