American Red Cross, Dayton Area Chapter

When the American Red Cross, Dayton Area Chapter, set out to find a new Chief Development Officer, they retained Smith Beers Yunker & Company to conduct a nationwide executive search. Joe Lambright shares his thoughts on the decision to hire Smith Beers. .“Having seen written testimonials from my peers within the Red Cross organization, namely the CEOs of two other chapters in the midwest, I felt confident and comfortable in asking Smith Beers to conduct our search. It was also reassuring to know that the people who would be conducting our search for a fund-raising professional were fund-raising professionals themselves. They knew exactly what we needed and this gave me confidence in their ability to evaluate and screen candidates.”

This candidate who was selected for the position, Chad Ettmueller, speaks positively about his experience as well. “Having been involved in searches conducted by other firms, I think the Smith Beers consultants have by far distinguished themselves as the most professional and easiest to work with. They made a significant effort to be sure my questions were answered and that there would be a compatible fit between me and the Red Cross. They took my needs and the needs of my family into careful consideration. In my experience, this is atypical.”

“The process went smoothly,” adds Joe Lambright. “I asked to interview more candidates than were originally planned, and I appreciated Jim Yunker’s flexibility in meeting my request. One piece of the process was particularly sensitive to everyone’s needs. Jim arranged for us to conduct a preliminary interview by video-link with a candidate who lived far away. This allowed us to evaluate the candidate ‘in-person’ without his having to travel all the way to Ohio."