A tight budget, low on resources and a campaign to deliver – a normal day in the life of a charity comms team. Over my ten years in the charity sector I’ve had many sleepless nights wondering how I’m going to pull the rabbit out of the hat and create an attention-grabbing campaign to raise awareness and ultimately bring in vital funds.
In charities we’re effectively trying to work ourselves out of a job. We’re trying to make our vision a reality and change the world or fight an injustice. The pressure is really on when you can only keep helping people and making a difference to your cause if others continue to support and donate.
We’re constantly seeing incredible campaigns in the sector, such as Child Bereavement UK’s ‘One more minute’, ‘Smear for Smear’ from Jo’s cervical cancer trust and Stonewall’s ‘Come out for LGBT’ to name just three. So there’s nothing like your fundraising director asking “what’s our equivalent?” to bring you out in a cold sweat.
My time in the charity sector has forced me to be the most creative, daring and resourceful I’ve ever had to be. You also need to think cleverly about your spend and where it’s going to have the most impact. When you’re spending money raised by beneficiaries it’s got to be right.
How we make the Difference to charity comms teams
You’re so entrenched in a topic it’s sometimes hard to see the wood for the trees. It’s a crowded marketplace, so it’s difficult to develop that cut-through narrative that will make you stand out. I’ve always found that getting some outside perspective really helps. Often you need someone who can give some external expertise and help you see that bigger picture. That’s where The Difference Collective comes in.
From strategic counsel to helping you out of a tough spot with extra resource – The Difference Collective can be your life support when you need it. In a unique turn it on, turn it off approach, you only pay for what you need, when you need it. So you can dial it up when you’ve got a campaign approaching or need that extra pair of hands, and simply dial it down when it’s no longer needed, which is a cost-effective solution.
We’re made up of over 50 top-notch experts – we’ve got journalists, copywriters, brand experts, creative whizzes and much more. It’s a diverse and eclectic mix. Our people know charities inside out and we’re all senior specialists, so you’ll never get someone junior. That means we can get it right first-time. We offer discounts to charities and can get the job done quickly with excellent results.
Whether it’s your comms strategy, a compelling narrative or you need to parachute someone in to create a media buzz, there’s someone at The Difference Collective who can help. We make your budget go further because we work as a virtual collective, meaning we’ve cut out typical agency overheads. Consequently when you spend those precious funds on comms with the Collective, you can be sure the results will pack a punch.
Find out more in our charity credentials and send us an email to chat to us about how we can make The Difference for your charity – elspeth.massey@thedifferencecollective.com.
