Olivia Belle, Help the Hospices Communications on a shoestring conference www.charitycomms.org.uk/events

1. Communications
on a Shoestring
Conference
27 June, 2012, London
#shoestringcomms

2. Making the case for
communications

3. Common complaints
Everyone thinks they
are communications There’s a lack of joined
experts up thinking
there is less money
They don’t understand
what we do
We’re involved too late – once
Communications
decisions have been made isn’t seen as
essential as
operations or
fundraising

4. Recurring themes
• Communications not valued
• No credit to the specialist skills and knowledge
• Lack resources to make a big impact
• Impact of recession
• Lack of support or understanding
• Lack of co-operation
• Lack of strategic planning
• A focus on the short term
Charitycomms benchmark survey 2012, Amazon PR Get heard report 2011,
Media Trust Marketing and Communications Needs of Charities 2009

5. Top 125 charity brands
Charity brand index 2011 Third Sector / PR Week

8. Do what you do best…
• Know your organisation strategy
• Understand your audience
• Develop your case for support
• Sell it in
• Monitor, evaluate, feedback
• Listen, adapt and evolve

9. Know your strategy

10. Understand your audience

11. Develop
your
case for
support
Photo: Garry Knight

12. Sell it in

13. And do it all…
• Monitor, evaluate and feedback
• Listen, adapt and evolve

14. Olivia Belle, Help the Hospices
o.belle@helpthehospices.org.uk