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July - September 2026
Non-Profit Recruitment Insights Report
Quarterly report analysing recruitment trends, challenges and improvements within the non-profit sector.
Welcome to our new and improved Non-Profit Recruitment Insights Report
Over the past few years, our Non-Profit Recruitment Insights Report has tracked trends across the recruitment market using vacancy and application data from a range of external sources. For Q3 2026, we have introduced a refreshed approach.
Alongside our existing analysis of vacancy trends and recruitment activity, we have established the TPP Sector Insights Panel - a group of professionals working across the non-profit sector who share their experiences, challenges and expectations through a quarterly survey. The aim is not to replace market data, but to provide greater context for it. By combining recruitment trends with feedback from those actually working in the sector, we can better understand not only what is happening in the market, but why it may be happening.
As part of this refresh, we have also changed how we report our findings. Rather than focusing solely on statistics and quarter-on-quarter movements, our report places greater emphasis on the trends, challenges and opportunities emerging across the non-profit sector.
This report combines insights from three sources:
Market Data - Analysis of vacancy activity across major non-profit job boards.
TPP Recruitment Data - Recruitment activity and application trends observed through TPP Recruitment assignments.
Sector Insights Panel - A small panel of non-profit professionals who provide quarterly feedback on recruitment trends, challenges and expectations. (Insights from the panel are intended to provide sector context and qualitative commentary and should not be interpreted as statistically representative of the wider non-profit sector).
Together, these sources provide a more balanced view of the current recruitment landscape, combining market signals with real-world experiences from organisations operating across the sector.
Q3 2026 at a glance
Vacancy levels remained broadly stable throughout Q3
Hybrid working continued to grow while on-site opportunities declined
Panel members highlight challenges associated with screening large volumes of applications
Digital and fundraising roles are among the hardest positions to fill
Recruitment demand remains steady
Recruitment activity across the non-profit sector remained broadly stable during Q3. Average monthly vacancy volumes increased slightly compared with the previous quarter, although levels remained below those seen at the same point last year.
The overall picture masks considerable variation between organisations. While responses from our Sector Insights Panel showed some reduced recruitment or maintained existing levels, others increased hiring during the quarter. This variation reinforces that organisations across the sector are experiencing the current recruitment market differently, with individual circumstances continuing to influence hiring activity.
Looking ahead, while panel responses suggest that budget approval is not currently acting as a major barrier to recruitment, most panel members expect vacancy numbers to remain unchanged in the last quarter of 2026.
More applicants, but finding the right candidates is becoming harder
TPP recruitment data showed application levels increasing during Q3, suggesting many organisations continue to attract significant candidate interest. This was also reflected by this quarter's Sector Insights Panel confirming that the issue was not a shortage of applications, but the growing challenge of identifying suitable candidates. Several panel respondents highlighted increasing application volumes, however many noted that higher volumes were not always translating into stronger shortlists. Concerns about applicant AI use were highlighted as a contributing factor to screening difficulty.
Despite these concerns, there was no clear consensus that candidate quality had materially changed. The majority of panel members felt candidate quality was broadly the same as last year.
Taken together, these findings suggest the challenge for many organisations may be less about attracting applications and more about identifying the right candidates within larger applicant pools.
For organisations exploring this challenge, TPP Learning & Advisory is hosting a practical webinar on 11th November looking at how recruitment and selection processes can assess genuine capability in a world of AI. Find out more and get your tickets here.
Skills shortages remain concentrated in key specialist areas
Although recruitment demand overall remained relatively stable, employers continue to report challenges recruiting for specialist positions.
Digital and technology roles were most frequently identified by panel members as difficult to recruit for, closely followed by fundraising positions.
Earlier this year, we reported that skills gaps were becoming an increasing challenge for non-profit organisations in 2026. These latest findings reinforce what we have already been observing: specialist skills continue to attract strong employer demand despite greater stability across the wider recruitment market.
With digital, technology and fundraising skills among those identified as difficult to recruit for, competition for experienced professionals in these areas is likely to remain an important consideration for employers.
Hybrid working remains firmly established
Flexible working arrangements remained a prominent feature of the non-profit recruitment landscape during Q3.
More than half of vacancies advertised during the quarter offered hybrid working arrangements, with hybrid opportunities increasing their share of the market compared with Q2.
At the same time, the proportion of fully office-based roles declined.
The share of part-time vacancies also increased slightly during the quarter, suggesting organisations continue to explore flexible approaches to attracting and retaining talent.
Temporary and contract recruitment show signs of growth
While permanent recruitment continued to remain the primary hiring model throughout Q3, accounting for the majority of advertised vacancies, the overall share was reduced.
Both temporary and contract recruitment grew during the quarter and while it is too early to identify a long-term trend, the shift may indicate that some organisations are seeking greater flexibility as they respond to evolving operational and funding pressures.
8%
average temporary vacancies
24%
average contract vacancies
68%
average permanent vacancies
Are fewer people entering the sector?
One trend we have been carefully monitoring is the decline in entry-level opportunities advertised.
While entry-level jobs provide an important route into the non-profit sector, vacancies continued to fall in Q3 representing only 8% of the overall share of advertised roles.
The continued decline in entry-level opportunities is a cause for concern and raises important questions about how the sector will develop future talent pipelines, particularly while specialist skills remain difficult to recruit.
What organisations should be watching
Looking ahead, organisations may wish to:
- Review screening and shortlisting processes to ensure they remain effective as application volumes increase
- Consider how recruitment methods can assess authentic skills and experience alongside traditional application materials
- Plan early for specialist recruitment campaigns in areas where talent shortages persist
- Continue offering flexibility where possible, as hybrid working remains a prominent feature of the non-profit recruitment market
While no single organisation's experience will reflect the wider sector, the overall picture from Q3 is one of stability in demand combined with increasing complexity in the hiring process. As recruitment practices continue to evolve, organisations that can identify and engage the right talent efficiently may be best placed to succeed.
Want to join our Sector Insights Panel?
We're looking to grow our Sector Insights Panel to get a broader view of the non-profit sector landscape and help improve our future reports. If you are a non-profit leader and interested in contributing to our short quarterly survey, we'd love to hear from you!
Contact Jayne Morris for more information