Nonprofits have important objectives — and that’s why they need quality hires to carry their mission forward. Before interviewing your next nonprofit candidate, take a look at some of the best nonprofit interview questions to ask.

Best Nonprofit Interview Questions

Describe your passion for our mission. Why do you want to work for our nonprofit?

A great candidate would have researched your company and wouldn’t be applying without first recognizing a passion for the work involved. This is one of the top nonprofit interview questions because it highlights the mission-driven candidates.

Could you describe a few situations in which your work was criticized? How did you handle it?

A smooth sea never made a skilled sailor. Likewise, a leader in the nonprofit sector has probably faced conflict and uncomfortable situations. Can he or she handle them gracefully and with ease? How did the situation turn out? Looking back, what did the candidate learn from the criticism? A worthy candidate for the nonprofit role would spin this in a positive light — and perceive it as a learning lesson.

What improvements did you enact in your last position? What were some obstacles you faced?

Any nonprofit has set goals to accomplish — whether through fundraising, organizing events, raising awareness for a cause, and so forth. How did the candidate make an impact in his or her last role(s)? Dig deep to discover what challenges the candidate faced. What kinds of challenges would he or she be seeking in a role with your organization?

What skills or abilities have you not yet put into play in your career?

Any candidate might possess some under-utilized skills or qualifications. This is one of the best nonprofit interview questions to ask — because the candidate might prove highly skilled in an area that could improve your own organization. What can he or she bring to the table? After researching your nonprofit, what ideas might the candidate bring to life if offered the job?

Tell me about your approach to motivating employees.

Nonprofits have unique employees — leaders motivated by a mission, rather than perhaps a salary or other perks. An excellent nonprofit candidate knows motivation derives from this sense of purpose. How would he or she go about spreading your organization’s mission to both fellow employees and to the general public? Look for excitement in his or her voice after posing this question.

Do you feel comfortable working within a limited budget?

Your ideal candidate should have experience working with a donation-fueled budget. How does he or she work within a smaller budget while still working tirelessly to garner more funding? This question will help you find out how well the candidate might allocate what little funding your organization receives.

Describe a successful fundraising campaign you spearheaded. What do you think of our nonprofit’s current fundraising strategy?

This is one of the top nonprofit interview questions. It allows the candidate to reflect on a past success and apply it to your own organization’s future success. Also, this question reveals if the candidate has sufficiently researched your nonprofit and how it raises money to carry out its mission. How would the candidate improve your strategy, and how would he or she keep it the same?

How comfortable are you working with volunteers?

A major facet of nonprofit work involves directing volunteers. Ask the candidate to describe the pros and cons of working with volunteers. Then, ask him or her to expand on two specific experiences from managing volunteers: one that was tough, and another that was positive and rewarding. How did each situation turn out?

What else would you add to this list of nonprofit interview questions? For all your nonprofit hiring needs, contact the professionals at TruPath to find the right fit for your team.

As a trusted recruitment source for more than a decade, TruPath has the industry knowledge and a proven model to help our partners feel comfortable in their search for a candidate.

Through our TruProcess, we are able to consistently deliver exceptional candidates that help organizations continue down successful paths. Contact TruPath today to tell us about your staffing needs.