NEW YORK, February 6, 2026 /3BL/ – For the third year in a row, Idealist surveyed their communities of hiring managers and job seekers to better understand the state of work and job seeking in the U.S. nonprofit sector. Over 5,800 total individuals participated in two surveys in October through November 2025. The results uncovered a social-impact sector that is reeling from external pressure, bringing instability to the way nonprofits hire and the professionals in pursuit of mission-driven careers.
Idealist, founded in 1996, serves millions of people looking for ways to build a better world, through full-time jobs, internships, volunteerism, and connecting with neighbors to address local problems.
Some high level findings of the 2026 Idealist Employer Report include:
- The percentage of individuals who are employed full time dropped 10% this year, to 32%.
- 84% of all individuals are currently job seeking, whether they’re employed full time, unemployed, or retired.
- Job seekers are more likely to be frequently or constantly applying for jobs (81%) when compared with last year.
- 57% of those surveyed are primarily or exclusively looking for social-impact jobs, but the percentage of those that are “open to jobs of any type” has risen to 37%. This could be interpreted as a solution in a tough job seeking market, with an upside for companies looking to hire dedicated, mission-driven talent.
- When compared with a pulse survey from April, Idealist found that
- Less nonprofits are hiring (53% vs. 47%).
- More nonprofits are in a hiring freeze (8% vs. 10%).
- For organizations that are planning on hiring, recruitment has picked up and they’re hiring for more roles than what was projected in April.
“What these voices from the social-impact sector reveal is a climate of heightened caution for nonprofits, and difficulty and instability for job seekers,” said Kevin Kennedy, Idealist’s head of client and audience success. “But our sector has weathered difficult times before. Our resilience comes from our belief in a better world that we’ll build together.”
Read the 2026 Idealist Employer Report here.
About Idealist
For 30 years, Idealist has worked to bridge the gap between intention and action by connecting organizations and people who want to do good. With the 2025 merger with VolunteerMatch, Idealist has connected 200,000+ organizations with tens of millions of people. Over the years, the combined organizations facilitated posting of over a million jobs and over a million volunteer opportunities. Additionally, Idealist empowers businesses to make a difference through volunteering via API technology and other means. Find out more at idealist.org and on LinkedIn and Instagram.
Media Contact
Emily Hashimoto: media@idealist.org
