Top Three Expert Tips for Effective Nonprofit Recruitment

Nonprofit recruitment poses many unique challenges. First, there are budget constraints. Then, there’s identifying talent that aligns with the mission. Finally, the entire board must greenlight the choice. As nonprofit recruiters, Duffy Group’s strategy-driven Recruitment Research model has proven successful at meeting these challenges and finding the executive talent that nonprofits need.

Nonprofit Recruitment Tips for Finding Talent on a Budget

Recruiting on a tight budget is challenging, but also possible. Here are our top three time-saving tips when we go to work for a nonprofit:

• Establish expectations: Identify a board’s expectations to target and efficiently search for candidates
• Work collaboratively with an organization’s board: Save time by creating regular reports to ensure all search efforts continue to match up with an organization’s priorities and goals.
• Attract mission-driven candidates: Set clear expectations for the position and search for individuals who align with an organization’s culture.

Working Collaboratively with Nonprofit Boards & Search Committees

To successfully work with any client, especially a nonprofit board, our nonprofit recruiters start off by gathering as much data as we can. We do this by going beyond the basics with a deep dive into an organization’s inner workings. By putting a little extra work upfront to fully understand who their ideal candidate is, we can get creative on locating where that person might be found. This process is also how we identify and refine our understanding of the board’s expectations.

After the initial discovery phase, we maintain consistent communication with board members by sharing regularly scheduled nonprofit executive search insights. These weekly reports encourage collaboration and establish a sense of teamwork. Plus, they ensure all questions, concerns and ideas from nonprofit recruiters and board members are communicated frequently and efficiently.

This collaborative environment becomes especially helpful when searching for candidates to fill high-level positions. The working relationship between a CEO and the board or other stakeholders can significantly influence a nonprofit’s effectiveness. We get to know the board and establish a working relationship to fully understand and effectively target who they are looking for.

Mission-Aligned Nonprofit Candidate Discovery

In many situations, nonprofit top search firms are forced to rely on filling positions through job postings and their own networks. Consequently, the majority of candidates they see are active job searchers. Duffy is different. We know this leaves out valuable candidates who have the skills and experience for the position and align with the nonprofit’s mission.

Using our recruitment research model, we focus on the organization’s mission, not recruiting. We look beyond the traditional talent pool to find candidates with valuable skill sets and experience, even if it is not in the nonprofit sector.

If your nonprofit is ready to make an executive search, the Duffy Group recruitment research model is your best bet for a successful search on a nonprofit budget. Please be in touch to learn more about our cost-effective, collaborative process.