Hiring a leader is the biggest decision a small organization makes.
Kinship HR leads full-lifecycle executive and director-level searches for nonprofits and mission-driven organizations, starting on the Olympic Peninsula, working across the Northwest.
Search is a relationship, not a resume handoff.
Most search firms deliver a shortlist and leave. Kinship guides you through the whole arc: defining the role, building the market, screening candidates, preparing your interview panel, and supporting the offer conversation to a signed ‘yes.’
We work as a partner, not a vendor. That means staying close to your team throughout, and guiding you through a process built to be equitable at every stage, so the person you hire is chosen fairly, and everyone who applied is treated with respect and care.
Why We’re Different
Place-based
We live and work on the Peninsula. We know which candidates are local (or ready to become a local!), what a competitive salary looks like here, how our rural workforce engages, and who in the region is quietly ready for their next role.
Equity-centered
Fair hiring is built into the mechanics: salary posted in every job ad; outreach beyond the usual networks; personalized interviewer guidance; research-backed questions designed for every position.
Full Lifecycle
We build relationships with our clients, and walk beside them from start-to-finish. One team, accountable to you at every step; you are not handed between a sourcer, a coordinator, and an account manager..
Our Process
One blueprint, customized for your unique needs.
1 Needs Assessment
What the role has to accomplish, what the team is missing, and what the budget can carry..
2 Job Description Design
A personalized, engaging description written to attract the right people and to continue as a working document after the hire.
3 Targeted outreach & advertising
Paid placement, sector job boards, community platforms, and direct outreach, plus the niche networks a job board never reaches..
4 Application Review & Screening
Every application read against the same criteria. Phone screens conducted with qualified applicants with feedback you can see, so your team's time goes only to real finalists.
5 Interview Coordination & Preparation
Scheduling, interview design, and a prepared interview team working with a personalized slate of questions. Customize with skills assessments, presentations, or meet-and-greets.
6 Evaluation
Structured debrief and scoring, so the decision rests on evidence rather than the last good conversation.
7 Negotiation & Job Offer
Compensation, start date, and terms worked through with grace and collaboration, resulting in a compliant, mutually beneficial job offer.
8 Confirmation
Kind communication, internally and externally. We’ll follow up with all candidates and prepare transition announcements for your team and stakeholders.
How Engagements Work
Available on its own or as part of ongoing HR support. Existing Kinship clients can engage in at any time to supplement support services; new organizations can hire us for a single search with no other commitment.
Fees are scoped to the role. Search fees are based on a percentage of first-year salary and quoted in writing with a full proposal before any work begins.
Local at heart, Global at work. Most of our clients sit in Jefferson, Clallam, and Kitsap counties, but we recruit both locally and nationally to attract top talent aligned with client needs. We also accept clients statewide when knowledge of rural and small workforces matters.
Past Engagement Placements
Executive Director & CEO
Development Director
Finance Director
Operations Director
Nonprofit leadership roles
Administrative Manager
Program Manager
HR Manager
Past Engagements Sectors
Nonprofit:
Environmental
Arts & culture
Community development
Housing services
Economic development
Youth services
Small Business:
Maritime production
Sanitation services
Professional services
Retail
Hospitality
Let’s Talk!
Your initial consultation is complimentary.