February 21, 2010 | Read Time: 1 minute
Publicize the job in multiple ways. Many charities advertise their jobs on online job boards (taking care to list under both “technology” and “nonprofit” categories), but narrowing the search to Web sites focused on a group’s particular mission can help draw in sympathetic applicants.
Recruit recent graduates. For jobs at entry level or just above, get in touch with the career centers at technical colleges or information-technology certification programs, says Katy Gallagher, chief operating officer of Ashley Ellis, a recruiter in Naperville, Ill. “You’ll usually get people who are less experienced and you’re not advertising to the public and getting everyone in the world applying,” she says.
Rely on the charity’s own networks. Seek recommendations from employees, board members, volunteers, and clients, says Amanda Hatch, director of services at the Seattle affiliate of NPower, a nonprofit group that offers technology consulting to charities. Her organization encourages such referrals with a bonus system, giving workers $500 for every new employee they bring in who stays on the job for at least 90 days.
Try out employees before hiring them. Some organizations recommend using temporary-staffing agencies to help them give potential employees a tryout before committing fully to them. “They’re not your employee until you’re actually hiring them,” points out Brenda Puckett, director of human resources at the Children’s Council of San Francisco, which recently filled two technology positions and has used temporary agencies in the past.
