Recruiting the Best Accounting Talent to Your Nonprofit Organization

By October 19, 2016Nonprofit

Professional sports teams know that to find the top athletes in the country, they must recruit them early from the college teams. Imagine if they merely placed ads, screened resumes and videos of players, and then said, “You’re hired!” It is likely that the process would result in unsatisfactory teams.

 

The same may be said for the method by which nonprofits typically recruit finance and accounting talent. Many nonprofits place job advertisements, screen resumes, interview and hope for the best.

 

If you want to create a “starring team” for your nonprofit, here are a few ideas you can use to recruit top talent into the world of nonprofit finance.

 

Five Ideas to Recruit Top Talent

  1. Develop talent networks: Do not wait for job openings to have your eye on the next employee for your nonprofit. Participate in local networking events for your industry. Join chapters of local nonprofit business leadership organizations. Meet and get to know the top finance and accounting professionals. When an opening arises, you will already be connected to the people you want to recruit onto your team.
  2. Start an apprentice system: Another method to recruit top talent is to build it into an apprentice system at your organization. Offer paid summer internships, work-study programs, and starting positions that grow and develop into leadership positions. Organize your employment structure so that potential employees feel there is room for growth. Reach out to top accounting schools in your area and alert them to apprenticeships. They will grow into their positions, and you will begin working with young, bright graduates eager to succeed.
  3. Recruit widely: Although many aspects of nonprofit accounting are specific to the way in which nonprofits operate, there are many similarities to the for-profit world. A good accountant can quickly learn the differences and apply learnings from the for-profit world to improve operations and efficiencies. Consider recruiting top talent from all industries, not just the nonprofit world.
  4. Network with professors: An interesting but often untapped resource to find smart and rising accounting stars are the professors in the local business schools or universities. Professors know their students well and can attest to their strengths. To get to know the professors, host educational seminars on accounting for nonprofits, FASB changes such as FASB 958, and other pertinent issues. Along with cultivating a local network of accounting professionals, developing a network among the professors can help you later identify promising students to recruit into your organization.
  5. Consider competitions: A competition for the best business plan, paper or other accounting-related project offered through local universities can attract bright accounting talent. You can then assess their work by reviewing their submissions.

Creating an Environment Attractive to Professionals

The Society of Human Resource Managers (SHRM) conducts annual surveys among human resources managers to assess the most appealing benefits for different age brackets. Among their findings, SHRM reports that to attract highly skilled professionals, companies must offer attractive benefits packages.

Senior-level professional workers, such as top-level accounting and finance professionals, value health care benefits, retirement packages, similar traditional benefits packages. Younger workers, however, are open to additional benefits and find flex time, telecommuting, and unpaid leave opportunities valuable.

 

Nonprofits that have trouble attracting senior-level talent may wish to re-examine their benefits packages. Beefing up the healthcare package as much as possible and offering other benefits, such as telecommuting and flex time, may make your organization more appealing to potential employees.

 

Welter Consulting

Welter Consulting offers financial reporting, compliance, and software to help nonprofits with their accounting needs. We focus solely on nonprofits, bridging the information gap between nonprofits and business disciplines. We are passionate about helping nonprofits success. For more information, visit us or call 206-605-3113.