About Ground Zero · Since 2021

The Talent Partner
India's Social Sector Built for Itself

Ground Zero is a next-generation talent search and advisory firm for the social impact ecosystem in India & South Asia

› Our Story

How It Started

In 2021, we asked a simple question: Why is it so hard for nonprofits to find the right people, and for good people to find their place in the sector?

We didn't have a platform. We didn't have a plan. We had a hashtag - #HiringInSocialSector - and a habit of posting jobs, every week, for anyone who needed to see them.

That hashtag didn't stay a hashtag for long. It grew into something the impact ecosystem actually needed - not one fix, but many, because the gap was never just one problem.

For organizations, we do the hard, unglamorous work of talent acquisition - finding leaders who don't just fit a role, but believe in the mission behind it.

For job seekers, we run 1jobboard, a free space where opportunities in this sector are easy to find, because no one should have to dig for a chance to do meaningful work.

We started a podcast, Know the Social Sector, because the people building this ecosystem have stories worth hearing - not polished case studies, but honest accounts of what leadership in this sector really looks like. Every week, we show up for job seekers through our AMA, answering the questions no one else takes the time to. Every month, we run Get Shortlisted, Get Hired - webinars with the HR leaders and recruiters who actually hold the keys, so no one has to guess what it takes to get in the door.

And across every platform we can find, we've built communities - spaces where nonprofits and talent don't just transact, but talk, learn, and grow together.

None of this was the plan in 2021. But all of it answers the same question we started with: how do we make sure good people and good missions never miss each other again.

If you're building a team, or building a career in this sector, this is what we've built for you.

150+ organizations India & South Asia

› The Journey

From a hashtag to a Talent Ecosystem

Scroll through the years

2021

Started with a hashtag - #HiringInSocialSector.

2022

Launched 'Know the Social Sector', a podcast with the CEOs shaping this ecosystem.

2023

Piloted retained search with 5 nonprofits - and learned the sector's talent gap firsthand.

2024

Became Ground Zero. New brand, first 30 nonprofit partners.

2025

Crossed 100 nonprofit partners. Scaled leadership hiring, launched 1JobBoard.

2026

150+ nonprofits across India & South Asia. Still building.

› What We Stand For

Our Core Values

Every talent partner says they're different. Here's what that actually means for us, in practice, across every mandate, every community, every assignment we take on.

Collaboration.

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Every engagement is a partnership, not a transaction - whether it's a search, a workshop, or a community we're building together.

Transparency

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If we take it on, we own it - search, process, outcome, and everything in between.

Accountability

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We own the outcome, not just the deliverable - the placement, the process, the people it affects long after the engagement ends.

Empathy

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People remain at the heart of our work

We run search, OD, benchmarking, and community work - different in scope, different in skill, but never in how we show up.

Different assignments. Same standard.

› Our Purpose

Every engagement should leave the social sector stronger, not just one organization better staffed. That's why we go beyond filling roles - we work to shape how nonprofits think about talent, leadership, and organizational health. The nonprofits that lead the next decade won't win on mission alone. They'll win because they got their people right.

› Impact