Building Leadership That Serves Your Mission


Your next executive needs more than credentials. They need to care as much as you do.

Retained Executive Search for Nonprofit Organizations
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Executive Search Built Around Mission — Not Just Credentials


Finding the right CEO/Executive Director, CFO or Chief Development Officer isn't just a hiring decision — it's a mission-critical one. Occhio partners with Midwest nonprofits to identify leaders who are mission-driven and operationally excellent. Leaders who can inspire your team, engage your donors, navigate your board and ensure your organization doesn't just survive — it thrives.

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Why Occhio for Nonprofits?


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Mission-first. Business-minded. We look for leaders who bring both — genuine passion for your cause and the operational chops to back it up. Nonprofits don't need do-gooders who can't manage a budget or build a team. We find the rare combination.

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We understand board dynamics. Nonprofit searches are rarely straightforward. You have search committees, board politics, and stakeholders with strong opinions. Occhio specializes in co-facilitated search processes that guide committees through effective evaluation and help every decision-maker feel confident in the outcome.

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Deep roots in the Midwest nonprofit community. We know the St. Louis and regional nonprofit landscape — the missions, the peer organizations, the salary realities and the candidates who are ready for their next leadership opportunity.

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Built for sustainability and growth. We have particular expertise in revenue-generating and fund development roles: CEOs/Executive Directors with fundraising capability, Chief Development Officers, and leaders who can diversify funding and build long-term financial stability.

We were fortunate to have a number of quality candidates with a variety of educational backgrounds and experience levels to consider for our open position. The case studies provided a lens through which we evaluated final candidates, as both candidates took different approaches to addressing the questions.

– Board Chair, St. Louis-based nonprofit association
Let's Get to Work.