AI vs. Human: Nonprofit Hiring Practices in 2025

What happens when artificial intelligence collides with nonprofit hiring? Katie Warnock, CEO and Founder of Staffing Boutique, brings over two decades of recruitment wisdom to unpack the evolving world of nonprofit staffing—where AI, automation, and applicant tracking systems are rapidly reshaping the game.

From resume reviews to video interviews scored by machines, Katie walks us through what’s real, what’s useful, and what still absolutely needs a human touch. She describes AI as a powerful tool—but not a one-size-fits-all solution.

She shares how AI can now instantly generate candidate pipelines, automate scheduling, and send emails with the ease of a few clicks. But for seasoned recruiters like Katie, there's hesitation: trust and nuance still matter. And for organizations hiring in the nonprofit space, personality and mission alignment can't be faked—no matter how good your chatbot is.

This episode also explores the do’s and don’ts of keyword optimization, especially for nonprofit resumes. Katie gets specific about how grant writers, development staff, and even tech candidates should tailor their resumes for today’s smart hiring systems. Generic titles like “fundraiser” or “event planner”? Not enough. Think: gala, silent auction, CRM platform, institutional giving.

But perhaps most eye-opening is Katie’s reflection on the new loop: AI-powered interviews are becoming so common that some candidates now use AI to answer questions during the interview—prompting some companies to head back to in-person hiring. “There has to be some sort of reversal,” Katie warns. “How do you even trust that a resume was written by the person who actually did the job?”

This is a refreshingly candid, real-world conversation about modern hiring challenges in the nonprofit sector. You’ll walk away with smarter strategies, tech tools to explore (or avoid), and a renewed appreciation for the irreplaceable value of human connection.

 00:00:00 Welcome and guest introduction
 00:01:20 What Staffing Boutique does
 00:03:50 AI enters nonprofit hiring
 00:04:20 Understanding applicant tracking systems (ATS)
 00:05:50 AI vs. human recruitment skills
 00:07:00 Automating interviews and follow-ups
 00:09:00 Why resume keywords matter
 00:12:00 AI video interviews and ethics
 00:14:45 Human touch vs. automation
 00:17:30 LinkedIn Recruiter and candidate scoring
 00:20:40 How AI tools can fake resumes
 00:23:40 The case for returning to in-person hiring
 00:27:00 Final thoughts and sector outlook 

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