Nonprofit Hiring Trends and Implications for Gen Y and Their Employers
I had a chance to look at the 2010 Nonprofit Employment Trends Survey, sent to me by Heather Carpenter (thanks, Heather!). It is rich in data about the current trends and predictions in the hiring practices of small (budget under $1M), medium ($1M-$10M), and large nonprofits (more than $10M). I wanted to highlight some interesting facts and explore what they mean for young people looking for careers in public service.
- 34% plan to add jobs and only 10% plan to eliminate jobs. On average small organizations plan to create two new positions, medium organizations plan to create four new positions, and large organizations plan to create nine new positions in 2010.
- The majority of these new jobs (34%) will be in direct service, a 10% increase over the past year.
- For entry level positions, 49% of organizations look outside of the sector, for mid level positions 39% of organizations promote from within, for experienced positions 53% of organizations look within the sector at other nonprofit organizations
- 57% of young people whose first job is in the nonprofit sector will have a second job in the nonprofit sector.
- Small organizations tend to be more racially diverse, although racial diversity in general decreases as the position level increases.
- When it comes to social media, 53% use LinkedIn, 34% use Facebook, and 13% use twitter. However, the majority still rely on personal networks of colleagues and friends to fill positions.
What could this mean for millenials interested in careers in the nonprofit sector and their potential employers?
For organizations:
Retention has to be a priority: A concern about the sector is the lack of mobility and a clear career path. Yet time spent developing such career paths and providing support could help with retention, especially with employees of color. Additionally, the reliance on current employees to meet the growing demand for services could result in burnout if not properly addressed.
For young people:
Now is a great time to explore the sector and build your skill set: The increase in demand of services for nonprofits means both the creation of new jobs and the expansion of responsibilities for current employees.
Start to build your offline and online networks: Social media is being used in addition to personal networks to find candidates for positions so putting time into both could be beneficial. In fact social media is, in many ways, an extension of offline relationships.
Questions I have:
What kinds of positions are being filled using social media?
What positions have the highest level of turnover?
What are the hiring trends based on type of organization? (art, education, etc)
Have you read the survey? Share your thoughts below or click here to get the survey.
Thanks for stating the facts here, Alison!
I’m confused about the last stat. 53% of organizations trying to spread their mission, nonprofit employees, or all nonprofit organizations looking for employees use LinkedIn and other social media sites? Great case for social media either way!
What I would be interested to know to complement this information is the interest the nonprofit sector that the workforce has in general. For instance, retention may only be a huge priority if there’s a shortage of interest in the sector– though you rightfully address burnout which must manifest itself in stats related to leaving the sector (verses hiring). It’d be really cool to see the stats on how burnout effects employees’ view/commitment to the sector!
Thanks for another great post!
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ajlovesya Reply:
June 1st, 2010 at 5:02 pm
Thanks for your comment Colleen!
The 53% refers to organizations using LinkedIn to fill positions.
Regarding retention you bring up an interesting point. At the EPIP conference in Denver last month, I learned from Pathfinder Solutions Inc, that less than a quarter of high school and college grads can name a nonprofit and 93% never had a guidance counselor discuss careers in the sector, with some being actively discouraged from working in the sector!
For those who do pursue careers in the sector, 43% come in because of love for the cause, not the sector (which I think is pretty common).
In other words, there is certainly a lack of support for nonprofit careers, with the sector not seen as a place for “real jobs” yet tapping into people’s passion for a cause may get more folks to consider committing to the sector.
Even if we step outside of the sector as a whole, and looked at organizations themselves, losing employees is still a challenge and I think retention goes hand in hand with leadership development and building organizational strength.
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