The Opportunity for Gen Z Recruitment in Nonprofit

Gen Z Recruitment: Research to help nonprofit leaders with hiring and staffing concerns during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Community Rec Magazine recently surveyed its advisory board on the industry’s top trends and concerns for the first quarter of 2022. And to no surprise, results placed hiring and staffing as a top concern.

This aligns with research from talent solutions and business consulting firm, Robert Half. The company’s biannual Job Optimism Survey of more than 2,400 professionals tracks worker sentiment on current and future career prospects and reveals key implications for employers.

According to the survey, more than 4 in 10 workers (41%) said they plan to look for a new job in the first half of 2022. The top reasons are to secure a salary boost (54%), better benefits and perks (38%) and the ability to work remotely permanently (34%).

Those most likely to start job searching are:

• Gen Z professionals (52%)
• Employees who have been with their company for two-to-four years (49%)
• Technology workers (47%)

What does this mean for the community recreation industry?

There’s an opportunity to attract job-seeking Gen Z professionals – those born after 1996. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Gen Z will make up 30% of the workforce by 2030. But an important note to make is they have different ideas when it comes to networking and job seeking.

Handshake, a platform that connects students and employers, recently surveyed over 1,200 alumni and soon-to-be graduates and found the group is taking a more virtual approach to the professional realm than any generation before. Results showed:

• 80% say it’s easier to make professional connections than their parents’ generation because of the digital world.
• Recent graduates of color are even more likely to perceive increased opportunity and equity through digital connections.
• 67% believe you do not have to meet in person to make a professional connection, with women 26% more likely than men to say so.
• More than 8 in 10 Gen Z job seekers believe digital connections sparked by messages will lead to a job opportunity.

Takeaways for those hiring in community recreation.

• Don’t diminish the power of online networking. Make yourself and your organization accessible. You never know when on online inquiry could lead to a recruitment.
• When was the last time you updated your organization’s website? This is likely one of the first places the digital native, Gen Z job seeker will look when deciding where to apply. An outdated website might lead to a negative perception of how the organization is ran.
• Along with your website, all social media accounts linked with your organization are also available to Gen Z recruitment. Use these tools as a way to display your organization’s personality.

Lastly, don’t be afraid of change. Gen Z has some new ideas and you may question how it currently fits into your organizational structure. Ask questions and be open to learning. You never know when the next big trend is coming, but you can always start your own.