Investee Support and Network Day

Birmingham Institute for the Deaf (BID) hosted Futurebuilders England’s investee support and network day at its Deaf Cultural Centre in October 2007.

Richard Gutch, Futurebuilders Chief Executive, opened the day with an update on Futurebuilders investments and challenges for third sector organisations working to provide public services.

Michael Price, Director of Resources at BID gave delegates an overview of their Futurebuilders investment which supported the construction of the new cultural centre. Deaf people had used the former building since 1974 and it was the first time the organisation had ever embarked on a building project of this nature.

BID involved service users in the planning and design stages to ensure the building met the needs of the deaf community. The architects learnt British Sign Language for the project so they could understand what clients wanted and appreciated how the centre was to be used.


BID Chief Executive, Bryan Sheppard continued BID's story by highlighting the ways the organisation had used media and marketing to raise brand awareness.

Top tips:

  • Create a strong corporate brand and stick to it
  • Develop your web presence
  • Don't be afraid to use local advertising such as buses or cinema advertising for measurable results
  • Use the ‘six degrees of separation’ – someone will know someone who can help – use your networks

David Royce from Crime Reduction Initiatives discussed how his organisation uses marketing as a tool for winning contracts.

David's key messages

  • Your reputation is based on the quality of your service and its staff
  • Be prepared to be judged by commissioners
  • Think of commissioners as investors, not funders
  • Seek to influence and be proactive
  • Understand what drives commissioners - look at their KPIs (key performance indicators)
  • Understand what you can do for them
  • Take initiative when it comes to communication. Do not wait. Establish the dialogue with commissioners
  • Hold your nerve - when you are challenged on your service/mission step back and have the courage to look at your own behaviour
  • Ask for feedback - run an annual commissioner survey

What marketing meant to the delegates

  • How could my organisation better use marketing to win contracts?
  • What are the challenges and how can they be overcome?
  • What can I personally do to improve my organisation’s marketing?
  • What resources, support or development do I need to do this?

Key themes from the group discussions

  • Messaging: know your message and know your audience
  • Clarity: be clear of who you are and what you do
  • Consistency: ensure staff are aware of key messages
  • Focus: market the benefits of your services and the impact that they have
  • Reflect: think about what commissioners actually want
  • Network: good relationships are key to success

Anna Marshall, Marketing Manager at TreeHouse, gave her tips for generating media coverage and getting your story heard.

Futurebuilders investee TreeHouse is a national charity for autism education. It received our second largest investment of £5.2m for the expansion of a new National Centre for Autism Education.

Anna's top tips

  • Create a communications folder with information on key messages, including standard descriptions, strategic objectives, strap line, vision, information and statistics for everyone in your organisation – have this close to hand.
  • Personalise audience specific newsletters with a coherent brand – for example TreeHouse use an ‘ambitious about autism’ strap line.
  • Websites are a good tool for donors to find out who you are.
  • Be incredibly flexible with press – by doing this, you will build good relationships and a reputation as an expert in the field.
  • Form partnerships with high profile figures or organisations where possible – TreeHouse is the corporate charity of Arsenal football club, thanks to close relations with Nick Hornby and Arsene Venger.
  • Good photos and images are key – a picture tells a thousand words.
  • Create coffee table books – TreeHouse have a bound notebook with press snippets, charity info and attractive pictures for guests and staff to look at in reception areas.

Simon Cohen, Director of Global Tolerance offered an alternative approach to developing media skills. 

"Media is the most powerful thing in the world… It has the power to make the innocent guilty and the guilty innocent."

Simon's key messages

  • Ask yourself ‘What motivates the media?' and 'What is the hook of your story?'       
     
    • Do you have an exclusive offer to appeal to the editor?
    • The two most important words to an editor are 'new' and 'first' - will your story bring something new to the debate or news agenda of the day?
    • Can your story appeal to the consumer on a personal level?  

Simon carried out a mock press interview with volunteer, Juliet Reid from Centre for African Families Positive Health (CAFPH), about an upcoming event needing media support.

Juliet’s event was World Aids Day 2007 on 1 December. Her media aim was to ensure that more people in the UK were aware that AIDs was still a big killer and should not be forgotten. In particular, she was urging people to take a HIV test to 'know their status' on World Aids Day and get timely treatment.

Advide for common areas of weakness in media relations

  • ‘Raising awareness’ is not enough – you need specific objectives
  • Approach media strategically and commercially - turn challenges into opportunities
  • Creativity is highly important - try something new. One delegate suggested that Juliet should invite her local MP to take a HIV test as a photo opportunity
  • What is the most appropriate means of getting your story heard? PR, release, press conference.
  • Credibility comes with PR (as opposed to advertising)
  • Think about the implications of doing something, as opposed to doing nothing… What will or could happen? How do you get people to take action?
  • Use research, figures and trends to back up your story and give it credibility. How many people will it affect, how much money will you save?
  • In interviews, pick one message and repeat it at least three times, don't get drawn into debates you are not prepared to talk about - stick to your key messages.

Before contacting the media, think about your story and follow the 5 Ws

  • Who [the people involved/speakers and endorsers]
  • What [numbers, facts, meaning and actions]
  • Why [for what reason - why should people care and take action]
  • When [date, time… set the scene and context – give a clear narrative]
  • Where [regional, national, geographical.. map it with facts]