Vice President of Philanthropy and Impact at Rancho Santa Fe Foundation
As an executive search and recruiting firm that works exclusively with nonprofits and public agencies, Blair Search Partners cares about people and purpose. When we’re able to successfully match the right people with the right organization at the right time, the impact resonates throughout all of our communities.
In our Project Impact series, we’re taking the time to connect with candidates who have recently been placed in positions with mission driven organizations about their experience with Blair Search Partners.
Follow along as we learn more about their professional journey and the ways they’re influencing change and making impact in their new roles.
Today we’re highlighting Amy Myers, Vice President of Philanthropy and Impact at Rancho Santa Fe Foundation.
Meet Amy
Amy joined the Rancho Santa Fe Foundation team a little over a year and a half ago through Blair Search Partners’ hiring process.
She actually came across the position on LinkedIn shortly after it was posted.
“The job posting was so inspiring…” she shares, “it sounded just like me.”
Amy had spent the majority of her career in philanthropy and fundraising. Her most recent role was as Senior Executive Director at a local organization that she loved. She wasn’t looking for a new role when she stumbled across the position at Rancho Santa Fe Foundation, but the idea of moving back into a philanthropy role intrigued her and it was a perfect match for her expertise and interests.
Amy was already deeply embedded in the San Diego nonprofit community and knew that this role was her next step toward serving the community she loves.
An Authentic and Trustworthy Recruitment Process
After applying for the role, Amy began the recruitment and hiring journey with Blair Search Partners.
“I felt really cared for throughout the process,” Amy says. “I knew that I could trust working with Blair Search Partners for confidentiality. When you love the job that you’re in, but also seeking something different, it can be an interesting journey. I knew I could trust the team at BSP to guide me through that process.”
She also discusses her experience with her recruiter, Sarah Thompson.
“Sarah was phenomenal, and continues to be.” From start to finish, Amy shares that Sarah was very communicative with her. Since Amy applied early on in the process, Sarah and the Blair Search Partners team were clear and upfront about the fact that the process might take a while before she heard about next steps, while at the same time reassuring her that she was definitely qualified.
When Amy was selected by Rancho Santa Fe Foundation and placed in the role, she was celebrated by the BSP team in a way that felt really special. “[Sarah] sent a beautiful plant with a congratulations note on my first day. It’s a big deal to take a new job, and it felt really good like I wasn’t just a number or another person they placed, but that they really cared.”
Now Amy has the pleasure of seeing many of the BSP team members out and about at local events, and she is always happy to connect with them. “Once you go through a recruitment process with Blair Search Partners, you just become part of the Blair Search Partners family.”
Making An Impact
Amy joined the team shortly after the retirement of longtime CEO, Christy Wilson. Christy wore many hats for the Foundation, one of them being philanthropy. The newly created position in Philanthropy and Impact was born out of a need to fill some big shoes, and it also allowed for Amy to be entrepreneurial in her new role and pave the way for the future of the organization—something she says brings her energy and motivation.
In her new role, Amy has so many opportunities to influence her community in San Diego. From connecting donors to amazing nonprofits and finding all of the ways to support their partners and fund holders, Amy is grateful to be back in philanthropy making an impact in Rancho Santa Fe and throughout the San Diego region.
The First 18 Months
When we asked Amy what she was most proud of in her first 18 months leading philanthropy and impact efforts for Rancho Santa Fe Foundation, she talked about the strong relationships she’s built.
“I am most proud of engaging new donors into partnership with RSFF, which has yielded nearly $4M in charitable funds that will be granted to serve the needs of our beloved San Diego community,” Amy said. “I am also delighted to have onboarded many new nonprofit partners as agency fundholders at RSFF which has created strong and strategic partnerships to help further their missions.”
Blair Search Partners as Your Next Recruitment Partner
Since joining Rancho Santa Fe Foundation, Amy has been in a cool position of working alongside Blair Search Partners from the other side of the table—working to bring in two additional employees to the Foundation team as they continue to grow and evolve.
Having experience on both ends of the recruiting experience with Blair Search Partners has given her the full picture of how organizations benefit when they work with BSP for executive search and recruiting.
“The Blair Search Partners team is very thoughtful and personable,” she says. “They don’t even use any programs to sort out applications because they don’t want to miss out on the unique candidate. It has a human touch from start to finish.”
Her final words about BSP and her experience were, “Overall – 5 stars!”
If you’d like to work with Blair Search Partners to recruit for a critical role in your organization, or are looking for new opportunities for yourself, visit our website to learn more and contact us for more information about working with our team.