Many charities have professional teams of marketing communications experts who plan, execute and evaluate activities and the impact they have on organisational reputation and income. Budgets are set aside to enhance and reinforce external profile and image and, in those charities large and complex enough to need dedicated internal communications staff, much time, energy and money are spent on ensuring that everyone receives and communicates the same messages to their various audiences.
Alongside all this, recruitment is a key activity across the organisation to seek and engage new staff, volunteers and trustees. Charities face a recurring challenge to attract the right people without spending too much of their hard-won funds on expensive advertising or recruitment agencies. The responsibility often rests with the HR team (in larger charities) or with the line manager. For the most senior posts and in the smallest charities it will be the trustees who play an active part in attracting and selecting the best candidate.
It’s during the recruitment process when inadvertent damage to brand image and reputation can be done. Trustees and staff involved in recruitment need to be sensitive to the effect their behaviour can have on candidates who are poorly treated during the recruitment process. Focussing entirely on the organisational short term need to keep costs down can lead to poor communication which leads to negative impact. Continue reading →