Nonprofit Job Sites Directory

By Tom Battin

December is famously a bad month in which to look for a job, and a bad month in which to bring on someone new. Get a leg up on January with Tom Battin’s guide to nonprofit job sites:

In this article, we review 33 websites for people seeking nonprofit jobs, and of course, for nonprofits seeking to hire new staff. Job sites serve two audiences: job seekers and employers. Job seekers can look for potential positions as well as upload their resumes so that employers can seek them out. For employers, such job sites allow them to search posted resumes to find people with specific characteristics.

This is not a complete list. We have focused on sites that are exclusively for nonprofit jobs, or that have a substantial number of nonprofit jobs. We have not included the hundreds of websites such as those of nonprofit associations where members can post openings, nor have we tried to find all the listservs and association newsletters where members post openings. Instead, we focused on sites that are primarily about job seeking: that are updated daily, that have features such as being able to search only for executive jobs, and so forth. Be sure to ask people in your chosen field or geographic region or the sites, listservs and newsletters that they know.

For each of the 33 job sites in this guide, we include the number of jobs that were posted on our test day aswell as the key features provided by each site. We evaluate their usability for both job seekers and employers, and provide their contact information and required fees.

This guide is organized into six sections as follows:
1. Comprehensive nonprofit job sites
2. Job sites that include for-profit and nonprofit jobs
3. Nonprofit executive positions
4. Nonprofit fundraising positions
5. Nonprofit technology positions
6. Regional nonprofit job sites

Criteria for rating

To critique the sites for usefulness, we established criteria to allow for comparisons. How easy was the site to navigate? Is registration required before searching for a job? Is there a fee? How many job listings are available to view?

Some sites allow you to send your request directly through to employers, while for others you’ll need to create and send your own email. Some allow you to search on types of organizations, while others simply put them all into the same batch. We like sites that help you find background on the nonprofit that has posted job listings and when they have interactive support and help for visitors. For those that allow you to post your resume, we looked for flexibility in format, ability to edit and re-post resumes, and whether they include tagging for potential employers. In particular, we liked the ability be sent an email when certain types of jobs appear.

We also wanted to see whether the site provided helpful articles, links to relevant resources, how© Blue Avocado / CompassPoint Nonprofit Services to guides, and tools for helping applicants find the right job. In each section, listings are sequenced as our suggestions for the order in which a job seeker might begin (geographically limited sites are listed alphabetically).

Note: To suggest changes and additions, please submit the full listing as you believe it should be posted, along with your contact information to editor at blueavocado dot org. Making the suggested changes is at our discretion. In addition, everyone is encouraged to add information and experiences in the Comments section at the end of the article. Special thanks to Blue Avocado readers Stacy Chappel, Terrell Curtis, Elenor Denker, Rhonda Taylor and Annette Wilder for helping us find these sites and think about how to organize the data.

Click here to download Nonprofit Job Site List.

This article was reprinted with permission from Blue Avocado, an online magazine for nonprofits with practical, timely and fun information. Subscribe free by sending an email to editor@blueavocado.org.