Nyitott
Hiányzó Láncszem Alapítvány
Designing a recruitment and selection system for an expert team
Help the Missing Link Foundation (Hiányzó Láncszem Alapítvány) define which professionals it needs for the specialist programmes at its house in Gagybátor, then design and launch the right offer, recruitment and selection process.
The Missing Link Foundation works with children and families living in deep poverty in Gagybátor to bring them closer to the opportunities they need to participate in society, learn and get on in the world beyond the village. Over seven years the organisation has built a stable relationship with the local community: it runs joint Saturday programmes every month, and organises development sessions, city visits and a summer camp. The work is volunteer-based: two people coordinate the organisation, supported by a circle of 10–15 volunteers. In recent years it has built strong trust in the village, and the organisation now has its own house. The next step is to fill this space with regular, high-quality professional activities and to strengthen the hands-on professional team behind its “Margaréta model”.
What kind of pro bono support are we looking for?
We are looking for an HR, recruitment, talent acquisition or nonprofit organisational development expert to help the Missing Link Foundation attract the professionals needed for the specialist programmes at its Gagybátor house. The organisation already has the trust of the local community, a volunteer team, its own house and the concept of the “Margaréta model”, but it is not yet clear exactly which professional profiles are needed, what it can and should offer these professionals, where they can be reached, and how to run a selection process that supports both professional quality and longer-term commitment. So the project is not simply about writing a job ad: it runs from clarifying the roles needed, through the offer package and sourcing channels, to completing the first round of recruitment and selection. The ultimate goal is for the organisation to have a repeatable recruitment system and, by the end of the first round, to be able to make well-founded decisions about at least three strong, professionally suitable candidates or selected experts.
Application requirements and participation details
What professional knowledge is required?
Recruitment and selection, talent acquisition, developing competency and role profiles, drafting job and collaboration offers, employer/volunteer value proposition, sourcing channels and direct outreach, candidate assessment criteria, structured interviews, designing selection processes, building HR processes for small organisations or nonprofits, motivation and retention considerations.
What level of expertise is expected?
Experienced – An HR or recruitment expert who can independently build a recruitment process from clarifying role needs to the first selection decisions. They should be able to balance market realities with the nonprofit’s limited resources, and not just find candidates but also help create an attractive and credible collaboration offer.
What experience is an advantage?
Recruiting professionals in social work, education, child protection, community development or healthcare; the staffing challenges of rural or disadvantaged areas; HR in nonprofit or mission-driven organisations; part-time, contract, volunteer or hybrid forms of collaboration; sourcing through professional communities and training institutions.
What soft skills are needed?
Empathy, a sense of realism, good questioning technique, structured thinking, persuasive communication, facilitation, negotiation skills, sensitivity to candidate experience, consistency, and the ability to turn the organisation’s strong social mission into an attractive yet realistic professional offer.
How many people are needed?
1 person
Conditions and expectations
The project can run over a 2-month period. On the organisation’s side, two people can provide a total of about 4 hours per week, and can work with the expert online or in person in Budapest. The project covers defining the professional roles, building the offer and recruitment system, and supporting the first round of active sourcing and selection. It does not include open-ended headhunting, employment law advice, payroll, implementing a full HR system or long-term professional management of the candidates. The specific professional areas and forms of employment need to be clarified in the first phase, based on the Margaréta model, the house’s planned programmes, local needs and funding opportunities. The project aims to reach at least three strong candidates or experts suitable for selection, but given the external candidate market, a specific number of hires cannot be guaranteed on its own.
What tasks do we need pro bono help with?
A brief overview of the planned professional functions of the Gagybátor house and the Margaréta model. Prioritising the professional roles that are really needed: what competencies, form of presence, time commitment and responsibility each activity requires. Drawing up 2–4 primary role profiles with tasks, expected competencies, minimum requirements and form of collaboration. Designing an offer package for professionals: professional value, social impact, working conditions, flexibility, pay or other compensation options, development and community connection. Identifying the most realistic sourcing channels: professional organisations, universities and training institutions, professional groups, direct outreach, job platforms, partner networks. Creating recruitment messages, job ad templates and direct outreach templates. Building a simple selection process with application questions, pre-screening, structured interviews, an assessment matrix and decision points. Supporting the launch of the first recruitment round and the assessment of incoming candidates. The goal is to identify at least three strong, professionally suitable candidates or selected experts, if the candidate market allows. At the end of the process, documenting a repeatable recruitment playbook and next steps.
Our ideal candidate
An experienced recruiter, HR business partner or talent acquisition expert who likes to start by clarifying what roles really involve, and who can design sourcing and selection solutions that work for a small-budget organisation with a strong mission. Knowledge of the labour market for social and helping professions, as well as of nonprofit and hybrid forms of collaboration, is especially valuable.
Why does this matter?
Over seven years, the Missing Link Foundation has built a relationship of trust in Gagybátor that is a rare and hard-to-replicate resource. It now has its own venue where regular professional support can be offered, but a space of trust alone cannot replace the professionals needed. If it manages to involve experts with the right competencies and motivation, the house can become a base not only for community presence but for lasting, high-quality development and support activities.
What does this role offer?
The chance to use your HR and recruitment expertise to bring professional capacity directly to a village that the care system and professionals find hard to reach. Your work can do more than create a recruitment process: it can help the organisation’s own house become a genuine professional hub for local children and families.
The organiser of the Pro Bono programme
Scale Impact connects impact organisations that are able and willing to grow with companies that are keen to support good causes. Funded in part by this corporate support, the nonprofit or social enterprise takes part in a development process that leaves it more resilient and with a clear picture of how to multiply its positive impact.
Our mission is to amplify the social and environmental impact that impact organisations create. We believe in systemic change, built on collaboration between all participants.
If you have any further questions about the programme, feel free to contact us!