An open letter to the UK charity sector.
I don’t write many posts like this. But after 30 years in recruitment I think it’s time to say something directly to the people I exist to serve.
I want to talk about recruitment. Not to sell you something. Just to say what I think needs saying.
You are operating in the hardest environment the sector has faced in a generation. Rising demand. Falling funding. Boards under pressure. And in the middle of all of that, you still have to find and hire the right people — the fundraisers, the leaders, the specialists — who will help you do more with less and build something that lasts.
And then you encounter the recruitment industry.
Where fees are calculated as a percentage of salary, so the invoice grows whether the work does or not. Where you hand over a brief and wonder what’s actually happening. Where the person who sold you the service passes it to someone junior the moment the contract is signed. Where the guarantee period is six weeks, sliding, and written in a font you need a magnifying glass to read.
I don’t think that’s good enough for you. And I don’t think you should accept it.
So here is what I believe.
I believe that every pound a charity spends outside of frontline services has to be justifiable. To the board. To the trustees. To the people your organisation exists to serve. That means no surprises. No percentages that shift with the salary negotiation. No invoices that land differently to how they were described.
I believe the best candidates — the ones who will actually move the dial for your organisation — are not browsing job boards. They are in post, doing good work for another charity, and not thinking about moving. Reaching them takes time, skill and a genuine understanding of your cause. It cannot be done by firing CVs at you from a database.
I believe the work is the same regardless of what the role pays. The market mapping, the outreach, the interviews, the reports, the shortlist — identical whether the salary is £35,000 or £75,000. So I charge a fixed fee of £4,000. That is it. No percentage. No hidden costs. You know the number before you say yes.
I believe that if I place someone with you and they leave within six months, that is my responsibility. So I will do the whole search again at no cost. Not a partial rebate. Not a credit note. A full replacement search, because the appointment is only a success if it works.
I believe in doing fewer things properly. I limit myself to two or three searches at any one time so that every organisation I work with gets my full attention, from the first conversation to the final offer. You will not be handed to a resourcer. You will not be one of fifteen live briefs on a spreadsheet.
And I believe the sector deserves a recruiter who is built around its values, not just serving them. So I operate as a not for profit. I cover my costs and my time. Nothing more.
I am not a big agency. I am not number one in the market.
But in 30 years of recruitment I have learned one thing with absolute certainty. Not being the biggest means you try harder. Every brief. Every search. Every single time.
Recently I completed two Chief Executive appointments for charities — both within six weeks, both through a full market search, both at a fixed fee. The CEOs are in post. The organisations are moving forward. That is the only measure that matters to me.
I started Raise + Recruit because I wanted to do something genuinely useful with the time and skills I have. Not to build a business. Not to chase volume. Just to help.
If your charity is facing a recruitment challenge — a role you cannot fill, a search that hasn’t delivered, a hire that really matters — I would be glad to have an honest conversation about whether I can help.
No obligation. No pitch. Just a conversation.
John Austin Raise + Recruit Built for charities, not for profit raiseandrecruit.org.uk
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