THE NATIONAL HUMAN SERVICES ASSEMBLY
President and CEO
Washington, DC
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The National Human Services Assembly (the National Assembly), the premier professional association for the
nation’s leading national human services and human development nonprofits, seeks nominations and
applications for its next President and CEO. In partnership with the National Assembly’s esteemed
membership, committed staff, and engaged Board of Directors, the President and CEO will participate in
articulating and implementing the vision for the organization, expanding resources, strengthening
membership, and guiding strategic operations for this preeminent network.
The National Assembly has enjoyed deep-rooted and strong relationships not only with its extraordinary
membership corps but with other stakeholders within the field. The National Assembly serves as a learning
community in which leaders with parallel responsibilities at different national nonprofits (e.g. CEOs, HR
Directors) exchange knowledge, expertise, and best practices about their work in this sector. The National
Assembly also houses the National Assembly Business Services which provides a unique and rich grouppurchasing program, Purchasing Point, for more than 3,200 organizations.
The National Assembly’s opportunities are both exciting and challenging. Having completed a thoughtful and
reflective strategic planning exercise in fall 2013, the National Assembly emerged with four major goals that
are reflective of the broader changes in the human services sector: reframing and reinventing human
services; strengthening the effectiveness of the sector and membership organizations; leveraging the
influence, power, and leadership of the membership; and increasing organizational sustainability. In order to
achieve these goals, the National Assembly must harness the support and expertise of its preeminent existing
membership corps and establish partnerships with like-interest organizations to help reframe and reinvent
both public conversations and policy around the human services sector.
As the National Assembly embarks upon its leadership transition, the incoming President and CEO has an
exceptional opportunity to build on the strong network and coalitions that exist within the organization, to
oversee the strategic direction for the Assembly and ensure it continues to serve as a platform for best
practices that addresses the challenges facing the human services sector; and to oversee the growth of the
group-purchasing program and outstanding benefits that it provides to its members.
The successful candidate will be first and foremost committed to the positive development of the human
services sector and well-versed in all aspects relevant to the management of a high functioning nonprofit
association. S/he will be a seasoned facilitator and spokesperson who is able to bring key leaders to the table
to have the conversations that are critical to the development of the sector and then communicate themes
and relevant issues to the National Assembly’s broader stakeholders. S/he will also be an effective
administrator who will manage staff and consultants and manage the operations of the organization. The
ideal candidate will have an advanced degree and a minimum of seven to ten years relevant hands-on
experience leading and managing a membership organization and supporting a broad portfolio of programs,
preferably in a human services related field.
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The National Assembly is being assisted in the search by Katherine E. Jacobs, Ph.D. of the Nonprofit
Professionals Advisory Group. Additional information about nominations and applications can be found at
the end of this document.
ORGANIZATIONAL MISSION AND HISTORY
The National Human Services Assembly, an association of the nation’s leading national nonprofits in the
fields of health, human and community development, and human services, envisions “a just and caring
nation which effectively addresses the development and care of its citizens” and seeks to realize its vision
through bringing together its members to shape dialogue and build capacity for the sector.
With roots that date back to a 1920 meeting of twelve of executives of the leading national social work
organizations, the National Assembly evolved to address problems facing the social welfare community
throughout the century. Highlights of the National Assembly’s role throughout history include: the
establishment of the American War Committee Services; the formation of the Young Adult Council in 1948
which today has become the National Collaboration for Youth; the publishing of the Standards of Accounting
and Financial Reporting for Voluntary Health and Welfare Organizations, with the National Health Council in
1974; the formation of a web-portal in the late 1990s, the National Youth Development Information Center,
(now merged with SparkAction) that not only provides youth agencies and their workers easy access to
information on youth programs but engages youth too; and a partnership background check program in
2002 for members to perform background checks on volunteers. By 1965 the National Assembly (at that time
called the National Social Welfare Assembly), was recognized for its role working across the social welfare
sector to define and study problems of broad social policy affecting the needs of people and to plan action to
meet these needs and, also, to serve national organizations and local communities in developing effective
programs, operations, and administration in the field of social welfare. For more information about the
history and programs of the National Assembly, please visit: http://www.nassembly.org/Default.html
Today, the National Assembly consists of roughly 80 national organizations which together with their local
service networks collectively touch or are touched by nearly every household in America---as consumers of
services, donors, or volunteers. They comprise a $62 billion sector that employs some 1.2 million workers,
operating from over 100,000 locations. A full list of members can be found here:
http://www.nassembly.org/Join/Members.html
The National Assembly’s current activities are organized into the following three areas:
Thought Leadership and Collective Voice: The National Assembly brings together senior
professionals at parallel levels across the Human Services sector to discuss trends and challenges in a
way that provides members valuable networking and partnership opportunities and a critical
platform for discussion about challenges facing the sector relevant to their functional level and
serves as a voice for the sector.
Learning Communities and Partnerships: Learning, sharing and collaborative efforts remain central
to the National Assembly’s work and are evident through efforts such as the National Collaboration
for Youth and the National Collaboration on Families, to name a few. These and other similar
collaborations, serve as resources for best practices in programs and policy as they contribute to
economic and social empowerment.
Business Services: Through its subsidiary, Purchasing Point, the National Assembly is able to offer its
members a variety of business services though a group purchasing program. The discount program
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affords member organizations significant savings and access to services that they might not have as an individual
organization.
