About our Third Sector Team.
Our Third Sector team are experts in building awareness of your cause. Whether reaching new beneficiaries, supporting your fundraising or helping recruit volunteers, our team has the knowledge and passion for creating campaigns that deliver impact. As this year draws close, we can now take stock of the lessons learned. And as we look ahead to 2023, we can start to understand what those lessons mean for the future.
Today, our team will take a look ahead to 2023. In this article, you will read about the challenges we expect to see and suggested tactics to navigate your charity’s route through the year.
LOOKING AHEAD 1 – ‘LIVE’ YOUR EDI EFFORTS – GEORGIA ENTRICAN
Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) is increasingly important to society. Therefore, the Third Sector must be active in ‘living’ EDI efforts – and this reflects delicately in their branding and communications.
Charities, NGOs and not-for-profits should listen to what is essential to their audiences and communities to create. Most importantly, they must maintain an inclusive, accessible, diverse and belonging culture.
To ensure audiences and communities know they are committing to EDI, Third Sector brands should also consider how they can share their lived activity in a respectful and meaningful way. This activity could be divided between both internal and external communications efforts.
They can rely on internal marketing, PR, social media and HR teams to develop complementary ways to communicate EDI commitments. Alternatively they can employ an external PR agency to devise a bespoke EDI comms strategy.
In either case, Third Sector brands must live it before communicating it.
LOOKING AHEAD 2 – CONSIDER CO-PRODUCTION – SOPHIE BASSIL
Whilst co-production is undoubtedly not a ‘tactic’, nor something new, looking ahead to next year, it is a concept that should be a key consideration within PR strategies. Working with people with “lived” experience promotes value and respect whilst ensuring that those affected by a campaign topic contribute to its design.
Launching a PR campaign with insight from community members can help people feel heard and acknowledged as equal participants in the project. Notably, this will support the production of appropriate, relevant, and impactful messaging.
Although awareness campaigns often intend to reach new audiences, this is not a reason to miss out on the opportunity to collaborate with those with lived experience. This collaboration applies whether you are recruiting new donors or aiming to target undiagnosed people suffering in silence. Not only can this reciprocal relationship create a campaign that resonates, but it also represents a brilliant opportunity to increase the reach of a campaign. If people feel involved and listened to, they will be more like to engage and share.
Therefore, co-production shouldn’t be an afterthought or a bolt-on but should be embarked on meaningfully from the start.
LOOKING AHEAD 3 – REACT TO THE COST OF LIVING CRISIS – BETH ROBINSON.
During the pandemic’s peak, many charities suffered financially, with mass fundraising events cancelled and charity shops closed. But, just as we think one crisis is over, we find ourselves on the cusp of another. This cost of living situation can cause more strain on regular household incomes; soaring living prices are also set to impact charities supporting people who struggle to get by.
Whilst demand is increasing, donations are likely to fall. Therefore, fundraising and storytelling remain one of the most important motivators for donors. This means charities need to double down on their fundraising messaging and demonstrate their impact.
To combat this and to ensure charities are front of mind, they must highlight recipients benefiting from their services. This allows the charities to retain trust during the crisis ahead. By showing supporters how they spend their money, charities are giving the public clear expectations that a notably high proportion of the money raised through fundraising goes towards the end cause to make a tangible, positive difference – instead of lining the pockets of the organisation’s top bosses.
Another way many charities can get in front of supporters is by working with influencers and celebrities who synergise with the cause and represent inclusion. Regarding endorsements, the public wishes to see a genuine relationship between a charity and its supporters to get behind and volunteer their time to raise awareness and money.
Something to be mindful of is steering away from big names and opting to work with nano and micro-influencers. These influencers can create more vital trust and loyalty – due to their faithful following and closer relationship with their audience.
Get in touch with our team today.
Have you begun looking ahead to your 2023 campaigns?
If not, our specialist team can help you plan and prepare for your up and coming campaigns. You can learn more about our work with clients like Dementia UK, Smile Train UK and Women’s Aid here. Alternatively, to get in touch, please email info@thephagroup.com.
