Looking to improve your charity recruitment results without spending more? You’re not alone.

With demand for services rising and competition for values-driven candidates increasing, many UK charities and other non-profit organisations are rethinking how they attract and hire talent.

According to the CIPD’s 2024 Resourcing and Talent Planning report, non-profits spend significantly less on hiring than other sectors, with average cost-per-hire up to 70% lower than in the private sector. However, while the sector leads the way in lean, efficient hiring, it still faces the greatest difficulty in competing on pay and benefits.

In this blog, we share 8 practical tips to help you boost candidate quality, reduce time-to-hire, and make recruitment budgets work harder, all contributing to a more effective charity recruitment marketing strategy.

1. Focus on the practicalities first

Did you know? Job ads that include salary information receive up to 36% more applications than those that don’t (Appcast, 2023)

It’s tempting to lead with your mission – and it certainly matters. But in today’s job market, candidates scan for practical details first: salary, location, benefits, flexibility, and skills fit. Being upfront about what the job involves and what’s in it for the candidate can help reduce the number of poor-quality applications.

Top 3 Tips:

Lead with essentials

· What’s the salary?

· What other benefits are there?

· What are the hours, contract type, and location?

· What kind of flexibility does the organisation offer?

· Are there specific conditions or emotional demands (e.g. lone working, crisis support)?

Be clear, not generic

· Be 100% clear on role responsibilities and the skills required.

· Replace vague phrases (‘must be passionate’) with specifics (‘experience of supporting people with housing needs’).

· Outline what support and training you provide – show that you value your staff as much as the cause.

Balance purpose and realism

· Once the basics are covered, explain how the role supports your mission.

· Clarity + purpose = stronger interest.

Try this:

Before posting your next job ad, ask:

· Does the first paragraph answer ‘Would I apply for this?’

· Have I shown salary, benefits, and role demands clearly?

· Is the mission statement strong, but not the first thing a candidate sees?

Key takeaway:

Mission matters – but practical info gets people reading in the first place. Lead with what candidates care about first, then connect it to your cause.

If you do nothing else:

Rewrite the top 4 lines of your job ad to include salary, benefits, hours, and key responsibilities. Then link to a short paragraph that shows how the role contributes to your mission.

2. Rethink your media mix

Job boards aren’t one-size-fits-all, and neither is your audience. Yet many charity job ads get posted on the same platforms, regardless of the role (‘because we always use CharityJob’>). The smarter approach? Treat each vacancy like its own campaign. Choose advertising channels based on the type of job and who you’re trying to reach.

Examples:

· Support roles in healthcare or social care? Generalist and local job boards often work best.

· Policy, fundraising or technical roles? LinkedIn or sector-specific networks can outperform other channels.

· Advocacy jobs? Tap into your supporters and online networks that support your cause.

· Environmental jobs? Look at adding one or more specialist job boards dedicated to this area.

· Board-level and trustee positions? Pin-point targeting and creative ads really help.

Mixing channels by role type – and tracking what works – helps improve candidate quality and reduce wasted spend.

3. Avoid application drop off

Accessibility and ease of application aren’t just nice to have – they’re essential to successful charity sector recruitment.

If your process is clunky or unclear, great applicants will drop out. That includes candidates from under-represented groups, those applying on mobile, and people with access needs.

Best practices to reduce friction:

· Mobile-optimised application forms

· Clear instructions, short steps, no unnecessary accounts

· Use plain English (other languages are available!) and inclusive language

For all non-profit recruitment campaigns – across education, faith, health or heritage – inclusive processes help widen your talent pool and improve engagement.

4. Use your people as advocates, not just employees

Charity staff and volunteers don’t just support your mission – they embody it. Their networks, voices and experiences can be powerful recruitment tools.

Encourage your team to:

· Share job adverts on LinkedIn, WhatsApp, or by email

· Refer contacts they believe would be a great fit

· Speak positively and honestly about working with you

Employee referrals can improve offer acceptance rates and speed up hiring, both critical in a competitive recruitment market. According to Care England, charities can fill between 15% and 30% of their roles each year by using an employee referral platform.

5. Turn your website into a candidate magnet

Before they apply, most job seekers will visit your website. Despite this, many charities still don’t have dedicated careers pages, or if they do, careers content is buried or left untouched and out of date.

Quick wins for charity recruitment teams:

· Make your ‘Work with us’ link prominent

· Include videos, photos, or quotes from your staff and volunteers · Outline what candidates can expect from the process using FAQS.

· Offer pages for different audiences – e.g. volunteers, graduates, internal applicants

· Make sure people can view and use your careers pages easily on their phones

The CIPD reports 38% of organisations found their careers website to be an effective attraction method, and non-profits were more likely than private sector employers to rate their own site as effective

Your website just needs relevant, well-structured content that reflects who you are. It’s one of the most cost-effective tools in a charity recruitment kit.

 

6. Refresh your employer brand for today’s candidates

Job seekers today aren’t just looking for a job – they’re looking for purpose, flexibility, and an organisation they can trust. Your employer brand is how you show what it’s really like to work for you, and why someone should choose your charity over another.

A strong employer brand can be the difference between getting high-quality applicants and none at all. Simple ways to refresh it:

· Use real staff stories, not stock photos

· Talk openly about your values and work culture

· Highlight flexible working, training or wellbeing support

· Make sure your tone of voice is consistent across job ads, social media and your website

· Shout about the benefits your organisation offers

In a crowded charity recruitment market, how you show up as an employer really matters – especially when you’re competing with better-resourced organisations.

7. Repurpose content and templates to save time

When budgets are tight and recruiting teams are small, ‘reuse’ is your friend.

You can:

· Recycle job specs and personalise them

· Use design templates to keep branding consistent

· Include staff quotes or ‘day in the life’ content from your careers pages in to ads

If your organisation runs multiple services – say housing + advocacy or education + support – a consistent recruitment style helps build trust and brand recognition, even across varied roles.

8. Track your recruitment performance – and act on it

Charities often track impact, finance, and fundraising data in detail, but recruitment performance is still overlooked.

You don’t need a full HR analytics system to start measuring what matters.

Look at:

· Where your applicants come from

· How long does it take to fill

· Cost-per-hire

· Drop-off points in the process

Only 27% of non-profits track recruitment ROI or metrics, according to Nonprofit HR. Data helps you make smarter decisions, especially when resources are tight. Whether you track manually or through an applicant tracking system like Webrecruit ATS, knowing what works is the foundation of a more efficient hiring process.

Final thought

Smarter recruitment doesn’t mean spending less – it means spending better.

By tailoring your messaging, choosing the right channels, removing barriers, and tracking what works, you can build a more committed, mission-aligned team, without a bigger budget.

Whether you’re focused on charity sector recruitment or broader not-for-profit hiring, the goal isn’t doing more. It’s doing what works, better.

Find out more about Webrecruit’s Charity recruitment solutions here