Bridging the Gap: Integrating Communications and Fundraising Workshop

25 May,2011

CharityComms is the professional membership body for charity communicators. We believe charity communications are integral to each charity’s work for a better world.

W: www.charitycomms.org.uk T: 0207 426 8877

How Friends of the Earth transformed strategy and structure

to deliver integration

Joe Jenkins

Director of Fundraising, Communications & Activism

Health Warning!!

• Discussing how we’ve approached integration within a new structure

• Though lessons may be transferable, more relevant if your charity has separate fundraising and communication resources

• I didn’t have time to do lots of pretty pictures

• This is a work in progress – come back next year for results!

Friends of the Earth

• the UK’s most influential national environmental

campaigning organisation (working in England, Wales &

Northern Ireland)

• the most extensive environmental network in the world,

with around 1 million supporters across five continents, and

more than 70 national organisations worldwide

• a unique network of campaigning local groups, working in

more than 200 communities throughout England, Wales

and Northern Ireland

Friends of the Earth

• 1971 – launch

• 1972 – pass the ban on import of fur

• 1974 – no nukes – govt cancels plans to build 32 new nukes after campaigning

• 1979 – campaign for more bike use to stop pollution. British rail cancel their ban of bikes on board

• 1980 – 200k people protest outside Nelson’s Column against govt plans for nuclear testing

• 1983 – start a paper recycling cooperative

• 1984 – expose the use of damaging pesticides in products which leads to removal of pesticides and

dramatic government overhaul of law

• 1985 – launch first ever tropical rainforest campaign exposing destructive activities of UK companies

• 1988 – first UK launch of global warming campaign

• 1989 – pioneer the first doorstep recycling programme

• 1991 – expose drinking water supplies for 14m people are contaminated with pesticides and take govt

to high court to get this damage reversed

• 1996 – Launch campaign against genetically modified organisms

• 2005 – expose the use of palm oil in products and the destructions of rainforest habitats to make these

• 2008 – the climate change bill becomes law after hundreds of thousands of people protest and 95% of

politicians are lobbied.

1971 - 2011

Friends of the Earth

• Over 150 people employed by national office

• Raise approximately £10million every year

• Dependent on individuals for over 90 per cent of income.

• Prompted awareness over 90%

• Spontaneous awareness around 15-20%

Context – our challenge in 2009

• Over a decade of successful growth

• Massive campaign success

• Dramatic changes in external environment

• Green gap

• Awareness, income, supporter numbers and influence

facing decline

• Financial gap

Solution

• Identify high level priorities

• Re-structure organisation to streamline and focus around

priorities

• Introduce new, small Senior Management Team

• Focus on integration – internally and externally

• Develop new approach to strategy

New SMT

Executive Director

Managing Director

Director of Policy &

Campaigns

Director of Fundraising,

Communications & Activism

Director of Resources Director of Organisational

Development

Introducing FCA

Head of Fundraising

Director of Fundraising,

Communications & Activism

Head of

Communications

Head of Activism

Introducing FCA

• Single integrated overview of all external engagement with

audiences

• Responsible for integration of engagement &

communication activities, including:

– Fundraising Strategy & Programme

– Brand & Reputation

– PR & Communications (Events, Publications, Digital etc)

– Local Group Network

– Individual Activism

• Involve people in taking action for the environment

Integrating Fundraising, Communications & Activism

• Separate strategies,

processes, structures,

systems, cultures

• Siloed between

departments AND

within departments

• Disjoined supporter

experience

• Integrated strategy,

processes, structure,

systems, culture

• Integrated across

AND within

departments

• Delivering supporter

journeys

Cut-out & Keep List of Key Lessons

1. Break the cycle

2. Lead from the top

3. Win champions

4. Aim for perfect – plan for good enough

5. Make it the day job

6. Agree some objectives more equal than others

7. Challenge false choices

8. Spread the burden

9. Speak the same language

10. Celebrate difference

11. Share what you do

12. Always bring back to the WHY

The Glib List!

What did we do

• Led with restructure

• One strategic programme for Engagement

• Hierarchy of strategic objectives

• Strategic projects

• New thinking on Audience Strategy

• New business planning processes

• Internal Communications

Restructure

Head of Fundraising

Director of Fundraising,

Communications & Activism

Head of

Communications

Head of Activism

• Established strategic rationale

• Recruited Director / Appointed Heads

• Clarified decision-making rights/responsibilities

• Set expectation for new structure to develop strategy

• Achieved intervention / change of direction

Engagement Programme

• Replaced 4 strategic programmes

(Fundraising, Reputation & Reach, Activism, Supporter

Development)

• Provides strategic direction for integration

(across FCA, and with rest of organisation)

• Clarifies priorities and desired outcomes

• Provides single reference point for all engagement activities

Hierarchy of Strategic Objectives

• Identify key objectives for delivery by FCA

(raise money, deliver individual and group actions, build

powerful relationships, strengthen brand)

• Provides framework for decision-making

• Supports resolution of conflicting priorities

• Doesn’t directly inform resource allocation

• Dynamic hierarchy (evolves over time)

Strategic Projects

• Differentiate between “projects” and “activities”

• Agree priorities and resources

• Determine where change is necessary

• Focus on biggest impact

• Address systems, processes, dependencies

Audience Strategy

• Consolidated all existing audience research

• Identified need for shared understanding of target audiences

• Identifying and addressing key strategic (audience) questions

• Creating new Market segmentation

• Creating new Base segmentation

• Agreeing approach to Campaign Segmentation

Planning

• Established new organisation-wide approach to strategy

• Agreeing standard templates (with flexibility)

• Establishing interdependencies

• Operationalising strategy

Internal Communications

• Early integration of management team (Heads & Team

Leaders)

• More positive/consistent use of “cascade comms”

• Regularly brief and agree key messages with managers

• Established schedule of meetings (Annual Away Days,

Monthly Managers, Monthly Teams, Weekly Senior

Managers)

• Encouraged more creativity and innovation

Integration in Practise: Brand Re-launch

• Established cross-department working group

• Used Hierarchy of Objectives to inform project brief

• Used Engagement Programme to inform approach

• Establishing shared language on audiences

• Shared understanding of different requirements

from brand

• FCA Management Team supporting conflict

resolution

• Collaborative working on design & delivery

• New structure/processes enabling rapid pace

Integration in Practise: Nuclear Campaign

• Petition live within 24 hours

• Local groups and activists contacted within 3 days

• Updated fundraising appeal within 7 days

• Established new processes for decision-making, collaboration,

delivering key messages to different audiences

• Able to make quick clear links between opportunity and strategy

Integration in Practise: New fundraising event

• Used Hiearchy of

Objectives and

Engagement

Programme to clarify

brief

• Strong collaborative

working between

Fundraising & Comms

• Event idea has

developed from concept

to launch in less than 6

months

• Set ways of working for

future collaboration

Key Lessons

1. Break the cycle

2. Lead from the top

3. Win champions

4. Aim for perfect – plan for good enough

5. Make it the day job

6. Agree some objectives more equal than others

7. Challenge false choices

8. Spread the burden

9. Speak the same language

10. Celebrate difference

11. Share what you do

12. Always bring back to the WHY

Discuss!

• Any thoughts / questions on Friends of the Earth approach

• What could (does) work for you – and why

• What wouldn’t (doesn’t) work for you – and why

Bridging the Gap: Integrating Communications and Fundraising Workshop

25 May,2011

CharityComms is the professional membership body for charity communicators. We believe charity communications are integral to each charity’s work for a better world.

W: www.charitycomms.org.uk T: 0207 426 8877