Exclusive content and experiences are an important part of your organization’s offerings, as well as an effective way to generate non-dues revenue. With over 50% of job seekers stating that their preferred source for finding job openings is online, creating job boards is an easy and impactful way to diversify your organization’s income while also attracting and retaining members. Job boards provide valuable opportunities for organizations. They improve member experience, expand your network, boost organization credibility and more. Here, we’ll cover the key steps for how to create a job board, including best practices, tips for SEO optimization, and how to choose the right job board software. What are job boards? Are job boards profitable? What are the benefits of a non-profit job board? How to create a job board What are job boards? Job boards are websites with postings for employment opportunities. It’s used by both job seekers and employers and often includes a resume database and built-in functionality to send applications within the website. Are job boards profitable? Yes, job boards are a profitable way to diversify your organization’s income, especially if you identify and address a niche market that your organization already appeals to. They need to be approached like a business with a revenue model, marketing plan, goals and metrics for success, and the right tools. Job boards can generate revenue through: Paid job listings Employer subscription plans for job postings Premium job postings Advertising Sponsored blogs Affiliate programs with related services (resume writing, skill development, etc) What are the benefits of a nonprofit job board? A job board can benefit your organization by: Growing its network and reach Adding credibility and legitimacy to your organization, especially in your industry or field Boosting visibility in community Generating non-dues revenue Improving member retention and renewals Your members will see benefits too such as: Employment opportunities Career and skill advancement Networking opportunities Improved and heightened member experience How to create a job board 1. Identify your niche, goals, and metrics for success Determine your audience by identifying demographics such: Location Industry Values Beliefs Interests Job Interests You may also want to look at the niche your organization satisfies by analyzing your member base and referring to or creating member personas and a member journey. Once you’ve identified your audience, it’s time to create SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound) and metrics of success. You’ll also want to determine the objective(s) of your job board. Is your organization interested in more traffic, a larger audience, or more revenue?Finally, decide how your job board will help satisfy and reach these goals and objectives. This will outline what you need from your job board and marketing strategy to make progress on the metrics for success you’ve identified. 2. Decide your type of job board Here are the four key types of job boards you can create: General – Usually larger in size without a specific industry or job type focus. They’re often job aggregators that collect postings from several different sites. Examples include Indeed, Monster, and Linkedin. Niche – Typically these have a smaller selection that’s been hand-picked with a certain audience, job type, or industry in mind. Examples include: ConstructionJobs, Consultants500, and AllRetailJobs. Company – Features only open positions for a specific company. Examples include Microsoft’s Industry Professionals Job Board, Amnesty International’s Job Board, and Patagonia’s Job Board Organization-specific – Exists as a part of exclusive content for members to an organization, typically in the members-only section of a membership website. It may feature exclusive job postings and content or extra perks like timely notifications about new jobs. 3. Research other job boards and competitors Reach out to your members or other people who belong to your target audience and survey them about: What job board websites they like to use What they like about those job board websites What features they’d like to see that are missing Start analyzing your competition by reviewing their: Marketing: Look at their social media postings or sign up for their newsletter. Review their content, branding, campaigns, and messaging. Design and Layout: Pay attention to what features are improving or adding to the user experience. Use this information to strategically develop your job board website template, plan, design, and marketing strategy to better appeal to your target audience. 4. Choose the right job board software How do you want to create your job board? Parameters that can help you decide the best job board software include your: Goals and objectives Target audience Budget Desired features and functionality Optimal level of customization There are three types of ways to build your job board. They include: Open source This uses an existing website platform and HTML code that you can customize and build on. Examples include WordPress and Wix. Coding This uses custom HTML code, which usually requires a developer. While you have complete control over your look and functionality, it’s more costly and time-consuming. Ready-made This exists as software in itself or an additional feature for your existing membership management software. For example, Memberclicks Job Board, is a seamless, easy-to-use add-on for associations and nonprofits who are using MC Pro or MC Trade. Key features to look for in the right ready-made job board software include: Easy integration with existing membership software Automates processes Simple and fast set up Additional features that improve user experience: Surveys and polls Social sharing integration Newsletter generator ‘Featured Jobs’ highlight functionality 5. Decide on your domain name Don’t stress about your domain name too much! It doesn’t have a significant impact on your SEO and is more about solidifying your job board’s brand more than anything else. Here are some best practices to keep in mind: Avoid hyphens and numbers Make it short and memorable .com is better than other less popular variants like .org Make sure your chosen name is also available on social media Include SEO keywords if possible Once you’ve picked your job board name, register your domain through Google Domains, GoDaddy, or other options. 