Consultant/Search Firm for Executive Director Search

National Network of Abortion Funds (NNAF) seeks a search firm or consultant to oversee

its search for a new, permanent, executive director.

Work will include:

• Facilitating communication between the members of the internal leadership transition committee (LTC); made up of board, staff, and bargaining unit members.
• In collaboration with the (LTC): Developing a leadership profile; Spearheading candidate search and job listing promotion with special consideration taken for our member funds; Developing a candidate evaluation and screening process that is in line with NNAF’s mission, vision, values and takes into consideration qualifications that would support the implementation of our newly adopted strategic plan.
• Collaborating with broader NNAF staff (and funds, as appropriate) to ensure alignment and receive input on this next phase of leadership.

NNAF serves as a clearinghouse, convener, and source of connectivity for a diverse membership of 97 abortion funds that are autonomous organizations. The organization and network have been undergoing several periods of structural and cultural transformation over the past several years, consistent with changes experienced throughout both the reproductive health, rights, and justice movement and progressive social sector, given the increased volatility, unpredictability, complexity, and ambiguity of the times. After experiencing a number of Board transitions, NNAF has recently recruited a number of new Board members from its membership of abortion funds. As NNAF has continued to grow and shift in size and scope, the Board of Directors has also shifted from a working Board to one whose primary responsibility is governance and will oversee the executive director search. This leadership transition comes at a time of major growth and transition within the organization and will begin promptly after the completion of NNAF 18-month strategic planning process. The organization seeks a skilled consultant to facilitate the thoughtful partnership and collaboration needed between the Board of Directors and other members of NNAF’s Leadership Transition Team to ensure that a leader is recruited who meets the unique needs of the organization at this time.

Structure and composition of the network

Abortion funds work directly with people who do not have the resources to pay for an abortion (and/or the associated costs of care, such as transportation to and from an appointment, childcare, lost wages, etc). In so doing, they cultivate firsthand knowledge of the complexity of barriers people face, as well as keen insight into the long-lasting shifts needed in order to truly achieve abortion access and the rights, resources and recognition for all people to exercise bodily autonomy and thrive. A little over a third of our staff come from abortion funds themselves, with a number continuing to work alongside them. Our staff of 92 is multiracial, majority people of color, and gender diverse with transgender, cisgender, and genderqueer experiences. We actively seek, center, and invest in the leadership of people whose identities and experiences are often sidelined by mainstream movements. We view gender justice as inextricably linked to racial, economic, and reproductive justice, each of which is core to NNAF’s mission and strategies.

Requirements and Desired Experience:

• Demonstrated expertise in supporting large-scale executive leadership searches and organizational change processes, particularly within social justice organizations that seek transformative outcomes
• Significant experience supporting organizations in active transition, navigating complex relationships, evaluating internal candidates and holding possible conflicts of interest
• Analysis and approach that is responsive to NNAF’s four core values of intersectionality, compassion, autonomy, and collective power
• It is expected that the total cost for this project will not exceed $100,000 for the proposed scope period. Please note that NNAF is not traveling or hosting any in-person work at minimum through calendar year 2026.

Approach:

• You are forward thinking and have experience working with innovative ideas and dynamic organizations
• You are committed to abortion access and full reproductive justice for all.
• You demonstrate a deep commitment to gender, economic, and racial justice for all and actively care for, and explicitly address, anti-Blackness in organizational and movement strategies.
• You enjoy collaboration and being part of a dynamic, highly productive and integrated team.
• You can maintain flexibility and adaptability, and you have a generative tolerance for ambiguity and complexity.
• You are open to giving and receiving feedback, and you practice this regularly and with skill.

