July 19, 2012 | Read Time: 1 minute
GuideStar USA, the nonprofit online publisher of data on charities, announced today that it has chosen Jacob Harold, a program officer at the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, as its new chief executive. He will begin the job in October.
Since 2006, Mr. Harold, 35, has led grant making for the foundation’s philanthropy program, which supports organizations that connect donors to effective charities. Among the program’s grantees is GuideStar. Mr. Harold has served on GuideStar’s board since 2010 and was involved in developing the organization’s most recent strategic plan.
Previously, he worked at the Bridgespan Group, where he served the consultancy as a strategy adviser to nonprofits and foundations. Before that, he worked as a climate-change strategist in New Delhi for the David and Lucile Packard Foundation.
$12-Million Budget
Mr. Harold takes over an organization with a $12-million budget, derived largely from sales of its services and products.
He succeeds Bob Ottenhoff, who announced in March that he would be stepping down. Mr. Ottenhoff, who led GuideStar for close to a decade, said when his departure was announced that he was leaving the organization because it was time for someone else “to take it to the next level.”
GuideStar got its start serving donors by making available online the informational tax returns filed by nonprofits. Nearly 10 million people are expected to visit its Web site this year.
