Board members are chosen because they believe in the mission of an organization.  They  are also the voices of particular groups within your community.  Hopefully they are also knowledgeable and savvy about the people, politics, and money of their community. 

One thing board members rarely know about is how to do a search for their new executive director, especially a national search. That is, as one said to me a few weeks ago, “outside our wheelhouse.”

A good recruiter or search consultant is one who knows the people who work in that industry, who knows leadership and the search process, and is someone who will price their work according to the needs of your organization.