The nonprofit and association job market has been fascinating to watch this year. After the “no hire, no fire” hinterland of last year, 2026 started with a swell of job creation and candidates slowly starting to move. Now we’re seeing a noticeable increase in interest from highly skilled, long-tenured candidates for most senior-level positions. That means hiring teams are getting the pick of some pretty exceptional candidate pools.

But there is a catch: more candidates to choose from doesn’t necessarily mean more negotiating power for employers. Many of these candidates are established in their current roles, know their value, and are willing to walk away from an opportunity if compensation doesn’t measure up.

What’s Driving the Job Market Swing?

Post-pandemic, turnover rose artificially high and then dipped artificially low in response. The economic uncertainty of last year kept it that way, but turnover can’t stay that low forever. Now the pendulum is swinging back, and people are on the move again. We’re seeing two factors driving this movement.

First, the uptick in executive departures is starting to have ripple effects. Leaders are retiring ahead of schedule or stepping down from top roles. Team members who may have stayed with a departing CEO or senior leader are a little more open to seeing what’s out there. As people find new opportunities, their peers start considering their options too. Turnover can be contagious.

Second, compensation. We’re talking to many candidates with ten years of tenure or more at their current employer who are getting close to the salary ceiling. Moving to a new role offers an increase they wouldn’t otherwise get, which is attractive at a time when the rising cost of living is on everyone’s minds. But the bump in compensation has to be significant enough to convince them to leave positions where they are well established.

Compensation is only one of many factors that can catch a candidate’s interest, but it can be the main reason they withdraw from a search.

What This Means If You Are Hiring

In a typical job market (if there is such a thing anymore), an increase in candidate interest would give employers greater negotiating leverage. But in the senior executive slice of the nonprofit and association sector, there is more nuance to the supply and demand equation.

Many of the roles we’re filling are new positions created to lead revenue diversification and business model innovation, which require specialized skills. Because so many organizations are looking for candidates with similar skill sets, demand for people who can do this work is growing. So while there are more qualified executives open to new opportunities, they have many options and expect to be paid well for their expertise.

This moment presents an opportunity to hire top performers who might have been difficult to attract even a year ago. If your compensation is aligned with the market, you will likely see some above-and-beyond talent in your candidate pool. Run a fast and clean hiring process, communicate promptly, set expectations clearly, and when it comes time to offer the job, lead with your close-to-best, if not best, compensation package.

If you aren’t sure where your compensation stands, benchmark salary for the role before you launch the search. Make sure you compare salary data from multiple sources across jobs that require the same skills in the same functional area at organizations of a similar size and complexity. If your performance expectations are high, particularly for roles responsible for major revenue drivers, you will likely need to pay toward the upper percentile of the range. It’s better to figure this out at the start of the search than after your leading candidate turns you down. Don’t assume that increased interest from candidates means you can hire the skills you need for less.