Challenges NGOs face when hiring

Charities, foundations, associations, and similar organizations will face more competition
for qualified workers as hiring continues to increase in the sector. But that is only one of
the many challenges NGOs encounter when building their teams. Here are a few more to
be aware of:

Compensation can be lower – Since most people stand to earn more in the for-profit
sector, compensation is often a candidate’s main deterrent to accepting a job with a NGO.

Work is often not 9-to-5 – And on top of low pay, work can require weekends, nights, or
extended travel.

Organizational goals can seem out of reach – Every NGO is taking on a large societal
problem. While many new hires can be excited at first, they can grow disenchanted by
slow progress over time.

Burnout is high – All the challenges highlighted above can result in high turnover, as
employees leave for more traditional employment.

Finding likeminded candidates can be difficult – Perhaps one of the biggest challenges is
finding a candidate who is truly interested in your organization’s cause.

NGOs often ask a lot of their employees and can’t always provide the same in return.
While for-profit businesses tend to have too many candidates to consider, NGOs can
struggle to attract great ones and retain them once they’re hired.

Now that we’ve covered the typical challenges NGOs face when hiring, let’s talk about
how you can overcome them and find ideal candidates.

Passion and knowledge trump skills

Hiring typical means finding someone with a specific set of skills to handle particular
responsibilities. The difference for NGOs is that employees often wear a lot of hats
instead of doing the same tasks day-after-day.

Because of that, it can be a good approach to look for someone who is passionate about
your organization’s mission, rather than seeking a candidate with a certain skillset. If
they have knowledge of the challenges at hand, they can bring smart ideas to the table.
It also decreases the likelihood they’ll get discouraged or burnt out down the road,
lowering turnover and preventing a future need to hire.

Work and life experiences matter

While skills aren’t overly important when hiring, experience certainly is. But that
doesn’t necessarily mean past work history since people with unique life experiences
can make great NGO employees as well.

When screening applicants, it’s of course a good idea to consider people who have
previously worked, interned, or volunteered with an NGO. It also makes a lot of sense
to meet with candidates who have been impacted by the problem your organization is
taking on.
Whether they’ve been directly affected by it or observed it second hand, you can learn
about their perspective and the drive they’ve developed through the experience.

Be cautiously open-minded to transitioning professionals

Many of the candidates who apply to your role will likely have a background in for-profit
businesses and be looking to change their career path. As we highlighted at the
beginning of this article, even though working for an NGO can be intrinsically
rewarding, there are many downsides that can sometimes result in burnout.

It’s important to make sure transitioning professionals understand everything that goes
into being an employee of your organization. Ask them why they are looking to make
the move and what they expect in return. If their experience and background align with
your cause and they understand the sacrifices they might need to make, it’s worth
considering them for the role.

Post of your job description in the right places

The overarching theme of this article is that your ideal candidates are different from
the people a for-profit business would seek. That means posting your role on the major
job boards will only be so effective.

The NGO-specific international job boards listed below will help you connect with the right
candidates:

Idealist – With more than 1.4 million monthly visitors looking for jobs, internships, and
volunteer opportunities, Idealist is one of the largest job boards for NGOs.

Common Good Careers  – A search firm with an online job board that specializes in filling
entry to executive level jobs for NGOs.

Nonprofit Career Match  – An extension of the Non-Profit Times, this job board
advertises positions for well-known organizations.

National Council of Nonprofits  – The main job board for a network of 25,000+
organizations nationwide.

Conservation Job Board  – A large job board that advertises positions with environmental
organizations.

Foundation List  – A rather new website that features a growing number of NGO job
opportunities.