8 Tips for Creating Compelling Nonprofit Job Postings

In a competitive nonprofit talent landscape, it’s more important than ever to write job descriptions that truly capture what it’s like to work at your nonprofit, and what a candidate will need to thrive in the role. A laundry list of responsibilities and requirements won’t win hearts or minds, especially for candidates who are looking to move out of roles they’ve found unfulfilling.

If you have existing job description templates, taking an hour or two to review and adjust them now can save you time in the long run by helping your organization reduce turnover and repeat hiring. New AI-supported tools and features can also help make your process more efficient and effective. 

Here are eight things you can do to write stronger job descriptions for your nonprofit’s recruiting: 

1. Create a strong opener

Candidates are busy and often reviewing a number of different job postings. That means that if your job description doesn’t start strong, they may click away before they even get to the important parts. 

It’s crucial to strike the right balance between compelling and concise. One way to do this is to make your introduction about your candidate first, allowing you to grab their attention before you start talking about your organization. Speak to readers directly by using “you” and “your” statements, rather than phrases like “the ideal candidate,” then hook candidates with your amazing mission.

Feeding America is one nonprofit that uses this approach to great effect. All of their current job openings on LinkedIn begin by getting readers to picture themselves in a role where they could make a real difference, before zooming out to talk about the organization’s broader team and mission:

“Imagine a place where your talent can make a meaningful difference in people’s lives. Working at Feeding America is a uniquely rewarding experience in which our employees work together as vital parts of a much larger mission. We are innovative, mission-focused, diverse, collaborative, values-driven and focused on results.”

AI Pro Tip: Use LinkedIn’s AI-assisted job descriptions to instantly generate multiple opening variations tailored by role, skills, and location. Then, choose and refine the one that best speaks directly to your candidate’s motivations.

2. Go beyond words alone

Job descriptions can include more than just blocks of text and bullet points. Pictures, videos, and audio recordings can help you bring the role to life and showcase your nonprofit’s unique culture and powerful work, all while making your job posts incredibly memorable.

Consider linking to a video of an employee discussing how meaningful they find the work, or one of your leaders talking about your mission and how the new hire will contribute to it. Kiva, for example, features videos on its Careers Page that communicate the nonprofit’s mission and impact. Their website also features a video about what it’s like to work at the nonprofit – from the friendly dogs in the office to the organization’s goal of creating a more equitable global financial system. 

Learn more about drawing in great talent with a standout career page: How Career Pages Help Attract Great Nonprofit Job Candidates

While content like this will take some time and effort to create, it may be worthwhile for certain high-profile or high-volume positions that have large applicant pools. And once you’ve created a great piece of content, you can reuse it when hiring for countless more roles in the future! 

AI Pro Tip: AI content tools can help script short employee-story videos or write captions that highlight culture and mission, making multimedia easier to produce and more consistent across roles.

3. Seek out feedback

The more authentic your job posts are, the more likely you’ll be to attract candidates who are an ideal match for your organization. And one of the best ways to test authenticity? Ask other employees to review your job descriptions and provide feedback. 

This could include the person who currently holds the role, or other people on the team that the new hire will be joining. Is the picture you’re painting an accurate one? Is there anything about the role or team environment that you’re missing? 

AI Pro Tip: Generative AI platforms like CoPilot or Claude can be an additional source of feedback. Feed your job postings into the AI chat and ask for specific or general notes (e.g., “Does the language read as overly stuffy or formal?”)

4. Tell real stories

Beyond asking employees for feedback, you can also weave their stories into your job posts to give candidates a real sense of what day-to-day life at your nonprofits is like. Hearing directly from the people who might be their future coworkers can leave candidates inspired and excited to apply. 

Feature short quotes for employees, or gather concrete examples of past projects and successes that will pique candidates’ interest. Getting employees more involved in the hiring process may also boost their engagement and make them feel more connected to your organization. This is how you shape a powerful and magnetic employer brand. 

