This is Part 3 of our five-part series exploring how nonprofits can approach talent in a fresh, grounded way for 2026.
Read Part 1 & Part 2 Part 4 & 5 will be coming soon.
We’ve had this conversation more times than we can count—a nonprofit is hiring for a finance role, and we ask why the position requires a CPA.
The most common answer is “because we’ve always required one”, which isn’t really a reason so much as a habit, and it might be quietly shrinking your qualified talent pool without anyone realizing it.
The Problem with Credential-First Hiring
Credentials like degrees and certifications can be useful signals because they suggest someone completed a certain learning path and invested time in their professional development.
But those are not the same as capability, since a credential tells you what someone studied rather than what they can actually do. And when credentials become hard requirements, they filter out people who might be excellent at the job but took a different path to get there.
We’ve seen it firsthand: accountants without accounting degrees who are great at their jobs, finance leaders without CPAs who run tight operations, and program managers without master’s degrees who deliver outstanding results. These people exist, but if your job posting screens them out before they can apply, you’ll never meet them.
Opening the Pipeline at Both Ends
When organizations loosen credential requirements, something interesting happens: the talent pool expands in both directions.
On one end, you get access to younger candidates who’ve built skills through non-traditional paths like online learning, hands-on experience, and self-directed study. They may not have the degree yet, but they can do the work.
On the other end, you reach experienced professionals who built careers through alternative routes—military veterans, career changers, and people who learned by doing rather than sitting in classrooms. Both groups bring something valuable, and both are often overlooked when credentials are the first filter.
A Counterintuitive Truth About Skills
There’s a common assumption in hiring that you should screen for technical skills first and soft skills will work themselves out, but we’ve found the opposite to be true.
Technical skills like software systems, processes, and industry-specific knowledge can be taught, and someone capable and motivated can learn a new accounting platform or grant management system with the right training and support.
Interpersonal skills are a different story because communication, collaboration, emotional intelligence, and handling conflict develop over years and are much harder to change through workplace training.
So when we think about who’s likely to succeed long-term, we often look for people with strong interpersonal skills and a willingness to learn, since the technical gaps can be filled but the relational ones are harder to close.
Rethinking What’s Really Required
Skills-based hiring means looking at each job requirement and asking whether it’s actually necessary or just what you’ve always done.
For each credential listed, consider what capability it represents, whether you can assess that directly, and whether the requirement excludes people who could actually do the job well.
Often, the answer reveals room to open things up—the bachelor’s degree that’s listed “just because”, the CPA that’s never actually been essential, or the years-of-experience threshold that filters out strong candidates who took a less linear path.
How to Assess What Actually Matters
If you’re not relying on credentials, you need other ways to evaluate candidates, and here are a few approaches that work well.
Work samples let you see how someone approaches real challenges, so instead of asking what they would do, you can give them something to actually do—analyze a budget scenario, draft a program plan, or respond to a realistic situation.
Behavioral interviews focus on past performance by asking candidates to describe situations they’ve actually been in, such as how they handled a difficult colleague, a tight deadline, or a project that went sideways.
Thoughtful reference checks can go beyond confirming job titles to ask references about specific capabilities, like how the candidate handled complexity and what set them apart from peers.
These approaches take more time than scanning resumes for keywords, but they surface better information about who’s actually likely to succeed in the position.
Hiring for Potential, Not Just Polish
Skills-based hiring shifts the question from “Does this person already have everything we need?” to “Can this person grow into what we need?”
That’s a different mindset because it requires confidence in your ability to develop people, patience with learning curves, and willingness to invest in someone who might not be fully polished on day one but has real potential.
Organizations that make this shift often find that the people they invest in become their most committed team members, since there’s something about being given a chance that builds loyalty.
The Bigger Picture
There’s also an equity dimension here because credentials correlate with access—to education, to financial resources, and to networks that open doors. When credential requirements are too rigid, they can unintentionally filter out candidates from underrepresented backgrounds.
For nonprofits committed to equity, that’s worth examining: are your hiring requirements helping you find the best people, or are they reinforcing the same patterns your mission is trying to change?
A Simple Place to Start
If you’re curious about this approach, start with a job description audit by looking at your current or recent postings and asking which requirements are truly essential and which are just there because that’s how it’s always been done.
You might be surprised by what you find—and by the talent you’ve been missing.
Wondering if your job requirements are too narrow? We’d be happy to take a look with you. Schedule a consultation to talk through your hiring approach.
