Attracting Top Nonprofit Talent to Your Job Postings

The framing of a job post goes a long way toward determining what kind of nonprofit talent applies for the role. To attract the talent you need, it’s important to write job posts that are welcoming and inclusive, appeal to candidates’ values and interests, and compel them to take the next step. And once you’ve written your post, you need to ensure that it’s seen by the right people.

LinkedIn makes it easy to write great job posts and get them in front of your desired audience. Here’s how.

Writing the job post

Drafting and sharing a job post on LinkedIn is quick and easy, and you can post up to one job at a time for free. Follow these steps to get started and explore the following best practices:

Do some research to find the right job title

Chances are, the candidates you’re looking for are searching for opportunities like yours. The job title you list can be very important in making sure they find them.

Use LinkedIn to search for job openings similar to the one you’re about to post and make note of the most common titles associated with the role. Adopting a standard title, as long as it’s accurate, will make it much easier for job seekers to find your nonprofit using keyword searches. Plus, if they’ve set up alerts for jobs matching the title, they may receive a notification about your posting.

Structure the job post for easy readability

The way you organize your job posting is a reflection of how organized your nonprofit is as a whole. Treat your posting like a first impression and structure it thoughtfully. 

First, split the posting into relevant sections, such as:

• Role objectives and impact
• Key responsibilities
• Required skills and qualifications
• Benefits

Under each of these sections, include a brief set of bullet points. Try to be as specific as possible when it comes to expectations for the role, while still keeping your post succinct.

As you’re creating these bullet points, be thoughtful about the language you choose to include. Look at other job postings to identify keywords that recur frequently and include relevant ones in your post. Potential applicants may be scanning for very specific things in the opportunities they’re exploring.

Focus on the skills you need, rather than prior experience

As you’re outlining the requirements for the role, focus more on the hard and soft skills that your new hire will rely on every day, rather than traditional qualifications like prior experience or a college degree. Not only can this help you fill skills gaps at your organization, but it can also help you attract more diverse and qualified candidates.

The most effective way to write about skills is to contextualize why each skill you’re including is important. For example, instead of saying a candidate must have “fundraising experience,” highlight some of the key skills required for fundraising, such as communication and project management, and connect these skills back to the day-to-day responsibilities of the role. How will they help your new hire make an impact at your organization?

Sharing the job post

Now that you’ve created the ideal job post, it’s time to make sure top nonprofit talent can find it. Follow these steps to ensure your post gets their attention:

Share the job posting from your LinkedIn Page

As soon as you’ve created your job post, share it in an update from your nonprofit’s LinkedIn Page. Take this opportunity to further contextualize the role. 

Try to tie the job back to your nonprofit’s overall mission in an inspiring way. If you’re hiring a social media manager, for instance, talk about why social media is such an important part of cultivating meaningful relationships with your supporters. Expressing passion for your mission will help entice value-aligned nonprofit talent to learn more about the opening role.

Use your network to amplify your job posts

After you’ve shared your job posting on LinkedIn, encourage your team to share it with their networks. You could even incentivize members of your organization to send the post to anyone they know who might be a good fit by offering them a referral bonus or some other reward upon a successful hire.

At the same time, consider turning on the #Hiring feature to ensure that anyone who visits your LinkedIn profile will see your new job posting right away. This may also encourage potential candidates to reach out to you personally to learn more about the role or ask questions about your team culture, which can give them the confidence to apply.

Consider giving your job post a boost on LinkedIn

For high-priority or hard-to-fill roles, consider investing in hiring solutions from LinkedIn, available at a discounted rate for eligible nonprofits. 

Organizations that pay to promote their job listings receive 3x more qualified applicants compared to those that don’t. And using LinkedIn Recruiter, you can proactively identify and reach out to strong candidates, rather than waiting for them to come to you. By sharing your thoughtfully written job posting via a personalized InMail message that’s tailored to the person’s interests and experience, you can maximize your chances of grabbing their attention — and making a great hire.

To learn more about discounted hiring solutions from LinkedIn and to get started, contact our team today.