Recruitment in Times of Pressure: How to Appoint Confidently
1 April 2026 / Ryan Keirnan
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Across the third sector, many organisations are operating within challenging financial conditions. Funding uncertainty, rising operational costs and increased demand for services mean CEOs and their senior teams are carefully evaluating every spending decision.
In this environment, recruitment can feel particularly difficult. However, delaying or avoiding key appointments can sometimes create greater risk than making them.
The Cost of Waiting
When organisations face financial pressure, recruitment pauses are often considered. While understandable, extended vacancies can create operational strain:
• Existing staff absorb additional responsibilities
• Strategic initiatives stall
• Decision-making slows
• Burnout risks increase
Over time, extended vacancies can strain service quality and organisational resilience.
Strategic Hiring
Rather than asking whether to recruit, many organisations benefit from reframing the question:
What role is most critical to our future stability?
Certain positions directly influence sustainability, including:
• Fundraising leadership
• Finance and governance roles
• Operational leadership positions
• Strategic development posts
In these cases, the right appointment can actively strengthen financial stability rather than threaten it.
Rethinking Role Design
Periods of financial pressure can also create an opportunity to rethink role design. CEOs and senior teams may consider:
• Combining responsibilities differently
• Creating hybrid strategic/operational roles
• Adjusting senior team structures
• Exploring phased recruitment approaches
Sometimes the answer is not postponing recruitment, but structuring roles differently to reflect current priorities.
Interim vs Permanent
Interim appointments offer flexibility and rapid leadership support during periods of transition or uncertainty. They can be particularly valuable when organisations need to maintain momentum while reviewing structures or testing new ways of working.
Permanent appointments, on the other hand, provide stability and continuity when long-term strategic leadership is required. In practice, some organisations use a combination: an interim leader to guide the organisation through change, followed by a permanent appointment once the role and priorities are fully defined.
Both approaches are tools to strengthen governance, maintain operational effectiveness, and support long-term sustainability. The right choice depends on the organisation’s current needs and future ambitions.
Transparency with Candidates
Candidates understand the financial realities facing charities. In fact, transparency can strengthen trust during recruitment conversations. When organisations clearly communicate their context, priorities and ambitions, candidates are better able to assess alignment.
Strong candidates are often drawn to organisations that are honest about both challenges and opportunities.
Confidence Through Clarity
Recruitment during uncertain times requires clarity around three things:
• The organisation’s strategic priorities
• The leadership capability required to achieve them
• The support structures available to the successful candidate
When these elements are well defined, recruitment decisions can be approached with greater confidence.
Looking Ahead
Financial pressure is not new to the third sector. What distinguishes resilient organisations is their ability to continue making thoughtful, forward-looking decisions during uncertain periods. Leadership appointments are one of those decisions.
Handled well, recruitment can strengthen governance, improve operational effectiveness and position organisations more strongly for the future.
At BTA, we support charities and not-for-profits to navigate recruitment with confidence, particularly in times of financial pressure. Our approach is built around understanding an organisation’s strategic priorities and ensuring every appointment contributes to long-term sustainability.
We work closely with boards and senior teams to:
• Define the leadership capability required to meet current and future challenges
• Shape roles and structures that reflect financial realities
• Advise on interim versus permanent solutions
• Deliver recruitment processes that attract high-quality, values-aligned candidates
Our experience across the third sector means we understand the balance between financial caution and the need to invest in the right people at the right time.
If you are reviewing your structure, considering a key appointment, or simply want a sounding board, we would be happy to have an initial, informal conversation.
