GoodCitizen

What GoodCitizen does

GoodCitizen is a retained executive search and leadership advisory firm serving mission-driven organizations in the United States and internationally. Founded in its current form in 2021 as the rebrand of Waldron Search, the firm is organized as a Washington-state Public Benefit Corporation and is B-Corp certified. Its clients are foundations, direct-service nonprofits, and social enterprises seeking executive leadership (CEO, Executive Director, President, and senior team roles) as well as board and leadership transition support.

The firm operates two service lines. The core offering is retained executive search, in which Managing Directors design Position Profiles, run research and outreach, manage interview protocols, and recommend candidates to client boards. A second line, Leadership Advisory, provides consulting on board shaping, executive transitions, and transformation coaching. The firm runs dual-coast offices in Seattle and San Francisco, with a team of eight staff and three board members, and reports 125+ clients served across 40+ geographies over the past five years. Customers include the Buffett Foundation, MacArthur Foundation, Hewlett Foundation, Skoll Foundation, David & Lucile Packard Foundation, Schmidt Family Foundation, Water Foundation, FareStart, YWCA, and Global Giving.

Commercially, GoodCitizen is a sales-led, professional services firm with custom, engagement-based pricing. Client acquisition is driven by sector reputation, referrals, and board-level relationships, while candidate sourcing draws on a proprietary network, LinkedIn, and connector relationships built over 20+ years through the Waldron lineage. Distribution is direct-only: there is no marketplace, self-serve, or channel layer. The firm does not disclose revenue or funding; growth is self-funded. Notable marquee differentiators include an equity-centered practice (71% of placed candidates from one Managing Director's prior Koya track record self-identified as people of color), a 2025 Women of Color in Philanthropy Top Search Firm recognition, and B-Corp and PBC legal structures that align the firm structurally with social sector values.

Name

GoodCitizen

Legal name

GoodCitizen Public Benefit Corporation

Website

https://goodcitizen.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

GoodCitizen is a retained executive search and leadership advisory firm that places C-suite and senior leaders at U.S. and international foundations, nonprofits, and social enterprises, with a stated focus on equity-centered placement and board/leadership transition support.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Executive Search Services

NAICS

Executive Search Services (561312), Employment Placement Agencies and Executive Search Services (56131)

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

Executive & Leadership Direct Hire (BPACAFAB)

Keywords

• Executive search services
• Nonprofit leadership recruiting
• Philanthropy executive search
• Leadership advisory consulting
• Board shaping services

Headquarters

HQ city

Seattle

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Executive Search Services: GoodCitizen provides retained executive search services to mission-driven organizations including foundations, nonprofits, and social enterprises. The firm is hired by client organizations to find and recruit executive-level candidates for leadership positions.
2. Leadership Advisory Services: The firm offers additional leadership advisory and consulting services including board shaping, leadership transitions, and transformation partner coaching to help clients prepare for change and organizational transformation.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

GoodCitizen provides retained executive search services to mission-driven organizations including foundations, nonprofits, and social enterprises, recruiting executive-level leaders (CEO, Executive Director, President, and senior team roles) through position profiling, candidate research, outreach, screening, and recommendation. The firm also offers Leadership Advisory services covering board shaping, leadership transitions, and transformation partner coaching.

Product overview

GoodCitizen is an executive search firm specializing in nonprofit and philanthropy leadership placement. The company offers two interconnected service lines: Executive Search (core recruiting services for foundations, nonprofits, and social enterprises) and Leadership Advisory (consulting for organizational transformation, board development, and leadership transitions). A supplementary Career Resources section provides guidance articles for social sector job seekers. The firm operates as a Public Benefit Corporation with a stated commitment to equity and social impact.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Executive Search Retained executive search services helping mission-driven organizations including foundations, nonprofits, and social enterprises build strong, diverse leadership teams. The firm conducts comprehensive searches for executive-level positions (CEO, Executive Director, President, senior leadership team), managing the full hiring process from position profiling to candidate placement.
• Leadership Advisory Advisory and consulting services helping clients prepare for change and transformation. Services include board shaping, leadership transitions, and transformation partner coaching on topics of culture, structure, and strategy.

Quantifiable outcome

• 71% of candidates placed by Karen Rea self-identified as people of color
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers15 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Center for Effective PhilanthropyminorOthersCEP Vice President of Research Elisha Smith Arrillaga serves on GoodCitizen's Board of Directors, creating connections between the firm and nonprofit research/philanthropy assessment sector.
• Global WashingtonminorOthersMelissa Merritt, Managing Director, serves as Chair of the Global Washington Board of Directors, connecting GoodCitizen to the global development sector.
• Waldron (formerly)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGoodCitizen was formerly known as Waldron (Waldron Search). The transition from Waldron to GoodCitizen represents an evolution of the firm's identity while maintaining its executive search expertise for the social sector.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Russell Reynolds Associates: Russell Reynolds is a global executive search firm serving corporations and nonprofits, including foundations and social-impact clients. Its scale, brand, and cross-sector reach make it a partial competitor for high-profile foundation CEO searches.
• Heidrick & Struggles: Heidrick & Struggles is a global executive search and leadership advisory firm with a dedicated Social Impact practice serving foundations and nonprofits. It is much larger and broader than GoodCitizen but competes on selected retained searches and leadership advisory mandates.
• Korn Ferry: Korn Ferry is one of the world's largest executive search and organizational consulting firms. Its broader portfolio includes foundation, nonprofit, and ESG-related mandates that overlap with GoodCitizen's niche, though it is not specialized to the social sector.
• Spencer Stuart: Spencer Stuart is a global executive search and advisory firm with a Nonprofit & NGO practice that recruits foundation and nonprofit leaders. It competes with GoodCitizen at the upper end of CEO/ED searches and on board advisory work.

Direct peers

• Isaacson Miller: Isaacson Miller is one of the largest U.S. executive search firms focused on the nonprofit, education, and social-impact sectors. It competes head-to-head with GoodCitizen for foundation and nonprofit CEO/ED searches and serves a comparably senior client base.
• Koya Partners: Koya Partners is the most direct comparable: a retained executive search firm dedicated exclusively to mission-driven organizations, foundations, and nonprofits. Two of GoodCitizen's Managing Directors (Karen Rea and Dafina Bobo) joined from Koya, indicating near-identical service offerings, client base, and positioning.
• Diversified Search Group: Diversified Search is a national retained executive search firm with a dedicated practice serving foundations, nonprofits, and associations. It competes directly with GoodCitizen on social-sector leadership placements and offers similar retained-engagement models.
• Phillips Oppenheim: Phillips Oppenheim is a boutique retained executive search firm focused on foundations, nonprofits, and social-impact organizations. Its narrow sector focus, retainer-based model, and senior-led delivery make it a close analog to GoodCitizen.
• On-Ramps: On-Ramps provides retained executive search for nonprofits and mission-driven organizations with a strong emphasis on diversity, equity, and inclusion. It targets the same foundations and nonprofits as GoodCitizen and competes on similar equity-centered differentiators.

Others

• PierceGray: PierceGray is a retained executive search firm founded and chaired by GoodCitizen board member Max Scoular. While PierceGray focuses on investment organizations rather than social sector, the shared leadership and retained search model make it a directly comparable peer.

Market position

Weaknesses1 record

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/goodcitizenconnect

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

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 GoodCitizen