Charity Trust Hiring Checklist: Fix stalled roles in 7 days

Summary: Most applications land in days 1–7. Use this checklist to keep momentum, improve candidate quality, and decide which boards to keep/stop/shift.

Pair it with our full playbook: https://ecruit.com/blog/trust-hiring-playbook-charity-edition/

Pre-launch (do this before posting)

• Show salary and flexibility in the first two lines of the ad.

• Pick a role-specific board mix (1 sector + 1–2 generalists + optional regional/community).

• Add 2–3 screening questions (eligibility, essential skill, short scenario).

• Turn on UTM tracking and notifications; set a 48-hour check-in.

Day 1 — Go live

• Publish across chosen boards; double-check title/category match.

• Confirm screening auto-tags (Yes/No/Maybe) are working.

• Put a 15-minute shortlist review with the hiring manager on the calendar for Day 6.

Day 2 — First checks

• Clicks low? Change title and first two lines; check you’re in the right board/category.

• Clicks high, applies low? Reduce apply friction; ensure salary is visible.

• Applies OK, quality low? Tighten screening; move “nice-to-haves” out of the must-have list.

Day 4 — Refresh & reallocate

• Refresh the best-performing source (small title tweak works).

• Shift attention/budget to sources that deliver qualified candidates.

Day 6–7 — Batch shortlist & comms

• Shortlist in one batch; send courteous updates to all applicants.

• If quality is still weak: add one knockout question and consider adding a regional/community board.

Screening question bank (copy/paste)

1. Eligibility: Do you have the right to work in the UK? (Yes/No)

2. Essential skill: Which customer relationship management systems have you used, and for how long?

3. Scenario (short): You must prioritise three competing requests from service leads by Friday. How do you triage?

Ad copy opener (template)

“Your work will enable {mission impact} for {beneficiaries} by {how the role contributes}. In your first 90 days you will {specific outcome}.”

Board-mix cheatsheet (start here, then tailor)

• Fundraising & Development: sector fundraising board + 1 generalist (+ regional if local)

• Comms/Marketing & Digital: sector comms/digital + 1 generalist (+ alumni/early-career if needed)

• Service Delivery / Advice / Outreach: sector frontline + regional/community

• Social Care / Support / Youth: social-care board + local authority portal + 1 generalist

• HR / Finance / Ops: 1–2 generalists; profession boards for qualified roles

• IT / Data / CRM: generalist + tech-focused board (+ networking for senior/rare skills)

One-page weekly report (paste this table)

Role: {Title} | Region: {Area} | Week ending: {Date}

Time-to-first-qualified: {e.g., 48 hours}
Decisions: Keep / Stop / Shift
Next actions (3 bullets): Update title/meta on B → add scenario screen → manager shortlist review.

Need a role-specific board mix? We’ll map it in 10 minutes and share a week-one plan you can run immediately — or we’ll run it for you as a fixed-price pilot.

Book a quick slot with one of our team.