What DGW Consulting does

DGW Group (doing business as DGW Consulting Group) is a national, Black woman-owned executive search firm founded in 2012 by DeRonda Williams. The firm specializes in retained C-level placements — primarily CFOs, COOs, Chief Impact Officers, and Chief Strategy Officers — for mission-driven organizations across the nonprofit, education, philanthropy, and social justice sectors. It reports a 98% placement rate, a 3-4 month average time-to-close, and that 85% of placements identify as women or people of color, positioning diversity as a core differentiator rather than a secondary offering. The customer base spans more than 18 named clients including KIPP NYC, Achievement First, Uncommon Schools, IDEA Public Schools, Tides, the Irving Harris Foundation, and Summit Public Schools, indicating repeat and multi-role relationships within charter management organizations and adjacent social-purpose entities.

The business operates two professional-services revenue streams: full retained executive search engagements and flexible ad-hoc talent support for organizations needing supplemental recruiting capacity. Pricing is custom and not publicly disclosed; client acquisition runs through a direct, founder-led sales motion with no junior hand-offs, supported by LinkedIn visibility, professional referrals, and published client testimonials. The firm runs lean — only the founder appears as named leadership, with prior operating experience at KIPP Foundation (Finance Director) and Pearson Education (Business Unit CFO) serving as the primary credibility anchor. Technology infrastructure is limited to Crelate, a third-party applicant tracking system that hosts the firm's candidate network portal; no proprietary platform, AI tooling, or differentiated software stack is described in available sources.

The company is privately held with no disclosed institutional investors, funding rounds, acquisitions, or partnerships. Geographic scope is domestic US, with national reach delivered through remote engagement rather than a multi-office footprint. The firm's founder resides in Las Vegas, Nevada, while a phone area code (847) suggests historic or operational ties to the Chicago metro. With no headcount, revenue, or financial trajectory data in the public record, the company should be assessed as a boutique professional services firm whose competitive identity rests on equity-focused positioning, senior-level personal involvement, and deep sector relationships rather than scale or technology differentiation.

Name

DGW Consulting

Legal name

DGW Group

Website

https://dgwcg.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

DGW Group is a Black woman-owned retained executive search firm that places C-level leaders (CFOs, COOs, Chiefs of Strategy/Impact) across nonprofit, education, philanthropy, and social impact organizations in the US. Founded in 2012, it differentiates through equity-focused candidate sourcing and a partner-led engagement model.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Brandon

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

Revenue model

1. Retained Executive Search: Full retained executive search engagements for C-level placements, typically spanning 3-4 months from initiation to placement completion.
2. Ad-hoc Talent Support: Flexible, project-based talent acquisition support tailored to client needs, budget, and timing, complementing full search engagements.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

DGW Group is a national, Black woman-owned executive search firm that provides retained executive search and ad-hoc talent support for mission-driven organizations. It specializes in placing C-level leaders (CFOs, COOs, Chief Impact Officers, Chiefs of Staff, Chief Strategy Officers) across nonprofit, education, philanthropy, and social impact sectors, with a focus on cultivating diverse candidate pools.

Product overview

DGW Consulting operates as a retained executive search firm offering two primary service lines: Full Retained Executive Search for comprehensive C-level leadership placements and Ad-Hoc Talent Support for flexible supplemental recruiting assistance. Both services specialize in placing CFOs, COOs, Chief Impact Officers, Chiefs of Staff, and Chief Strategy Officers across nonprofit, education, philanthropy, and social impact organizations. The firm also maintains a Candidate Network Portal for talent relationship management.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• 98% placement rate
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers20 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves2 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• Heidrick & Struggles: Global executive search and leadership advisory firm with a dedicated Nonprofit & Social Enterprise Practice. A larger incumbent that increasingly competes for C-level placements in DGW's verticals, including DEI-focused searches.
• Korn Ferry: Global organizational consulting firm with a large executive search practice serving nonprofit, education, and social-impact clients. A broad incumbent with scale advantages and DEI positioning in adjacent searches.
• Spencer Stuart: Global executive search firm serving nonprofit, education, and social-impact clients through dedicated practices. A broader incumbent with greater resources that competes for the same senior leadership mandates.
• Russell Reynolds Associates: Global executive search firm with established nonprofit, education, and philanthropy practices. A broad incumbent competing for executive placements in mission-driven sectors.

Direct peers

• Battalia-Winn: Boutique executive search firm serving nonprofit, education, and association sectors. Comparable boutique scale and senior leadership placement focus in mission-driven organizations.
• Diversified Search: Executive search firm with a dedicated practice serving nonprofit, education, and social-impact organizations. Comparable retained-search model and overlapping client verticals.
• WittKieffer: Executive search firm with deep practice in healthcare, higher education, and nonprofit leadership. Comparable in vertical overlap (education and nonprofit) and retained-search methodology for C-suite roles.
• Koya Partners: Executive search firm dedicated to mission-driven organizations across nonprofit, education, philanthropy, and social impact. Competes directly with DGW for the same C-level placements and equity-focused candidate pools.
• Isaacson, Miller: Executive search firm exclusively focused on nonprofit, education, advocacy, and social-impact sectors, placing C-level and senior leaders. Highly comparable in vertical specialization, retained-search model, and mission-driven client base.
• m/h/c (Management Help Centers): Boutique executive search firm focused exclusively on nonprofit and education sectors. Comparable boutique scale, mission-driven client base, and senior-level placement focus.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/dgw-consulting-group

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 DGW Consulting