If interested, please submit:

• A brief executive summary
• A description of how the applicant would center reproductive justice, racial justice and equity as part of this search process.
• A description of the applicant’s general approach to supporting organizational leadership in navigating transitions
• A clear explanation of the consultant-proposed process, discussion of deliverables, and draft timeline for the executive director search, with extra care given to the limited capacity of a small board of directors. An actual process, deliverables list, and timeline will be co-created with NNAF staff and/or the LTC.
• A detailed budget that outlines expenses including the estimate of hours for each activity
• Credentials and qualifications of key personnel who will take responsibility for working directly on this project
• Three contacts for references

Applicants must submit one electronic copy of the proposal. Please note that the NNAF will not return any proposals it receives and will not reimburse applicants for any costs they incur in developing their proposals.

Timeline (subject to change)

• Proposals Due: June 16, 2026 - 11:59pm PST
• Consultant Interviews: June 16-23, 2026
• Consultant Selection and Finalizing of Scope of Work: June 30, 2026
• Consultant Work Begins: July 2026

Evaluation Criteria:

In awarding a contract for consulting services NNAF will examine a number of factors and criteria will include:

• The extent to which the proposal addresses the stated needs and clearly describes the scope of work
• Specific plans or methodology to be used to perform the services
• Consultant qualifications and experience
• Responsiveness and resonance of consultant’s approach to organizational context, culture, and process
• Project cost
• Ability to facilitate fully or primarily virtual executive search process is strongly preferred

About the National Network of Abortion Funds

NNAF serves as a clearinghouse, convener, and source of connectivity for a diverse membership of 97 abortion funds, which vary widely in terms of infrastructure, funding sources, budget size, staffing, direct service approaches, intake processes, and data management systems. Over the past several years, NNAF has provided both funding and capacity-building support for abortion funds, as well as to lead and engage in culture change and other movement-building work that addresses the systemic conditions that create the need for abortion funds in the first place. The network today has 97 grassroots member organizations that offer financial and practical support to people seeking abortions in 48 states and 3 countries. Following the Dobbs ruling in 2022, demand for abortion services nationwide has increased dramatically. In 2024, abortion funds received more than twice as many requests for support than they did prior to the ruling. Last year, 97 member funds provided $50.7M to support 136,880 abortion care seekers, providing 37% more funding for 33% more callers than in 2023. In the years before Dobbs, funds had been steadily closing the gap between the percentage of requests received and callers supported. Last year, although the number of callers that funds supported rose significantly, funds only had enough resources and capacity to support 54% of callers. This is a direct consequence of increased bans and restrictions to abortion access that result in more costly, later term abortion care and an uptick in need for practical support. In many ways the structural and cultural transformations NNAF has undergone over the past several years position us closer to a start-up as an organization in terms of lifecycle than an organization over 30 years old: i.e. ever-changing conditions have required some degree of self-renewal, and while we have managed to plan and expand our programs, many of our processes are still informal and inconsistent. In previous iterations of our work and of the organization, NNAF was driven by questions around network-wide scaling; now, in the increasing hostility and uncertainty of the current sociopolitical climate, we seek to deepen the connective tissue and strengthen the systems that support thoughtful and strategic collaboration within and across the network.

Proposal Submission Deadline: June 16, 2026

Proposals should be submitted with the subject “Executive Director Search RFP [name of applicant]” to: NNAF Board of Directors (Board@abortionfunds.org)

For inquiries, exploratory conversations, or more information: Anya Shemet, NNAF Executive Assistant (anya@abortionfunds.org)

If interested, please submit:

• A brief executive summary
• A description of how the applicant would center reproductive justice, racial justice and equity as part of this search process.
• A description of the applicant’s general approach to supporting organizational leadership in navigating transitions
• A clear explanation of the consultant-proposed process, discussion of deliverables, and draft timeline for the executive director search, with extra care given to the limited capacity of a small board of directors. An actual process, deliverables list, and timeline will be co-created with NNAF staff and/or the LTC.
• A detailed budget that outlines expenses including the estimate of hours for each activity
• Credentials and qualifications of key personnel who will take responsibility for working directly on this project
• Three contacts for references