Need: An experienced financial professional for a growing agency
Service: National executive search
4C for Children, serving 27 counties in Ohio and Kentucky, is a pioneering leader, advocate and resource for high quality early childhood education and care. It provides the highest quality training and coaching for those who work with young children in early care and education programs. When it needed to find its first-ever Chief Financial Officer, it turned to The Yunker Group which two years prior had guided the organization’s search for its current CEO, Vanessa Freytag.
Vanessa believed The Yunker Group was an exceptional partner, bringing invaluable connections and insight to the search for a new CFO: “The Yunker Group knows the nonprofit community incredibly well, and that’s a huge advantage. Jim knows those folks who are hidden gems. He knows who the good, senior nonprofit folks are. He definitely knows who looks great on paper but might not be the best choice for an organization.”
The CEO appreciated a rigorous and thoughtful process that enabled her to see “the person behind the resume”: “You typically don’t really get a lot beyond the ‘this person has all of the experience.’ I feel that Jim’s process very early on looks to do two things: one is to find out who that person is behind the resume. The second thing is to try to find the right match for the organization’s DNA.”
“As a leader, I very much value the importance of culture fit as well as skill set fit,” Vanessa explained. “I definitely felt that The Yunker Group’s process took the time to understand from a culture fit what I was looking for and that they had enough knowledge and the right questions to figure out whether or not somebody would be that fit.”
Vanessa emphasized the importance of making the investment in expertise when it comes to an executive search: “You must put the time and money into your search for your senior leadership team. We would not have had the network that Jim could tap into, we would not have had the depth of knowledge about what’s not on the page about candidates. You should know where you have the expertise and where you do not.”
She added that the timesaving was invaluable, “I really felt like my time was used wisely. I had at my fingertips what I needed at each step of the process. There wasn’t a single candidate that wasn’t between suited and well suited to be in our agency. There wasn’t a single candidate that was a waste of my time.”
During a process that began as a blind search, Vanessa applauded the firm’s ability to rise to the challenge: “I did not give The Yunker Group an easy task, but they listened and respected the boundaries and priorities that I set out. And the end result was excellent.”
Vanessa also valued the relationship she developed with Jim and his team: “I enjoy having a relationship that is more than just the nuts and bolts of recruitment. We’ve had great discussions about the nonprofit arena, internal strategy, our direction as an organization. Sometimes they are more like a peer than a vendor, and I think that’s valuable.”
“Extremely pleased” with the level of service and expertise she received from The Yunker Group, Vanessa said, “I would absolutely recommend The Yunker Group, and I have already done so.”