With the Government set to develop a successor to its current strategy for the sector – Sustainable, Inclusive and Empowered Communities – it’s timely to identify a few core objectives for inclusion.
Our latest quarterly analysis of senior-level recruitment in the Irish nonprofit sector presents a more tempered picture of activity when compared to recent upward trends. Following consistent growth across 2024 and into early 2025, our tracking of advertised non-profit roles across various job platforms reveals a year-on-year decline in management-level opportunities, decreasing from 284 roles in Q2 2024 to 250 in Q2 2025.
The number of organisations advertising has also softened slightly, with 186 organisations recruiting in Q2 2025, compared to 197 in the same period last year – a 6% decrease. This indicates a cooling period in senior recruitment activity, potentially reflecting funding pressures or restructuring following earlier expansion phases.
As in previous quarters, a number of organisations advertised their roles anonymously. Of the 186 organisations tracked, 25 were not identifiable, resulting in the below breakdown of 161 known organisations by subsector.
Roles by Subsector:
Social Services remains the most prominent subsector, representing 25% of known advertising organisations in Q2. Although this is a decrease from 33% in Q1, it continues to reflect strong demand for leadership in service delivery, while also suggesting a gradual diversification of hiring activity across other subsectors.
Health (19%) and Local Development & Housing (14%) continue to be significant recruitment areas. While the latter experienced a decline in roles in earlier quarters, its steady organisational presence points to sustained structural demand, particularly in response to national housing and community needs.
Building on our classification improvements in Q1, the growth of Recreation & Sport in this quarter’s data, now accounting for 9% of organisations, confirms the sector’s momentum and demand for sports leadership talent.
Conversely, the International subsector continues to decline, with just 11 roles recorded, a 42% drop from Q2 2024. This aligns with ongoing reductions in international development funding, including cuts from USAID, with longer-term impact reflected in reduced hiring, programme consolidation, and organisational restructuring.
Service Delivery & Operational Management remains the most in-demand function, accounting for 41% of all roles advertised in Q2 2025. While this represents a modest decline from 47% in Q2 2024, it reinforces the continued prioritisation of programme delivery and frontline service leadership across the sector.
A particularly noteworthy shift is the increase in Fundraising & Business Development roles, rising from 10% to 18% of advertised roles, year-on-year. This trend indicates that organisations are placing a renewed focus on income generation, likely in response to funding uncertainty and the need to diversify revenue streams. This rise may also reflect higher turnover within fundraising functions, with fundraisers are navigating an increasingly challenging fundraising landscape in a space where median tenures already tend to be shorter.
The proportion of CEO roles has doubled, moving from 6% in Q2 2024 to 12% this year, suggesting greater movement at the executive level than in previous quarters. This also reflects a need for succession planning and strategic renewal within organisations who rely heavily on long-standing CEOs. This contrasts with trends seen in late 2024, where CEO recruitment was subdued.
Data regarding income was available for 139 of the 186 organisations, as those who advertised anonymously or did not disclose their income (47 organisations) were excluded.
Of the remaining 139:
This distribution aligns with patterns observed in previous quarters, highlighting a broad mix of organisation sizes engaging in senior recruitment. While the majority fall within the €1 million to €10 million income range, the data shows that larger organisations continue to dominate leadership hiring, suggesting they may have greater capacity to invest in senior talent acquisition.
Q2 2025 reflects a slight slowdown in nonprofit recruitment activity, with fewer roles and organisations participating compared to the same period last year. However, shifts in functional demand, particularly in leadership and fundraising, point to evolving sector priorities. Growth in areas such as health and sport, alongside reduced activity in international and finance roles, highlights a rebalancing of focus across subsectors.
Overall, while activity has softened, demand for senior talent remains strong and multifaceted, with organisations responding to a changing funding environment, evolving societal needs, and strategic growth ambitions.
Our Talent Management Team monitors senior hiring across the nonprofit sector and publishes quarterly insights. To explore previous Nonprofit Talent Trends Reports, visit our Talent Insights page. For more information, contact Shannon Barrett, Head of Talent Services, at Shannon.barrett@2into3.com.