AI Pro Tip: AI can help turn employee quotes or project notes into polished, candidate-friendly stories that showcase impact, drawing candidates in with mission-first storytelling.

5. Double check for biased language

The language used in job descriptions can have a big impact on the diversity of your applicant pool. Certain word choices can signal to candidates that they won’t belong at your organization, even if that wasn’t your intent, which could cause you to lose out on exceptional talent. 

It’s always worth double checking your posts to ensure they use inclusive language like gender-neutral pronouns and job titles,before you hit publish. This can also help you catch any stray typos! 

AI Pro Tip: AI can be a great tool to help flag exclusionary phrasing before you post a job description.

6. Don’t shy away from talking about inclusion

Many job descriptions include an equal opportunity employer statement often buried right at the bottom; however, without surrounding inclusive language to back them up, these statements can sometimes come across as canned. 

Highlighting not only that your organization is committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion but why can send an encouraging message to candidates from all backgrounds. 

Take charity: water’s careers website, which underscores the nonprofit’s commitment to building a diverse team of talent by stating “we believe that a diverse team, informed by different cultures and perspectives, makes us stronger.” The page then explains that charity: water is “committed to doing the work and challenging each other to be an organization in which everyone is respected and heard… and we will continue to embed diversity, inclusion, belonging, and equity in everything we do.”’

AI Pro Tip: AI tools can help you rework generic Equal Opportunity Employer statements into more authentic, values-driven inclusion language without sounding performative.

7. Emphasize skills and results over education and experience

While a college degree and past work experience can certainly be useful, there are many candidates with unconventional backgrounds who could be a huge asset to your nonprofit. Take a self-taught designer with an incredible portfolio who never went to college. They could completely transform your organization’s branding and marketing materials—but if the job description lists a four-year degree under the requirements, they’ll likely assume they’re unqualified and never apply.

Learn more about skills-based hiring and how to put it into action: Skills-Based Hiring for Nonprofits: Grow the Talent Pipeline

Unless they’re absolutely essential to a role, consider removing educational requirements altogether from your job descriptions. Focus on the specific skills candidates will need to thrive, including both hard skills like being able to use a particular type of software, and soft skills like verbal communication. Better yet, outline what success in the role will look like and how a candidate’s skills will help them achieve it. 

AI Pro Tip: AI-assisted job descriptions can suggest skills-based requirements and success outcomes based on similar roles, making it easier to remove unnecessary degree filters and attract nontraditional talent.

8. Be transparent

The level of transparency you display in your job description signals to candidates how transparent your organization is as a whole. You don’t have to tell readers everything they could possibly want to know about your nonprofit (there’ll be time for that later), but being open and honest about things like your reporting structure can go a long way toward building trust.

Shifting work dynamics and conventions have also had a big impact on what candidates want to know before they apply. Can the role be performed remotely? Is there any flexibility around work schedules? Consider adding these details when describing your culture, like the Rainforest Foundation does on its careers website:

“Rainforest Foundation US prides itself on providing a flexible, equitable, family-friendly and inclusive work environment that values work-life balance..”

AI Pro Tip: Use AI to automatically surface and standardize key transparency signals (e.g., remote flexibility, reporting structure, or schedule expectations), so candidates get clarity upfront.

Hire exceptional nonprofit talent  

Without incredible talent, your nonprofit couldn’t continue its incredible work. Revisiting your job descriptions from time to time as the market and your organization evolve can help you find the right people and get candidates excited about what your team is doing. 

You’ll find plenty more tips to help you connect with employees, volunteers, and board members in our Resource Hub. To learn more about how LinkedIn can help you post jobs, build your employer brand, or source candidates, explore our nonprofit talent solutions today. . 

This post was inspired by the LinkedIn Talent Blog article “8 Tips for Writing Enticing Job Descriptions in a Candidates’ Market,” authored by Kate Reilly.

This blog post was originally published on January 10, 2022. It was updated on May 13, 2026 with new information.