Helping the NSPCC recruit the right people to deliver its vital work

The NSPCC, is one of the UK’s most highly regarded charities. Over the past five years alone, they’ve helped make 6.6m children safer.

But NSPCC faced challenges with post-pandemic recruitment and volunteer engagement. Fierce competition for specialised roles and the impact of the cost-of-living crisis heightened the pressure on existing teams, jeopardising critical services.

And a drop-off during the application process further complicated matters. This case study explores how we helped NSPCC tackle these challenges by digitally articulating what makes working at NSPCC distinctive and creating a seamless application journey.

The challenge

Our task was to precisely identify what sets working at the NSPCC apart, both within the charity sector and more broadly. We’d then need to express this digitally.

If executed successfully, this would not only draw in the right candidates but also streamline and simplify their application journey.

The solution

Understanding the moments that matter

We conducted internal research to identify the unique aspects that attract people to NSPCC and mapped the ‘moments of truth’ in recruitment, onboarding, and day-to-day interactions.

Our research allowed us to create personas, user journeys, and a revised website architecture.

Driving traffic to careers pages

Identifying core content, we developed engaging materials for various application stages. These included a film featuring CEO Sir Peter Wanless, a creative platform focusing on positive change, an emotive call-to-apply film, and employee and volunteer stories.

Developing a content strategy and architecture

Transparently showcasing what it takes to be an NSPCC person, the content strategy redefined the website architecture. We highlighted individual directorates and volunteer types, emphasising their culture, entry requirements, and opportunities.

Designing a candidate roadmap

Simplifying the user journey, a candidate roadmap infographic guided users through the application process while providing insights into NSPCC’s culture, values, and benefits. The goal was to encourage high-quality applications and manage candidate expectations.

The results

The project, launched in a phased approach over the summer of 2023, has been a huge success.

Despite economic challenges, the initiative delivered phenomenal initial results, earning the NSPCC Project team a nomination for an internal award.

217% increase in careers website users

562% increase in applications started

517% increase in applications completed

580% in applications per vacancy

Bounce rate down 27%

The impact has been immediate, and as the creative is fully rolled out across the NSPCC digital ecosystem, the project is expected to make an even more significant difference in the coming months.

Got a project? Let’s talk

We’d love to hear more about where your organisation is heading, and chat about how we can bring your culture to life to drive attraction, engagement and inclusion.

Get in touch.

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