When it comes to fulfilling your mission-driven goals, nothing stands in the way like having the wrong people in your organization. Recruiting and retaining the right team is difficult for any organization, but it’s that much harder when you’re a non-profit.
According to a 2024 State of the Nonprofit Sector Report, nearly 3 out of 4 nonprofits have job vacancies. That is a lot! When you consider that over 71% of these organizations saw an increase in demand for their services, you can see how stressful and urgent their staffing needs are.
Nonprofits are at the top of the list of organizations that would benefit from working with a recruiter. In order to efficiently attract and retain the right people who want to move the needle, a lot of time and energy must be assigned to the task.
While you’re focused on investing in your community, a partnership with a recruiting firm can give you back some vital time. In this article, we’ll talk about the obstacles nonprofits must contend with and how a recruiting firm can act as an extension of your mission.
Difficulties of Hiring
The biggest hurdles facing these organizations are their limited budgets, the high level of competition in the job market, and finding a candidate that aligns with their mission.
Nonprofit recruitment is about finding the unicorns – skilled and special individuals who are passionate about your organization’s vision and are motivated by more than just a paycheck.
We helped place Teel Wilkinson, Chief Human Resources Officer for Educational First Steps, two years ago. During an interview, she spoke about her decision to move out of the for-profit world:
“I transitioned from the for-profit sector to the nonprofit world because I was ready for a new challenge and wanted to support a mission that directly impacts people’s lives. In the for-profit sector, I developed skills in leadership, strategy, and organizational development, but I sought work that was more mission driven.Joining the nonprofit sector allowed me to apply my expertise in a way that aligns with my values, measuring success by the tangible difference we make in communities.”
For you, a nonprofit leader, the process of finding someone like Teel Wilkinson can be overwhelming. Faced with the need to run your non profit or foundation, it’s hard to imagine having the time to:
- Find passive candidates not currently looking
- Review & vet applications and resumes
- Follow up, follow up, follow up
- Complete reference and background checks
- Communicate next steps and updates
Recruiters understand the unique hurdles within a nonprofit.
With tight budget constraints, they’re dependent upon donations and other inconsistent streams of revenue. With demand across the workforce high, it’s even harder to offer salaries and benefits that can match with the private sector. Even if you find the perfect candidate, their higher compensation needs are a significant limitation.
And yet, in a conversation with Carl Josehart, CEO of Jewish Family Service, he noted that “money is not the only factor that people value in a work environment.”
The demanding nature of nonprofit work adds an extra layer – potential hires will need to be skilled in a variety of tasks that don’t just fall into one bucket.
Carl Josehart goes on to say, “One of the biggest challenges in staffing was the fact that many individuals in the organization were wearing multiple hats to cover functions where the organization could not afford to have a dedicated resource. This meant that individuals were often being asked to support areas such as facilities, technology, security, etc. that were not areas of specialty for them.”
Mission alignment is critical, even when the contender is unbelievably talented.
Nonprofit work often requires long hours, a deep emotional investment and a drive to change the world.
Let’s be honest – the professionals that dedicate their life to not-for-profit work are a different breed. They are motivated to invest more of themselves into their work, and therefore must care deeply about the issue they are working to improve.
Your existing network and connections are often the best place to start for a candidate referral.
Your board of directors is loaded with leaders that have deep ties to the community and the work that you do. The donors that are involved in the foundation, as well as the organizations that partner with you are also great resources. In fact, your board and the volunteers who drive the day-to-day work are underutilized when it comes to discovering new people.
After all, they know you and your culture, and are motivated to assist you. The “boots on the ground” serve as eyes and ears to the foundation, and they may offer a surprising amount of value in your hiring search.
If you’ve exhausted your circle and don’t know where to turn next, a recruiting firm may be the right partner to continue the hunt.
The decision to work with a recruiting firm is at its core a cost-benefit analysis.
When you’re researching for a new hire, the process is time consuming, tedious and stressful. In an already tight job market with a limited budget, time truly is of the essence.
As you work to broaden your impact on your community, a recruiter will function as an arm of your mission.
They’ll leverage their expertise and experience to mine data and create a customized approach just for you. With the unique needs, culture, and goals of a nonprofit, a recruiter can cut through the noise and make sure the strategy is aligned with the intended results.
For example, you might not consider looking at candidates that are in the for-profit sectors. At first glance, that wouldn’t be the right pool of people to look at, right?
But when you dig in further, recruiters understand people and what motivates them. Purpose-driven work is a common desire for professionals, but few are lucky enough to achieve that. So how do you find those people?
Burnout is one of the biggest complaints heard in American businesses right now. In a study by SHHM, only about 40% of workers report that they are fulfilled by what they do at work.
Those in leadership positions are highly skilled, have been in the workforce for some time, but can be seeking a deeper meaning in their work. This is precisely the group of candidates that wouldn’t be easily accessible to a busy nonprofit director.
Teel Wilkinson noted that her for-profit life prepared her for the many parallels between the two sectors:
“My for-profit experience has provided valuable insights and skills that are highly transferable to nonprofit leadership. Strategic thinking, honed in a competitive, fast-paced environment, has taught me to align goals with resources efficiently, a necessity in the nonprofit world where maximizing limited resources is crucial. [sic] Retaining top talent is vital in both sectors, and creating a supportive, purpose-driven environment is essential in nonprofits to retain passionate individuals. Balancing mission, culture, and operational efficiency is a challenge I was well-prepared for thanks to my for-profit experience.”
So what is at stake?
When running a not for profit, revenue and risk are always top of mind.
If you’ve never worked with a recruiting firm, you might be concerned about the costs associated. However, many firms offer different guarantees about replacing hires or have probationary periods.
As a nonprofit, the cost of hiring poorly on your own can lead to direct consequences such as disruption of services or administrative issues. Imagine fitting in the candidate search into your already swamped day, only to regret the hire once you take the leap!
Hiring the right people is a vital part of fulfilling your mission, but finding those individuals can be challenging. Partnering with a recruiting firm can relieve the burden of hiring, allowing you to focus on driving impact while professionals help you find candidates who truly align with your vision. The investment you make in recruiting the right team is an investment in your mission’s success.
Ready to learn more? Give us a call today!