Q: We have a unique job posting and are looking to broaden our reach. Any insights or recommendations for outlets to post to would be greatly appreciated.
A: Washington Nonprofits recently hired for several positions. We wanted to broaden our reach and recruit diverse candidates. With that intention in mind, we published job postings in community-based publications around Washington state. We ran ads in Black Lens News, The Fig Tree, and South Seattle Emerald. Community-specific publications can be great ways to reach candidates from diverse populations and show your support for their community.
Abby Engers, writing for Mac’s List, encourages nonprofits to track how candidates are finding their job openings and expand their reach using “Hispanic, Asian, Veterans or disabled Americans websites, or by hosting job fairs in typically overlooked communities.“
We recently asked our applicants “Where did you hear about this posting?” We learned that applicants found our job postings through LinkedIn, Idealist, personal reference, Indeed, or on our website.
Posting on social media is helpful too, especially Facebook and LinkedIn. “We’re Hiring” posts were top performers in terms of engagement. (We use free posts to our platforms rather than paid posts.) People who are connected to networking groups can easily share the posting with potential candidates on those platforms. Ask staff and board members to share those posts with their networks with a personal story. (Another good reason to have board members who are rooted in diverse communities!)
Wherever you decide to post your job openings, think about each sites’ audiences and whether they overlap with the qualifications your organization is looking for. If the job description requires experience in the nonprofit field or a subsector, go where nonprofit professionals are likely to look, like Idealist. If you’re looking for someone with a degree in nonprofit leadership, advertise at the schools that offer those programs, like Seattle University, Washington State University, and University of Washington. However, if someone with lived experience in a specific community would be just as valuable if not moreso, then ask yourself whether the degree is really required. Would equivalent experience add valuable perspectives to your staff? If so, consider where people get their news, whether it’s radio or Facebook.
Remember that some job boards have a regional focus. In our case, we wanted our staff to better reflect the diverse regions of our state, so we put greater emphasis on Central and Eastern Washington. If your job can be truly remote or people would be willing to relocate for it, consider expanding the geographic spread of your postings.
Learning Manager Julia Hunter compiled a list of places to advertise nonprofit jobs:
Community-specific:
- Partners in Diversity covers southwest Washington as well as Oregon
- Urban League has branches in major cities
- Black Lens News is a Black-owned newspaper in Spokane
- The Fig Tree is located in Spokane and connects faith-based organizations
- South Seattle Emerald is a BIPOC-led community news outlet
Nonprofit-specific:
- Advancement Northwest’s job board
- Idealist
- Northwest Nonprofit Networking listserv, hosted by 501 Commons
- Philanthropy Northwest’s job board
- Washington Nonprofits’ job board on our website, hosted by Mac’s List. All jobs in Washington state from Mac’s List are posted there. Washington Nonprofits members save $15 on job postings. More info
- Washington Nonprofits’ growing Slack Community has a dedicated channel for jobs
Higher education:
- EvansJobs, students and alumni of University of Washington Evans School of Public Policy & Governance
- Handshake, a shared job board that reaches students and alumni from Washington State University, Seattle University, and more
General:
If you’d like to change the nonprofit sector’s lack of diversity, we invite you and your colleagues to join our webinar on Race and Racism in the Nonprofit Sector on October 8, 2021.
We’re not experts, but we’re learning and sharing what we know. What would you add? What have you found most effective? Send us an email!
Source:
“Diversity Hiring is More Than a Checkbox. Building A Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Recruiting Strategy” by Abby Engers