Career Blazers Nonprofit Search

What Career Blazers Nonprofit Search does

Career Blazers Nonprofit Search (legal entity: Career Blazers Employment Services, LLC) is a US-based executive search and leadership development firm exclusively focused on the nonprofit sector. Founded in 1949 by Adele Lewis and headquartered in Bay Shore, New York, the firm is privately held, woman-owned, and operates with a team of approximately 14 employees. The company places senior leaders, including Executive Directors, CEOs, CFOs, CDOs, and other C-suite and VP-level executives, across eight nonprofit sub-sectors: Arts and Culture, Education, Health, Environmental, Human Services, International, Social Advocacy, and Religious.

The firm's core offering is end-to-end executive search and recruiting, encompassing candidate sourcing, screening, interviewing, reference checking, offer negotiation, and post-placement follow-up with mission and culture alignment assessment. Complementary service lines include interim executive leadership placement for organizations in transition, a dedicated Empower Division serving small nonprofits with annual budgets under $2M through organizational consulting and tailored recruiting, and candidate services for nonprofit professionals. The firm operates a dedicated candidate portal and job board on the third-party Job Diva platform and publishes annual Nonprofit Compensation & Talent Strategies Reports with salary benchmarks by organizational size and geography for 38+ executive roles.

The business model is professional services fee-based and quote-driven, with no publicly disclosed pricing. Revenue is generated through placement fees for executive searches, interim leadership engagements, and Empower Division consulting work, supplemented by content marketing-driven lead generation through blog content, webinars, and annual compensation reports. Distribution is direct to both nonprofit employers (via consultations, referrals, and thought leadership content) and job seekers (via the candidate portal), with no third-party resellers or marketplaces involved. The firm does not disclose revenue, has no external investors or parent company, and competes primarily against larger nonprofit talent-advisory firms such as DRG, Lindauer, and Kittleman by emphasizing accessibility and breadth of services rather than scale.

Name

Career Blazers Nonprofit Search

Legal name

Career Blazers Employment Services, LLC

Website

https://careerblazersnonprofitsearch.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1949

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Career Blazers Nonprofit Search is a US-based, woman-owned executive search firm founded in 1949 that exclusively places senior leaders, including Executive Directors and C-suite executives, for nonprofit organizations across eight sub-sectors, also offering interim leadership and a dedicated Empower Division for small nonprofits.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nonprofit Executive Search Services

NAICS

Executive Search Services (561312), Employment Placement Agencies (561311), Human Resources Consulting Services (541612)

SIC

Services-Employment Agencies (7361), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPACAAAI

Public Sector, Education & Nonprofit Leadership Search

Business & Public Services/HR, Staffing & Recruitment Services/Executive Search & Headhunting

SECONDARYBPACAAAK

Confidential/Replacement & Succession Search

Business & Public Services/HR, Staffing & Recruitment Services/Executive Search & Headhunting

SECONDARYBPACAAAB

Functional Leadership Search (HR/Finance/Legal/Marketing/Sales/Ops)

Business & Public Services/HR, Staffing & Recruitment Services/Executive Search & Headhunting

Keywords

• Nonprofit executive search
• Leadership recruiting
• Interim executive placement
• Talent strategy consulting
• Compensation benchmarking

