At CharityComms we understand that now, more than ever, your communications budgets are under pressure. That’s why, on 5th March 2009, we ran a conference about marketing and communicating on a shoestring.
The event gave delegates plenty of practical tips, great ideas, advice, inspiration and examples of how other charities have used their resources innovatively. For those of you who missed it, here are some of the highlights.
Having a vision
One of the highlights of the day was listening to the inspiring Jane Powell. Powell has won thousands of pounds worth of free adverting for her charity C.A.L.M, including ads on MTV and posters and billboards provided by JCDecaux, Clear Channel and Viacom. Here’s some advice she had for other charities wanting to follow her example:
“You have to be positive. Regardless of how worthy your cause is. No one’s going to care unless you excite them. You have to have a vision: something that people want to buy. You need an idea that looks to the future rather than just looking at the problem you’re trying to address. People like getting involved in things...giving them the opportunity to be involved in something they feel will make a difference is exiting and empowering. “
Achieving anything
Another story of determination and success came from Patrick Cox from the Small Charities Coalition. After a work colleague died from prostate cancer, Cox set up the Male Cancer Awareness Campaign. Within two years of its creation, and with an annual income of just £19,000, it was a runner up in Britain’s Most Admired Charity awards in 2007. So what were his top tips for other small charities?
“Invest in your case studies – they’re your Willy Wonka golden ticket. If you’re trying to get your message out there, they are the best way,” said Cox.
“Also, get a mentor. They give you focus, inspire you and open doors for you. They are also key for networking and introducing you to the right people.
“You can achieve anything with passion, commitment and hard work. If you have these three things, people will support you.”
Getting people involved
ICT expert, Sue Fidler, had plenty of ideas and practical advice, about e-campaigning on a budget.
With the credit crunch we may start to see a rise in the numbers of people cancelling their direct debit donations, Fidler said. She urged delegates to write to those cancelling their direct debits to ask them if they’d like to help in other ways.
Fidler said: “People feel really guilty about cancelling...so give them a variety of other ways to get involved.”
In her session, Fidler covered everything from site optimisation to bulk email systems; if you’d like to read more about this click here.
Go media friendly
In the afternoon plenary session, Ian Leggett, from People & Planet, explained how the student campaigning organisation transformed a simple idea into a national award winning media campaign. Their campaign aim was to make universities more energy efficient.
“This was a considerable challenge given that most universities just didn’t care about this issue,” said Leggett. With a budget of £10,000-£15,000, one intern and one part-time officer, they managed to get substantial funding letters, a national media campaign, and a sector wide carbon reduction strategy. So, what lessons did Leggett learn from the campaign?
“Start with a detailed policy analysis,” he advised. People & Planet had no resources for this task and so convinced a Masters student to convert his research into a policy analysis.
Leggett continued: “Get a top quality media partner” that will influence the influencers. People & Planet got The Times Higher Education Supplement on board. Then the campaign went “stratospheric”.
They made their dry campaigning issue into something more media friendly by introducing the Green Leagues – a play on the traditional university league tables. These introduced competition amongst the universities, but also named and shamed those ignoring their green responsibilities. “Be prepared to use a whole range of campaigning tools,” added Leggett.
People & Planet succeeded in making UK universities greener – 71% have cut their carbon emissions.
If you’d like to see any of the speakers’ presentations, including the sessions not written about here, please click here.