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- Last Updated: October 06, 2025
Case Study
Fast-Growing DonorSearch Strengthens HR Operations With iHire
Background
- Industry: Nonprofit
- Headquarters: Marriottsville, MD
- Founded: 2007
- Website: donorsearch.net
Challenges
- No in-house HR or admin departments
- Limited time and resources to address HR tasks
Rachael Adams
Director of Administration
DonorSearch
“iHire has been instrumental in strengthening our HR operations as we’ve rapidly expanded from 30 to 75 employees. With the iHire team's HR expertise in compliance, retention, training, and management, we’re confident in the structures we have in place as we continue to grow and navigate remote work.”
Solutions
- HR Services & Consulting
Results
- Completed a full HR audit and compensation analysis
- Created and implemented a new employee handbook
- Provided extensive employee and leadership training
- Supported HR department and companywide growth
- Advised on transition to remote operations
The full story:
Background
DonorSearch is a family-run company offering innovative donor prospecting, marketing, and fundraising solutions for nonprofit organizations. Founded in 2007, DonorSearch has served more than 6,500 nonprofits of all sizes and sectors by connecting them with people who have the capacity and affinity to give back.
By partnering with DonorSearch, nonprofits can identify their best prospects with a platform that uses AI and machine learning to combine giving history, mission-affinity, and wealth data and deliver actionable insights. Rooted in philanthropy, DonorSearch is dedicated to matching donors with the right charities and nonprofits so they can maximize their investment in causes important to them.
Challenges
During its first several years of operation, DonorSearch did not have an official in-house HR or admin department. Leadership team members wore different hats as needed and they enlisted third-party resources to fill gaps. DonorSearch hired a Director of Administration in 2016 who began to build the HR and admin department from the ground up and formalize processes and procedures.
After a chance encounter on an airplane with one of iHire’s Senior HR Consultants in 2019, the Founder and CEO of DonorSearch connected iHire with its Director of Administration to provide guidance, training, and support in a wide range of areas.
Solutions & Results
Hire's Senior HR Consultants began with a full HR audit, delivering a report of their findings and recommendations and providing guidance as those recommendations were implemented. Over the course of the first year, the iHire HR Services and Consulting team visited the DonorSearch office once per week to work directly with admin and HR staff.
Core deliverables from iHire’s HR Services and Consulting team included:
- Conducting I-9 and FLSA audits
- Creating a new employee handbook
- Developing new job descriptions for all company positions
- Completing a compensation analysis
- Providing guidance on employee relations topics
- Delivering training on hiring for success, staff engagement, anti-harassment, and other topics
- Advising DonorSearch on its transition to a remote workplace at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic
One of iHire’s consultants also served as a mentor to DonorSearch’s Director of Administration, providing guidance on an on-call basis and encouraging their professional growth through the achievement of SHRM-CP certification.
In addition to supporting DonorSearch’s companywide growth from 30 to 75 employees, iHire also helped its HR and admin team expand from one to four team members.
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