Recruitment Challenges in the Charity Sector

Introduction
As an independent HR consultant working within the charity sector, I regularly see how recruitment challenges can have a lasting impact on culture, performance, and stability. Charities are unique in that they are mission-driven but often operate under significant financial pressures. This means recruitment decisions are sometimes rushed or based on immediate operational needs rather than long-term planning. Research by NCVO shows that turnover in the charity sector is consistently higher than the national average, sitting at around 23% compared with 15% across the wider UK workforce, and poor recruitment practices are a recurring driver of this trend.

Background of the Charity
I was commissioned to work with a medium-sized charity employing around 40 staff, providing essential support to vulnerable individuals. The organisation had recently expanded following multiple contract wins, and vacancies needed to be filled quickly to mobilise services. Recruitment processes, however, had not kept pace with this rapid growth. Job descriptions were outdated or unclear, recruitment training for managers had not been undertaken, and induction processes were inconsistent.

Problem Identified
The consequences of this became apparent quickly. Within six months:

Three employees had their contracts terminated during probation.
Two grievances were raised related to management behaviour and lack of support.
Staff survey data revealed that 42% of employees felt stressed and unsupported, well above the sector benchmark of around 30%.
Sickness absence increased by almost 20%.
Staff began to describe the working environment as "toxic". Morale dropped, productivity suffered, and there was reputational risk if funders began to question service delivery quality.

Strategies and Implementation
My role as an external consultant was to stabilise the situation and redesign the recruitment and onboarding process. Working closely with the senior leadership team, we introduced:

A full review and rewrite of all job descriptions and person specifications.
A competency-based recruitment framework to bring structure and fairness into interviews.
Recruitment training for all those involved in hiring, focusing on equality, diversity, and bias awareness.
A new induction and probation framework built around clear performance milestones, wellbeing check-ins, and shadowing opportunities.
Staff engagement sessions, including both open forums and anonymous surveys, to rebuild trust and capture emerging concerns early.

Results and Evaluation
Within six months of implementation, the charity experienced tangible improvements:

No staff contracts were terminated during probation.
Grievances dropped to zero during that period.
Staff survey results showed that employee satisfaction with management support increased by 22%.
Absence rates stabilised, and managers reported stronger morale and collaboration across teams.
These interventions did not require significant financial investment. Instead, they required structural improvements and a cultural shift towards valuing recruitment as a long-term investment rather than a short-term fix.

As the CEO remarked during the evaluation stage:
"Our biggest learning has been that recruitment sets the tone for everything else. Getting it wrong risked our culture and delivery. But by slowing down and implementing the right processes, we’ve not only protected our staff but also strengthened our ability to deliver on our mission."

From my perspective as a consultant, this case underscores the importance of embedding robust recruitment and induction practices in the charity sector. Too often, recruitment is viewed as an administrative task, when in reality it is a strategic activity that directly impacts organisational health, culture, and performance.