Meeting the Moment | Hiring Tips for Organizations Looking for Mission-Driven Talent

The social-impact sector has experienced major challenges since the start of the year. Thousands of nonprofits across the U.S. are facing funding shortfalls due to slashed budgets and terminated grants, while organizations serving traditionally marginalized communities like LGBTQ+ individuals, or devoted to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), are being targeted by the federal government.

As a result, at least 14,000 nonprofit jobs have been terminated since January 2025, according to estimates provided by The Chronicle of Philanthropy. Unsurprisingly, job seekers are paying attention.

To better understand job seeker sentiment during this period of instability, Idealist polled 5,000 Idealist users in April 2025 through a short survey. Find two main takeaways from our survey below, as well as insights into how your organization can meet the moment when recruiting mission-driven talent.