RNID, the charity for deaf and hard-of-hearing people, disagrees with the comments made in your ‘Charity begins at home’ feature (Personnel Today, 31 October) that charity HR departments are small, pay is low, do not attract the best people, and have limited training budgets. While this may well be the case for some smaller charities, this is certainly not applicable to the sector as a whole.
Our HR approach focuses heavily on investment in staff and training. We seek to employ people who will grow into their roles and develop new skills and competencies, while tackling significant and interesting challenges. This is reflected in the high level of experienced, skilled employees who work in the sector, and the increasing numbers who would like to work in the sector. This also applies to HR staff.
RNID is not unique in doing this – although we are fortunate that, as a larger charity, we are able to provide a broader range of opportunities. However, for all charities, HR delivers under the same pressures as equivalent departments in the public and private sectors.
We would encourage anyone wishing to pursue a career in HR in the not-for-profit sector to research prospective organisations to find out about the approach of HR and the organisation as a whole, and not to be discouraged by negative comments from people about charity HR.
Vicky Hemming
Executive director, HR, RNID
