Today is our 9th birthday.
It’s been quite a journey: from my kitchen table in Walthamstow to an office in Bethnal Green, a rural HQ in the Dordogne and now a base in Brussels, today we are an international business with clients and associates based in six countries around the world. Not bad for a “happy accident” that started while I was searching for a “proper job” after redundancy.
I wanted to take this moment to reflect on the last 12 months, which have been challenging but rewarding. Against a backdrop of the pandemic, rising inequality and now a war, we’ve been working hard to stay positive, do great work with interesting clients and have some fun along the way. Via our strategic services, we’ve helped mission-led organisations reach new audiences and communicate more effectively; our training and coaching services have helped comms teams become more confident in their work, and we’ve been able to raise awareness of, and funds for a wide variety of important causes.
A few of the many highlights from the last year include…
A focus on human rights and inequality
Helping Medical Aid for Palestinians host a virtual media delegation in Palestine. Journalists from across the mainstream and specialist media were able to “visit” a community in the occupied West Bank, meet Palestinians and hear firsthand about the challenges they faced when accessing healthcare and water, and the human rights violations they experience on a regular basis. It was a great opportunity to share powerful stories and strengthen relationships with important media contacts.
“It was an absolute pleasure working with Becky on our virtual media delegation to the West Bank. Becky helped us to raise awareness of discrimination facing Palestinians, promote Palestinian voices in the media and build relationships with key journalists”.
MAX SLAUGHTER, CAMPAIGNS AND COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER, MEDICAL AID FOR PALESTINIANS
Also in the area of human rights is the work we’ve been doing with Peace Direct, helping them strategize, mobilize and have important conversations around peacebuilding, power relations within international aid and raising the profile of individuals and organisations working on the frontline of conflict – something that feels more pertinent than ever given the horrors currently taking place in Ukraine.
We’ve been supporting Innovation Unit’s work to create impact, transform systems and make a difference to people’s lives. We’ve helped write their narrative, identify key audiences and messaging, and build their profile through a multichannel content plan on relevant issues including:
Innovation in a crisis: what Greater Manchester learned from its pandemic response, with media coverage, a series of blogs and a webinar with Andy Burnham GM Mayor and Chris Naylor, Barking and Dagenham CEO
Transforming adult community mental health through the Living Well programme, with a series of blogs and press stories celebrating success in five UK sites
Lessons for levelling up: showcasing IU’s approach to place-based transformation with a series of blogs providing ideas for social, economic and cultural change
Tackling health inequalities through the Health Anchors Learning Network: supporting the design, launch and ongoing comms of a new network for NHS anchors
The MAP team at the virtual media delegation
Raising the profile of small charities
In December, we achieved record-breaking levels of coverage for the Big Give Christmas Challenge, which in turn contributed to it breaking its own fundraising records – generating £24.1m, a 20% increase from 2020. We focused on evidence-based, human-centred storytelling to raise the profile of the small charities involved.
An ongoing relationship with Tree of Hope has seen us securing substantial coverage for the charity and families of seriously ill and disabled children in the UK and Ireland who need specialist medical treatment, therapy and equipment. Their families have been featured in local and national print and broadcast media, including this piece about Baby Edward in the Daily Mail – we are delighted to report that he eventually received the treatment needed (the most expensive drug in the world!)
“Catherine has been the best PR support at Tree of Hope, really understanding our work and showing great empathy and passion for the issues our family’s face. Getting BBC Breakfast coverage for a fun fundraising and awareness raising team, the Scooter Grannies, led by Freya’s father made a real difference to the campaign. Freya’s fundraising was for life-changing support to help with her cerebral palsy and in particular post operative therapy which is now going ahead and Freya is going from strength to strength. Catherine also secured national coverage via the Daily Mail and Metro for Muhammad’s campaign to help get funds in to treat a potentially life-threatening skin condition.”
GILL GIBB, CHIEF EXECUTIVE, TREE OF HOPE
Helping to tackle climate change
Co-creating a comms strategy for the Risk Informed Early Action Partnership (REAP), facilitating a workshop for its partners, creating a comms toolkit for use by its partners and supporting its presence at COP26. Check out this video made by Still Moving and our associate Becky Allin for more on what REAP is and what it hopes to achieve.
“Becky’s deep knowledge and expertise helped us to move from a reactive and piecemeal approach to comms, to one that is strategic, proactive, and engages our partners and audiences for maximum impact. Her help has been invaluable, and it was a delight to work with her!”
SIMON LOVEDAY, POLICY CO-ORDINATOR, REAP
Also at COP26 was Q-Bot and its energy-saving, cost-reducing robotic underfloor insulation. We helped this innovative business take advantage of the media attention on climate change and secured coverage in major newspapers, including the Daily Mail, Daily Mirror and Daily Express.
“Slack Comms listened, understood and proposed an approach which was bang on point for what Q-Bot needed. Given that Q-Bot is totally unique that is quite an achievement – and of course meant it worked out extremely well for us.”
MARTIN JERVIS, CHIEF COMMERCIAL AND OPERATING OFFICER, Q-BOT
We like doing free stuff too
In the spirit of the sector in which we work, pro bono activities are important to us. Just this week, I spent the day with the Media Trust, Rape Crisis England and Wales and a group of hugely talented media professionals as part of the Women’s Voices event marking International Women’s Day.
I’m a volunteer on an exciting new project from Rogare, the Fundraising Think Tank, that is building a roadmap of solutions to the challenges women in the fundraising profession face, based on Lean Out Feminism; and last autumn, I curated and chaired a session at the CIOF National Convention on How to Be An Ally, which was a really great opportunity to talk about one of my passion subjects – gender and racial discrimination.
“In the wake of #MeToo and #BlackLivesMatter movements came questions about allyship; critical questions for a sector all about values and solidarity. For CIOF’s Fundraising Convention, we wanted a session to stimulate thought and inspire people on How to be an Ally. Becky brought together an expert panel and brought her journalistic talents to deftly chair a highly instructive and powerful session, a highlight of this year’s Convention.”
MATTHEW SHERRINGTON, CIOF CONVENTION BOARD 2021
To celebrate our birthday, we’re reinvigorating our Comms Surgery programme. We are offering free advice sessions tailored to your specific communications and marketing needs. Held either in-person (Brussels only) or remotely, these free 30-min surgery sessions are available to charities and mission-led organisations with incomes of under £1.5m. Check out our events page for the details.
And finally…
My team are insisting that I also mention that much of this was achieved while I was studying full-time for a Masters in Political Strategy and Communications at the Brussels School of International Studies. I’ve been engrossed in topics such as racial and gender prejudice in politics, the role of emotion in inspiring people to take action, the framing of issues such as public service reform and immigration; and the role of astroturfing as a political strategy (and no, I’m not referring to fake grass). I have absolutely loved studying, have learnt a huge amount and am now in the process of applying all this newfound knowledge for the benefit of our clients and the causes they support. Watch this space for more information.
We wouldn’t be here without you
None of this would have been possible without our excellent network of highly skilled associates. A special mention must go to Vic Barlow, Baiba Debele, Di Campion, Duncan Robertson, Becky Allin, Catherine Cooper, Kirsty Marrins, Liv McGill, Rachel Samuel, Sarah Welsh and David Ainsworth – all who have used their time and talent to create really great work.
And of course, a huge thank you to all our clients who put their trust in us. Thank you. We are honoured that you chose to work with us. Together we can continue to change the world through the power of communications.
With huge thanks and appreciation,