Hiring in the nonprofit world can feel like a balancing act. Limited resources, evolving roles, and mission-driven work make it essential to attract the right people, not just any people. Yet many organizations struggle with outdated job descriptions, unclear expectations, or recruiting processes that unintentionally limit their candidate pool.
This interactive workshop will walk participants through the foundations of effective nonprofit recruiting, starting with one of the most important tools: the job description. Participants will learn how to design clear, mission-aligned job descriptions that accurately reflect the work while attracting the right candidates.
From there, we will explore practical recruiting strategies that help organizations reach broader and more diverse applicant pools, reduce bias in hiring, and create a structured process that leads to stronger hiring decisions.
Throughout the session, participants will work through hands-on exercises, examples, and discussion. By the end of the workshop, attendees will leave with tools, templates, and practical strategies they can immediately implement in their own organizations.
Whether you are hiring your first employee or refining an existing hiring process, this workshop will help you build a recruiting approach that is thoughtful, efficient, and aligned with your mission.
Learning Objectives
By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:
Identify the key components of an effective job description that clearly communicates responsibilities, expectations, and organizational impact.
Evaluate and improve existing job descriptions to ensure they accurately reflect the role, support organizational needs, and attract qualified candidates.
Apply practical recruiting strategies that help expand applicant pools and reach mission-aligned candidates.
Recognize common sources of bias in hiring and implement simple practices to support fair and consistent candidate evaluation.
Develop a structured recruiting process that includes clear steps from posting to interviewing to selection.
Use templates and tools provided in the workshop to immediately improve job descriptions and recruiting practices within their organizations.
Speakers
Kourtney McCauliff
VP of Consulting Services at Purple Ink LLC
Kourtney McCauliff, SHRM-CP, is the Vice President of Consulting Services at Purple Ink. She loves to cultivate cohesive teams and develop strong leaders to lead them. Throughout her HR career, Kourtney has assisted clients with several training topics. She loves to help clients with her expertise in general HR best practices, such as HR assessments, cultivating a great employee experience and compensation. She is a SHRM-CP and has a certificate in Diversity and Inclusion for HR from eCornell. Kourtney is also DiSC Certified and a Mental Health First Aid instructor. She has volunteered with the HR Indiana SHRM State Council, East Central Indiana HR Association, Cornerstone Center for the Arts, Non-Profit Support Network, and Kenmore Neighborhood Association in Muncie.