Why Camp Leadership Searches Depend on Sourcing, Not Job Boards

Camp directors, executive directors, and senior program leaders are not scrolling job boards looking for their next move. The people who thrive in these roles are already working, already leading, and already deeply embedded in their communities. If you want them, you have to go get them.

That’s why the foundation of every successful leadership search is candidate sourcing. Job boards help with visibility, but they rarely deliver the people you actually want to hire. Great hires are discovered through research, outreach, pitching, and hundreds of small steps that build a strong and diverse pipeline.

This is the work your next hire depends on.

Why Posting Isn’t Enough

Leadership roles get very few qualified inbound applications. This isn’t specific to camps. It’s true across the entire hiring industry.

A few hard data points:

• According to the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), only 18 percent of executive-level hires come from job postings. The majority come from networking, sourcing, or referrals.

• The average time-to-fill for senior leadership roles is 76 days, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey. That’s an average across all industries. Specialized nonprofit and camp leadership roles often exceed it.

• Research from LinkedIn shows that 70 percent of the global workforce is passive talent. They are not applying. They must be sourced.

So when camps say, “We posted it on Indeed and ACA, but we’re not getting strong applicants,” the data explains why. Job boards amplify your open role, but they rarely surface the right people.

This is where sourcing takes over.

What Sourcing Actually Means

Sourcing isn’t scrolling resumes. It’s proactive, strategic, relationship-driven outreach.

At CampHire, sourcing includes:

1. Researching the market
Before a search begins, we study the ecosystem. Which camps are similar in size, structure, or mission? Who are the peer organizations that attract strong talent? What nearby nonprofits or youth-serving agencies produce leaders with transferable experience? This research phase can take days. It sets the foundation for the entire search.

2. Building a lead list
A real lead list isn’t 10 names. It’s 50, 100, sometimes 150 people. Some are direct prospects. Others are connectors, former staff, peer organizational leaders, clergy, alumni, and youth-serving professionals who can open doors.

3. Pitching candidates
This is the part most camps don’t see. We call, email, message, and follow up — repeatedly. We learn someone’s story, understand what they care about, and position the opportunity in a way that makes sense for them. Sourcing is not “Do you want this job?” It’s “Let’s talk about your career arc, your values, your impact, and whether this is the right next chapter.”

4. Networking for names
Every conversation leads to another. “Who else should I talk to?” is one of the most productive questions in the search process. Leadership hires often come from second- and third-degree relationships, not public applicants.

5. Repeating the cycle for weeks — sometimes months
This is why hiring takes time. And this is why hiring the right person is worth the effort.

What 100 Hours of Sourcing Actually Looks Like

A recent search is a perfect example.

We spent more than 100 hours on sourcing alone.

Here’s what that produced:

• 95 names on the lead list

• 17 outreach interviews

• 3 finalists presented to the client

• 100 to 150 additional hours queued if the first three didn’t land
  

This is normal. In fact, it’s required.
The higher the role, the more sourcing matters.

And here’s the key: none of these leads came from job boards.

This was all research, pitching, outreach, referrals, and targeted networking.

Active Sourcing Is the Core Skill

Sourcing is not “post and pray.” It’s active, strategic outreach that happens every single day during a search. Effective sourcing means:

Building a qualified target list
We research competitor camps, adjacent organizations, youth-serving nonprofits, academic programs, and community networks.

Pitching the role
We reach out with a thoughtful, personal message that explains the opportunity and why it might be a fit.

Following the network
We connect with board members, educators, youth leaders, program managers, and alumni to surface hidden names.

Tracking the web of referrals
A single high-value lead may send us to two more people, which sends us to three more. That web can grow to dozens of conversations.

Using LinkedIn Recruiter Lite to widen the search
LinkedIn Recruiter Lite (approx. $170 per month) allows us to search by background, geography, years of experience, and program type. Their AI search tool helps generate lists more quickly, but the human review still takes hours.

Re-engaging leads repeatedly
Strong candidates aren’t always ready the first time you reach out. Real sourcing is persistent. This is why finding a leader requires time. And why it always requires more than one person casually working “on the side.”

LinkedIn Recruiter Lite: A Must-Have for Leadership Hiring

If you’re running your own search, LinkedIn Recruiter Lite is one of the few tools worth the investment.

• Cost: about $170–$180 per month, depending on billing

• What it gives you: advanced filters, expanded search, InMail messaging, and the ability to build pipeline lists quickly

• New feature: AI-powered search prompts (“Find me camp leaders on the East Coast with overnight experience and five-plus years in leadership.”)

It won’t replace the work, but it makes the research phase dramatically easier.

AI Tools Help, but They Don’t Replace the Hard Stuff

AI can shorten the admin work, but it does not replace the sourcing muscle.

ChatGPT for research and market mapping

We use ChatGPT to understand the talent landscape before sourcing begins. It gives us quick context on:

• Peer camps

• Regional competitor programs

• Nonprofits or youth organizations with similar missions

• Community networks we should contact

This helps us build a smarter outreach plan before sending a single message.

Apollo for enriched contact information

Once we build a lead list, Apollo helps verify email addresses and phone numbers. It cuts down on the hours spent digging through outdated directories or “info@” inboxes that go nowhere.

Otter for interview review

Otter creates audio and video recordings of interviews, which lets board members or hiring committees:

• Hear candidates in their own words

• Catch nuance that doesn’t show up in typed notes

• Speed up the evaluation process

• Avoid scheduling 6–8 rounds of redundant interviews

The tool supports the search. It does not replace the sourcing.

Why Sourcing Produces Better Candidates

Sourcing creates a stronger, more diverse, and more intentional candidate pool.

You reach people who aren’t looking

Passive candidates are often the strongest leaders because they’re already trusted in their roles. They don’t browse job boards; they respond to thoughtful outreach.

You can tell the story yourself

A conversation lets you highlight:

• The mission

• The culture

• The impact

• The community

• The unique challenges

Job descriptions can’t compete with a personalized pitch.

You widen the field

Posting attracts people already plugged into the camp ecosystem. Sourcing reaches educators, youth workers, program leaders, nonprofit managers, and community organizers who bring new ideas and identities.

You learn the market in real time

Every conversation gives clues about:

• Salary expectations

• Hybrid/remote preferences

• Why candidates stay or leave camps

• How competitive your offer really is

This lets you adjust the role while the search is happening.

What This Means for Camp Boards and Hiring Leaders

If you plan to hire an executive or senior program leader this year:

• Expect sourcing. Your best candidate will not come from postings alone.

• Expect a long timeline. 3–4 months is standard for leadership roles.

• Expect real labor. Dozens of conversations, hundreds of touchpoints.

• Expect to build a recruiting engine. Not a posting, a process.

• Expect to invest. In tools, in time, and in expertise.

• Expect professionalism. Senior candidates want a polished, human experience.

Leadership searches succeed when they are approached with rigor. They fail when they are approached casually.

And if you want the strongest possible slate, remember: Your next great leader is almost never applying. They are out there — you just have to go find them.