Charness is president of Higher Talent, a national executive search firm based in Bethesda that specializes in recruiting senior leadership to nonprofits. Following Hurricane Katrina, the company was retained by Tulane University and Isidore Newman School, an independent K-12 school also in New Orleans, to help search for and fill executive positions focused on fundraising and philanthropy. You focus on nonprofits. How has the current recession affected their staffing levels?

During the recession, grants for charities and nonprofits dried up. The demand for private philanthropic support for their operations had to grow. There is a huge shortage of qualified fundraisers, so our clients rely on us to recruit the top talent.

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