The High-Stakes Season of Hiring

A clear-eyed look at today’s nonprofit hiring landscape, where heightened risk, talent shortages, and cautious candidates are reshaping how organizations approach retention, recruitment, and long-term workforce strategy.

By Wendy Wilsker

Typically, when I hear the phrase “high stakes,” I think of poker or a playoff game. But recently, in a conversation with a colleague about the turbulence facing the nonprofit sector, she said something that has stayed with me: “The stakes have never been higher” for talent.

Since then, I have been reflecting on what that means for both employers and candidates. For organizations, the stakes are high in recruitment and retention. For candidates, the stakes are just as high in deciding whether to leave a role, even one that no longer feels sustainable. The result is a hiring market defined by caution: longer search processes, more stakeholders involved in interviews, and a growing number of candidates withdrawing before the finish line.

In today’s environment, many professionals are choosing to stay put, even when they are unhappy or working in difficult cultures, because changing jobs feels risky. That caution is understandable. The nonprofit labor market remains strained, and workforce instability continues to shape hiring behavior. The National Council of Nonprofits has reported that more than half of nonprofits have more vacancies than they did before the pandemic, with salary competition, budget constraints, and burnout among the top drivers of hiring difficulty.

At the same time, the cost of losing strong talent has never been higher. While organizations are rightly focused on making the right hire, they also need to recognize that failing to retain high-performing professionals can be even more damaging.

The following ideas may help mitigate risk for both employers and employees.

1. Retention must become a strategic imperative

People stay where they feel valued, seen, and appreciated. Today, they also want to understand what opportunities exist for growth and development. We encourage our clients to hold regular “stay conversations” - not just annual reviews, but meaningful quarterly discussions about what keeps employees engaged, challenged, and committed.

Managers must lead with courage and not shy away from asking what employees need to remain successful. Brené Brown’s reminder that “clear is kind” feels especially relevant here.

Talent management is becoming increasingly critical in the nonprofit sector. Succession planning is no longer just about who can step into a role in an emergency. It is about building the leadership capacity needed to achieve sustainable impact. Organizations that identify high-potential talent early and invest in meaningful professional development are better positioned to retain current and future leaders.

This is especially important in a market where compensation and benefits are under increasing scrutiny. Nonprofit HR has noted a growing emphasis on competitive pay, flexible work arrangements, expanded benefits, and clearer career pathways as key levers in attraction and retention.

2. Recruitment should reflect both internal realities and external market conditions

Recruitment strategy must align with organizational values, culture, and long-term priorities, but it must also reflect the realities of the market. There is no such thing as a perfect candidate. The most effective searches are grounded in a clear understanding of what success actually requires and what trade-offs an organization is prepared to make.

While internal equity matters, organizations must also recognize that some roles, especially revenue-generating positions such as senior fundraising roles, are highly competitive and need to be benchmarked against geography and sector norms.

We are also seeing candidates ask more sophisticated questions much earlier in the process. They want to know what success looks like, how performance will be measured, and whether there is a realistic long-term career path. Those are reasonable questions, particularly in a market where candidates are being more selective.

Recent nonprofit labor market reporting suggests that selectivity is rising on both sides. LinkedIn’s Nonprofit Talent Report 2025 highlights growing demand for stronger recruiting operations, onboarding, data analysis, and relationship-building capabilities among nonprofit talent teams, reflecting a more structured and competitive hiring environment.

At the same time, broader market instability has intensified caution. According to The Chronicle of Philanthropy, nonprofit hiring expectations dropped sharply during 2025 as funding disruptions increased, layoffs rose, and job applications surged, creating a more competitive and less stable talent market.

3. Candidates are wary of the unknown

More than 80% of our placements are professionals who were not actively looking for a new job. That is worth paying attention to.

Searching for a new role requires time, energy, and a willingness to embrace uncertainty. For many professionals, it simply feels easier to stay where they are, even if the role is no longer the right fit.

We encourage professionals to update their resume quarterly and to stay in regular contact with trusted advisors and mentors who can help them assess strengths, ambitions, and next steps. It is important to define both short- and long-term goals and to be honest about “what matters most right now.” For some, that may be a broader title or stronger compensation. For others, it may mean changing sectors, relocating, or finding a healthier culture.

Once candidates are clear on what matters most, they are better able to assess whether a new opportunity is truly aligned. We also encourage candidates to articulate the type of culture and mission in which they thrive. Do they perform best in fast-paced, entrepreneurial environments, or in more established, systematized institutions? Understanding where you thrive makes it easier to evaluate whether the conditions are in place for success.

Final thought

This is a high-stakes season of hiring in the nonprofit sector. Organizations cannot afford to treat retention as reactive or recruitment as transactional. And candidates are approaching career moves with understandable care.

In this environment, clarity matters. So do transparency, career pathing, competitive total rewards, and leadership that inspires trust. The organizations that will succeed are those that understand that talent decisions are no longer routine operational matters - they are strategic decisions with lasting consequences.

Sources referenced

About the Author

Wendy Wilsker

Managing Partner, United States
Global Practice Co-Leader, Non-Profit Organizations

Wendy Wilsker has dedicated her entire career to the non-profit sector, serving in leadership roles within charitable organizations and working alongside them as an executive recruiter and consultant. She excels at identifying the unique challenges and opportunities non-profits face, and partners with senior leadership to build successful organizational structures, teams and advancement programs.