Annie Hayes at Third Sector Jobs shares advice on how to ensure charitable organisations put employer branding at the fore in a post pandemic world.
Fundraising has taken a hit during the pandemic with many events cancelled due to Covid-19 restrictions. As lockdowns and rules ease, many charities that rely on donations are working harder than ever to make up for lost time and having the right employees and volunteers to help has never been more important.
Getting the message across about why it’s great to work for your charity is crucial to the outcome of fundraising. Here are some tips on how to get your employer branding pitch perfect:
Connect with the cause
For many third sector employees and volunteers, working for the charity is about the personal rewards of contributing to a cause that they identify with. Renewed messaging post-pandemic about who the charity sets to serve, why it exists and any new beneficiaries that may have occurred due to recent times, is a great way of positioning the charity for all the great work that it does and its fresh ambitions for the future.
New fundraising
With renewed hopes for more events and fundraising occasions to occur, including marathons, coffee mornings and other sporting challenges, it’s important to share stories of success. Podcasts, videos, social media posts and Q&As with existing employees, are all great ways of reminding the world about the cause and all the new ideas and opportunities there are to work with the charity and fundraise for it.
Share the perks
Employees within the third sector will primarily be engaged with the cause but that in itself may not be enough. Does the charity offer favourable parental leave? Are there benefits that go above and beyond the statutory allowances? What’s the pension scheme like? Are there significant career paths in place and ways to extend and challenge key talent? What is the culture like? Is hybrid and agile working going to stay in place post-pandemic? Is remote working still available? Share, tweet and communicate the story of these benefits not only on the charity’s social media channels but on partner ones too.
Research internally
No one will ‘walk the talk’ better than your existing employees. Be mindful that they are the ones telling their friends and family what it’s like to work at the charity. Gathering data about existing perceptions is an important part of understanding what is working well, which elements employees identify with and appreciate and what can be improved. Ideas of what employees and volunteers value may have altered during the pandemic and it’s important therefore to check in with a breadth of age and ethnicity demographics to be truly representative of views across the charity as COVID-19 related restrictions ease.
Hire like a boss
Don’t feel like you can’t deploy the recruitment strategies of private businesses. Using carefully crafted avenues that eliminate biases and evaluate and assess without prejudice, is an important part of ensuring the employer brand is robust and respected.
Organisations that can tap into and share their own stories and identify with renewed vigour the reasons why the charity is a great place to work, will benefit from a promoted employer brand that will ensure the right fundraisers and charity workers are on board in a post-pandemic world.
Learn how to rethink your employer brand in this downloadable e-book: Employer Branding Reboot: A guide for employers throughout the pandemic and beyond
Talk to us about how Third Sector can help you build and communicate your employer brand or recruitment marketing to the charity sector. Email to discuss your needs and bespoke special packages.