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The Fight for Talent – Is Your Nonprofit Winning?

The Fight for Talent – Is Your Nonprofit Winning?

June 4, 2014
Yolanda Darville

Talented staff members are your organization’s greatest resource. In a world where the best and the brightest are often wooed by large organizations offering high salaries and endless perks, nonprofits often find themselves fighting to recruit the best and the brightest for their organizations.

Experts in the nonprofit recruiting field often cite these tips for recruiting the best nonprofit staff leaders:

  • Offer market or above market salary for your nonprofit positions. Nonprofit leaders are driven by the mission, but a fair salary certainly makes a difference when weighing offers.
  • Be responsive to the candidate’s questions – especially during the early recruitment stages. Candidates will view your responsiveness as a reflection of how you view them.
  • Make sure the candidate knows he will be supported in the position.
  • A strong support system is music to a potential staff member’s ears, but lack of support will send the candidate running to another organization.
  • Show off your board. If your nonprofit board is strong and involved, share this with the candidate. Be sure to provide your board list to the candidate. A strong board equates to a healthy organization to most potential employees.
  • Connect your candidates with your strongest staff. When a talented candidate sees that you hire capable employees, your nonprofit stock goes up in their eyes.
  • Make sure your nonprofit’s CEO meets the candidate. This shows that you truly are interested in the candidate and their capabilities. Candidates will feel valued – and we all want to feel valued.

    • Remember that your nonprofit is only as strong as its employees, so fight hard to get the best staff leaders for your organization!

    ABOUT THE AUTHOR

    Yolanda Darville

    Yolanda brings international experience to Lighthouse Counsel where she served as the Development Director of Queen’s College, and most recently as the Executive Director for Hands For Hunger in Nassau, Bahamas. She is active with her church, Bahamas Harvest Church, and co-leads an organization focused on teaching leadership, providing mentors and promoting high self-esteem in girls of color.

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