6. Find job listings You can begin finding employment opportunities to post on your job board by: Posting on social media. Promoting it on your organization’s social channels ahead of time to attract interest and attention. Using cross-promotion. Ask your supporters, partners, board members and other affiliated individuals or organizations to share the job board to their network. Contacting employers in advance. You may want to give them exclusive, free-of-charge early access to all of the features to entice employers to post. When you have jobs collected, it’s time to start writing up job listings. You may even want to provide a form template for employers to easily fill in or autofill after uploading their job posting. When writing job listings, be sure to include: A specific and clear title Duties and qualifications Information about company history and culture Perks and benefits Salary range or information that the applicant should include salary expectations 7. Create database of job listings Depending on the type of job board builder you’ve selected, this may be a more involved process or can be easily automated. For example, with Memberclicks Job Board, its intuitive functionalities and features let job posters and employers easily post jobs without any support from your organization’s team. In fact, you can get set up right away as soon as you sign up! 8. Determine membership/content restriction Do you want to give full access to the public or restricted access (such as through email sign up or members-only functionality)? There are four types of membership and content restriction that you can choose from: Job postings – Employers need to pay to post their job listings. This is most effective for niche job boards because companies are targeting a specific audience. But, it can be more expensive for job posters. Pay-per-click – With pay-per-click or PPC advertising, employers only pay when a job seeker clicks through to their posting. Subscription – Employers pay a monthly fee to get access to a certain number of job postings or a specific audience. Freemium – Employers can post jobs for free but have paid add-ons and features such as Featured Listings, more cherry-picked applicants, targeted candidate advertising and marketing. 9. Optimize for SEO While employers and job posters will give you a pre-written job listing, to provide the most value and elevate your job board’s reputation and visibility on Google, we recommend providing SEO-optimization as an additional paid feature or free service – it helps you attract more companies and applicants Here are the top SEO best practices for job posts: Write for the applicant – Focus less on SEO on the onset and more on your target audience. Be sure you’re creating messaging that will attract the right people. Add relevant SEO keywords and phrases – Include these keywords and phrases in your URL, job post title, first paragraph, and metadescription. Optimize URL – Make sure your URL is relevant to the job post content and is short. Include your primary target keyword, but don’t include any numbers or special characters. Optimize metadescription – Make your metadescription brief and enticing. Be sure to include your target keyword and put the most important information first. Optimize for mobile – 92% of internet users are accessing the web through mobile devices, so make sure your job board works well for phones, tablets, etc. 10. Share your job board To maximize your impact, be sure to share your job board among different channels to attract the right kind of traffic. Website/Blog – Create a blog for your job board that focuses on its features and benefits. You may even want to create a CTA for your job board on your homepage. Social media – Promote your job board with a social media campaign that includes sharing popular or exclusive job postings. Newsletter – Include a “Featured Jobs” section in your member newsletter or create a job roundup for interested applicants that sign up. Personal network – Post about your new job board and share it among your network via Linkedin or other channels. Press releases – Create a press release for local publications and media outlets to promote your new board. Digital ads – Create in-page ads or promotional banners within your email signature, video content, website, and more. Place ads in relevant publications and websites your members love. Email campaigns – Entice and nurture potential applicants and job posters with an email campaign that focuses on a specific need or top of mind issue and include information about applicable employment opportunities. For example, you could create an email campaign focusing on new graduates and a curated selection of job postings. Elevate Your Organization With a Non-Profit Job Board Job boards can be an easy and cost-effective solution to drive more revenue to your organization while also improving your member experience. They allow you to widen your reach, increase your impact, and attract more members and are worth the investment. Looking for more ways to diversify your organization’s income streams? Check out our ultimate guide to non-dues revenue. Deliver value and generate more income with a comprehensive job board solution that’s made with you and your members in mind. Learn more about Memberclicks Job Board here. Recommended Reading 12 Best Membership Website Builders 9 Member Appreciation Ideas to Retain More Members 30+ Questions to Ask in Your Next Member Needs Assessment 11 Tips for Driving A Better Member Experience