Headquarters

HQ city

Bay Shore

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Executive Search & Recruiting Services: The firm provides nonprofit executive search and leadership recruiting services to employer organizations, charging fees for placement of senior leaders including Executive Directors, CEOs, CFOs, CDOs, and other C-suite and VP-level positions. The process includes candidate sourcing, screening, interviewing, reference checking, offer negotiation, and post-placement follow-up.
2. Interim Executive Leadership Placement: The firm provides temporary nonprofit executive leaders including interim CEOs and Executive Directors to organizations experiencing leadership gaps, departures, or significant change. This is a professional services engagement billed as part of the overall search and placement offering.
3. Empower Division - Small Nonprofit Consulting & Recruiting: The Empower Division serves small nonprofits with annual budgets under $2M, providing organizational consulting (leadership structure design, role definition, succession planning, compensation analysis, onboarding support) and recruiting services. Extended services and special rates are offered for this underserved niche segment.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Career Blazers Nonprofit Search is a nonprofit executive search firm that identifies, recruits, and places senior leaders (Executive Directors, CEOs, CFOs, CDOs, and other C-suite/VP roles) at mission-driven organizations. The firm also provides interim executive leadership placement during leadership transitions, an Empower Division offering organizational consulting and recruiting for small nonprofits with budgets under $2M, and candidate services including career placement, interview preparation, and recruiter coaching. Supporting offerings include annual salary benchmarking reports and a job board/candidate portal.

Product overview

Career Blazers Nonprofit Search operates as a nonprofit executive search and leadership development organization offering a portfolio of interconnected services centered on identifying and securing exceptional talent for the nonprofit sector. The core offering consists of Executive Search & Recruiting for senior leadership placements, Interim Executive Leadership for temporary transitions, and Candidate Services for professionals seeking nonprofit positions. The company also operates the Empower Division as a specialized service for smaller nonprofits with budgets under $2M, providing leadership placement combined with organizational consulting. Supporting these core services is the Job Diva Job Board for job seekers, annual Nonprofit Compensation & Talent Strategies Reports for salary benchmarking, and Search Strategy Services. The unified value proposition combines seven decades of staffing expertise with a nonprofit-focused methodology designed to help organizations identify leaders who advance their mission and strategic goals.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Executive Search & Recruiting

Quantifiable outcome

• Turnover in fundraising roles can exceed 25% annually; average tenure of a development director is 18 months — the firm's services help reduce costly turnover cycles through proper placement and culture alignment assessment.

Named customers4 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Kittleman & Associates: Named by Career Blazers as a competitor; Kittleman & Associates specializes in executive search for nonprofits, associations, and foundations. Highly comparable boutique nonprofit search firm with similar positioning to Career Blazers.
• Isaacson Miller: One of the largest US executive search firms specializing in the nonprofit sector, with deep practice areas across higher education, advocacy, arts, environment, and social impact — directly comparable in vertical focus.
• Lindauer: A nonprofit executive search firm named by Career Blazers as a direct competitor. Lindauer focuses on leadership placements for mission-driven organizations, foundations, and associations — directly comparable in target market and service offering.
• Phillips Oppenheim: A boutique executive search firm focused on nonprofit leadership, particularly foundations and philanthropic organizations. Comparable in scale and nonprofit-only positioning.
• NPAG (Nonprofit Professionals Advisory Group): An executive search firm exclusively dedicated to the nonprofit sector, placing executive directors, senior leaders, and development officers across mission-driven organizations.
• Diversified Search Group (formerly DRG): Named by Career Blazers as a direct competitor. Diversified Search Group is a large executive search firm with a dedicated nonprofit practice, placing senior leaders across foundations, NGOs, and associations.

Emerging players

• Nonprofit HR: An HR consulting firm serving nonprofit organizations with talent acquisition, total rewards, and search services — including SMB small-budget nonprofits that overlap with Career Blazers' Empower Division target market.

Broad incumbents

• Korn Ferry: The world's largest executive search firm, with a Social Impact practice serving nonprofits, foundations, and NGOs. Sets competitive pricing pressure across the entire retained search market, including the nonprofit segment.
• Heidrick & Struggles: A global executive search firm with a dedicated Nonprofit, Social Impact, and Government practice. Competes for senior nonprofit placements with a broader portfolio and much larger international footprint.
• Spencer Stuart: A leading global executive search and leadership advisory firm with a longstanding Nonprofit Practice. Targets the same senior nonprofit talent pool but operates at significantly greater scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/career-blazers-nonprofit-search

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 Career Blazers Nonprofit Search