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A New Ice Age:
2into3 Client, Prime Arena Holdings Ltd today announces reaching agreement for the acquisition of an 8.14 acre site in Cherrywood, South Dublin for the development of Ireland’s first dedicated winter sports and entertainment arena – a major new venue that will transform Ireland’s sporting and cultural landscape.
Planning documentation for the €190m development is scheduled to be submitted by September 2025 for this state-of-the-art, multi-purpose arena which will become the home of Dublin’s first professional ice hockey franchise; as well as serve as a national hub for winter sports, major concerts, international exhibitions, and corporate events.
Located within the Cherrywood Strategic Development Zone and with seamless transport connectivity via Luas, Dublin Bus, M50, and M11, the venue is projected to generate socio-economic impact of over €230 million annually, becoming a landmark destination for fans, families, and businesses alike.
A Home for Winter Sports – and Dublin’s first Professional Ice Hockey Franchise
For the first time, Ireland will have a permanent base for Olympic-standard winter sports, supported by the Olympic Federation of Ireland. Dublin is currently the only capital city in Northern Europe without a permanent ice sport centre. The facility will include:
● Two full-sized Olympic ice rinks;
● A 5,000-seat (8,000 standing) indoor arena;
● A high-performance training centre for elite athletes; and
● A permanent home for Dublin’s first professional ice hockey franchise, with the exclusive franchise to compete in the UK Elite Ice Hockey League and European competitions – alongside the highly successful Belfast Giants franchise.
Culture, Concerts and Conferences
The Arena is designed for far more than sport. With projected capacity to host between 50-70 events annually in partnership with global promoters, it will provide Ireland with a mid-tier venue tailored to international-scale performances, tours, and exhibitions.
As a conference and gala venue, it will accommodate up to 1,500 seated guests, adding 200,000 hotel bed nights per year, and addressing a long-standing capacity gap from the business events industry, valued at USD 2.8 trillion globally.
A National Asset
The Arena will deliver social, economic, and cultural benefits for Dublin and Ireland:
● Local Jobs & Economic Growth: Nearly 400 direct jobs during construction and over 1,600 jobs supported annually, with 80 full-time positions related to ice-based activities.
● Community Access: Year-round public skating, school and youth group programmes, and adaptive winter sports opportunities, with over 1 million projected annual visits.
● Tourism Magnet for North American and European touring sports: The Arena will open Ireland up for hosting major indoor sporting events including NHL, NBA and ATP / WTA Tennis
● Sustainability: Cutting-edge design with carbon reduction goals and potential for shared district heating
“A defining moment.”
“This is a defining moment for Ireland – a bold statement of what we can achieve when ambition meets collaboration,” said Dermot Rigley, CEO of Prime Arena Holdings. “Since 2021, we’ve been working quietly but relentlessly with an incredible team to bring this vision to life – and today, we’re proud to finally share it with the Irish public. With the support of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council and Hines, we’re building more than an arena – we’re creating a national landmark that will open up winter sports to every corner of Irish society, empower our athletes, and give Ireland the platform it deserves to host world-class events.”
Tom Kennedy, Chairman of Prime Arena Holdings added, “This isn’t just an investment in infrastructure – it’s a legacy for generations. We are deeply grateful to our incredible investor group and project team, whose belief and commitment have made this moment possible.”
Jim O’Leary, Cathaoirleach of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council said, “I am delighted to welcome this announcement for Ireland’s first dedicated winter sports and entertainment arena earmarked for development in our new town of Cherrywood. This transformational arena will contribute significantly to our corporate goals in realising our sports, tourism and cultural ambitions and in supporting further economic growth and opportunities in our County for all who live, work and visit Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown and the wider region.”
The development is made possible through collaboration with Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council and Prime Arena Holdings has worked extensively with national sporting bodies, tourism agencies, industry partners and event promoters, including Fáilte Ireland, the Olympic Federation of Ireland, and the Elite Ice Hockey League.
For more details, please visit: https://www.primearenaholdings.com/