The National Assembly is poised to play an important continuing role in the future of the Human Services
Sector both as a provider of improved operations and training and as a platform for innovation and
conversation to address the critical challenges facing the sector. With a committed and illustrious board of
trustees and a small, engaged staff, the incoming President and CEO will steer the future of the National
Assembly towards human development centric work for both those served by the National Assembly and
those served by the Assembly’s members.
OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES FACING THE PRESIDENT AND CEO
The incoming President and CEO will be a skilled and vibrant leader and a resourceful, hands-on manager
who will work closely in partnership with the board of directors to guide the future of the National Assembly.
S/he will be highly strategic about leveraging resources, including staff, board members, and other key
stakeholders to drive the mission and strategy of the National Assembly and to ensure it continues to play a
role both as a provider of robust services to its membership and as a collective voice in the human services
sector. The challenges and opportunities facing the next President and CEO fall broadly into the following
areas:
Vision and Leadership
The National Assembly is poised to reaffirm its role as the collective voice of the health and human services
sector and to build upon a successful platform of programs and activities. Sample opportunities for the
incoming President and CEO over the next several years include raising the National Assembly’s profile at
state and national levels; anticipating emerging trends and policy developments that create opportunities for
the human services sector; and continuing to foster collaborative dialogue and programming amongst the
membership. The President and CEO will serve as the main contact for all inquiries from members of the
public, press, industry, donor organizations, and other interested parties and will actively seek out strategic
opportunities to communicate the important work of the National Assembly.
Staff Development and Management
The President and CEO will manage and coach the staff in implementing the strategic vision and will
contribute personally to the development of plans for each program and service area for the overall
organization. S/he will maintain and further develop a culture that fully embraces teamwork, accountability,
integrity and the highest standards of quality and service.
Membership Engagement and Growth
The President and CEO will develop and translate the value of membership (both group and individual) to
both existing and potential members; develop new streams and entry points for membership; increase
retention rates among existing and returning members; and evaluate member benefits and augment and
adjust as appropriate.
Resource Development and Fundraising
The President and CEO will cultivate new sources of revenue while nurturing existing relationships with
foundations and donors to enhance the National Assembly’s financial stability, strengthen programs and
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partnerships, and increase and diversify the overall funding base. S/he will develop and implement a fundraising plan and
lead its implementation.
In addition to this, s/he will help to ensure that existing programs are adequately funded. The President and CEO will work
to expand the National Assembly’s reach by generating new sources of revenue from various stakeholders and by
creatively exploring funding opportunities through collaboration with other organizations and federal agencies.
Finance and Operations
The President and CEO will be responsible for the continued operational and fiscal health and management of the
organization, including the group purchasing program. S/he will identify critical needs and opportunities, including grant
opportunities and program developments that can positively enhance the success of the organization. S/he will work
closely with the board to ensure finances are tied to priorities. The President and CEO will also oversee preparation of
budgets, forecasts and quarterly statements for dissemination to the Board.
External Partnerships
The President and CEO will serve as a representative for the National Assembly among a broad range of external partners
including human services organizations, funders, nonprofits, and public sector human services stakeholders at the state
and national level. S/he will be expected to navigate, negotiate, and maintain mutually beneficial relationships that
provide long term benefits for the National Assembly. Serving as a liaison alongside the Board of Directors, the President
and CEO will foster effective relationships that will help further the goals of the National Assembly.
QUALIFICATIONS OF THE IDEAL CANDIDATE
The successful candidate will be an entrepreneurial, proactive, charismatic, and nimble leader who
possesses both the vision to inspire and the skills to lead an organization into its next phase of growth and
advancement. While no one person may embody all of the qualities enumerated below, the ideal candidate
will possess many of the following professional and personal abilities, attributes and experiences:
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A minimum of seven to ten years of experience in a leadership position in a membership
organization or association; Advanced degree in business, nonprofit management, human services,
or a related field is preferred;
Keen understanding of current nonprofit management trends; Familiarity with the structure and
function of membership organizations is helpful;
Familiarity with structure of membership organizations with group purchasing options for its
membership corps is helpful;
Proven track record in execution of strategic planning and moving from concept to implementation;
A strategic thinker with the political know-how and enterprising spirit to build coalitions and nurture
current partnerships and alliances while identifying and establishing new strategic collaborations; an
extraordinary ability to recognize and capitalize on growth opportunities while staying missionaligned;
Exceptional verbal and written communication skills; Ability to understand, translate and adapt
content for multiple audiences;
Familiarity with the human services context; Ability to grasp subject matter quickly;
Proven track record in fund development, including knowledge or and success in attracting
foundation grants;
Effective manager committed to the professional development of staff;
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Exceptional personal initiative and follow through required to meet aggressive goals, including supporting and
motivating volunteers in attaining those goals;
Gravitas, intelligence and executive presence to represent the National Assembly to a variety of constituencies;
A commitment to the mission of the National Assembly; Clear vision of the importance and purpose of
membership societies.
APPLICATIONS AND NOMINATIONS
This search is being conducted with assistance from Katherine Jacobs of Nonprofit Professionals Advisory Group.
Nominations and applications will be reviewed on an ongoing basis. Candidates are encouraged to apply as soon as
possible, and applications will be reviewed as they are received. Please submit nominations and/or applications including a
cover letter describing your interest and qualifications, your resume (in Word format), salary history and where you
learned of the position to the following address: [email protected]
The National Human Services Assembly is an equal opportunity employer and proudly values diversity. Candidates of all
backgrounds are encouraged to apply.