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

When
10/15/2026
3:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Location
Virtual Via ZOOM
Spaces left
91

Registration

Non Member Registration – $50.00

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 Libby Doran of Doran Leadership Partners, 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, PhD

Partner & Chief Executive Officer | SKS Consulting Group

David has decades of experience in applied psychology in business settings. As CEO of SKS Consulting Group, he is known for his business acumen and strategic thinking. As experts in leadership assessment, SKS partners with organizations to inform talent decisions, accelerate development, and facilitate leadership succession.

David has served as an executive, CEO, board leader, advisor, and entrepreneur, helping organizations navigate growth, succession, innovation, and transformation. His experience spans executive leadership at a brand name publishing and consulting company, non-profit board leadership through crisis and CEO transition, and leadership of SKS through multiple phases of sustained growth.

Libby Doran

Founder & Principal | Doran Leadership Partners

Libby founded Doran Leadership Partners in 2019 as a woman-owned executive search and leadership advisory firm serving family and founder-owned businesses, private equity investors, family offices, and philanthropic and nonprofit organizations.

Prior to that, Libby spent more than 20 years in management consulting and executive search in Minneapolis, New York, and Salt Lake City. Early in her career, she worked for USAID in Washington, D.C., then joined a boutique management consulting firm, Novations Group, working on strategy and organization development engagements with Fortune 1000 clients.

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.