Aspen Leadership Group

What Aspen Leadership Group does

Aspen Leadership Group is a professional services firm specializing in retained executive search, leadership consulting, and team building exclusively for the nonprofit sector. Founded in 2012 and headquartered in Aspen, Colorado, the firm places C-suite leaders, including CEOs, executive directors, chief advancement and development officers, CFOs, COOs, and General Counsels, across nonprofit subsectors spanning arts and culture, higher education, healthcare, conservation, community/social services, and private foundations. Its service portfolio is organized around three practice areas (Philanthropy, Finance and Operations, and CEO/Executive Director), with adjacent offerings in executive coaching, DEI consulting, onboarding support, and team-building recruitment for advancement professionals such as Major Gift Officers and Senior Philanthropy Managers.

The firm operates on a retained executive search engagement model with typical search durations of 14-16 weeks and quote-based pricing that is not publicly disclosed. Searches can be initiated through direct outreach, website inquiries, and referrals, while candidates access opportunities through the ALG Career Network portal at philanthropycareer.net. Its go-to-market leverages published thought leadership (multiple books on DEI in advancement and the CDO role), an active blog series, conference speaking at CASE/AFP/AHP/AADO and similar associations, and an in-house research and operations team. There is no proprietary technology platform; the firm's value creation is built on consultant relationships, candidate networks, and DEI methodology rather than automation.

In February 2025, Aspen Leadership Group was acquired by ZRG Partners (a portfolio company of RFE Investment Partners), becoming part of ZRG's Education, Nonprofit, and Social Impact practice and rebranded as ZRG Aspen Leadership Group. Post-acquisition, the firm launched the Nonprofit Leadership Accelerator in April 2026, extending into cohort-based leadership development, and maintains a co-developed Comprehensive Leadership Transition Solution with Marts & Lundy. The firm has been recognized by Forbes as one of America's Best Recruiting Firms for five consecutive years (2019-2023).

Name

Aspen Leadership Group

Legal name

Aspen Leadership Group

Website

https://aspenleadershipgroup.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Aspen Leadership Group is a retained executive search and leadership consulting firm serving nonprofit organizations across arts, education, healthcare, and foundations, placing C-suite leaders and building advancement teams; now operating as ZRG Aspen Leadership Group following a 2025 ZRG Partners acquisition.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Executive Search Services

NAICS

Executive Search Services (561312), Management Consulting Services (54161)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Sector, Education & Nonprofit Leadership Search (BPACAAAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Talent Management & Leadership Advisory (Succession, Performance, Culture) (BPACAJAH)

Keywords

• Executive search services
• Nonprofit consulting
• Leadership consulting
• Executive recruitment
• Talent acquisition

Headquarters

HQ city

Aspen

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Executive Search Services: Retained executive search engagements for nonprofit organizations placing C-suite leaders (CEOs, executive directors, chief advancement officers, CFOs, COOs, General Counsels). Searches typically take 14-16 weeks. The firm offers competitive rates and a guarantee adjustable to client needs.
2. Leadership Consulting: Strategic thought partnership, executive coaching, onboarding support, and inclusion consulting services for nonprofit leaders. Services can be standalone engagements or natural extensions of search engagements.
3. Team Building Services: Recruitment of advancement team members including Major Gift Officers, Associate Directors of Development, Senior Philanthropy Managers, and Specialists. Special pricing offered for 5 or more positions.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Aspen Leadership Group is a retained executive search firm specializing in placing C-suite leaders for nonprofit organizations, with three principal practice areas: Philanthropy, Finance and Operations, and CEO/Executive Director placements. The firm also provides nonprofit leadership consulting, executive coaching, onboarding support, DEI consulting, and team building for advancement teams. Acquired by ZRG Partners in early 2025, ALG now operates within ZRG's Education, Nonprofit, and Social Impact practice.

Product overview

Aspen Leadership Group operates as a nonprofit and education sector talent firm offering executive search and leadership consulting services exclusively for the nonprofit sector. The company functions as a unified service offering rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture. Core services include Executive Search & Recruitment (placing C-suite nonprofit leaders across three practice areas: Philanthropy, Finance and Operations, and CEO/Executive Director), Nonprofit Leadership Consulting (strategic thought partnership, executive coaching, and DEI consulting), and Team Building (recruiting advancement team members at all levels). Supporting products include the ALG Career Network (philanthropycareer.net), the ALG Community network, and the Nonprofit Leadership Accelerator for Arts and Cultural Organizations launched in April 2026. The firm partnered with Marts & Lundy to offer Comprehensive Leadership Transition Solutions. Aspen Leadership Group was acquired by ZRG Partners in early 2025.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Executive Search & Recruitment

Quantifiable outcome

• Searches typically take 14-16 weeks from engagement to successful hire

Named customers10 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• ZRG PartnersflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 February 2025In early 2025, Aspen Leadership Group was acquired by ZRG Partners. ALG now operates as part of ZRG's Education, Nonprofit, and Social Impact practice. The partnership provides expanded expertise and resources including interim leadership (The Registry), college athletics search (ZRG Turnkey), and specialists across various nonprofit and for-profit disciplines. The combined entity offers executive search, interim leadership, talent consulting, and embedded recruiting services.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• AGB Search: Executive search practice of the Association of Governing Boards, focused exclusively on higher education leadership searches. Directly competes with ALG for university president, provost, and advancement placements.
• Isaacson, Miller: Premier retained executive search firm exclusively serving the nonprofit sector, with deep education, arts, advocacy, and social-impact practices. Closest direct competitor to ALG in nonprofit C-suite search.
• Koya Partners: Diversity-focused executive search firm serving mission-driven organizations across nonprofit, education, and philanthropy. Directly competes with ALG for nonprofit C-suite placements with a similar values-aligned brand.
• DRiWaterstone Human Capital: Executive search firm specializing in advancement, fundraising, and nonprofit leadership; previously employed ALG team member BJ Davis. Closely comparable in scope and client mix.
• WittKieffer: Retained executive search firm with strong healthcare, education, and nonprofit practices. Competes directly with ALG for university, hospital, and association C-suite searches.
• Marts & Lundy: Leading fundraising and advancement consulting firm that is also an explicit ALG partner (joint Comprehensive Leadership Transition Solution). Highly comparable in nonprofit advancement market.

Broad incumbents

• Russell Reynolds Associates: Global executive search firm with a dedicated Education, Nonprofit, and Social Impact practice. Competes with ALG on larger nonprofit searches but offers broader industry coverage.
• Spencer Stuart: Global executive search firm serving nonprofit, education, healthcare, and association clients. Larger, broader competitor that overlaps with ALG at the senior end of the nonprofit market.
• Korn Ferry: Largest global organizational consulting firm offering retained executive search across nonprofit, higher education, and healthcare segments. A scaled incumbent competing for enterprise nonprofit engagements.
• Heidrick & Struggles: Global executive search firm with nonprofit, education, and healthcare practices. Competes with ALG for C-suite and senior advancement roles at major institutions.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/AspenLeadership
• Facebookfacebook.com/aspenleadershipgroup
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/aspen-leadership-group

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Aspen Leadership Group