The brief

Through its Singing Cafes and Tea Parties, the Thrive project - run by the charity Without Walls - is dedicated to improving the wellbeing of those facing a variety of mental and physical challenges.

However, held back by limited resources and a lack of PR expertise, the organisation desperately needed to boost awareness of Thrive, increase funding streams and encourage more volunteers to support its ongoing success. That’s where MIH stepped in.

What we did

As a values-driven organisation with a specialism in healthcare, our work is intrinsically focused on making a positive difference. We take great pride in our ability to add ‘over and above’ value to our clients and the local community. So, when we became aware of Thrive’s work and the plight it was facing, we offered a pro bono package of PR support as part of our social value aims.

We developed a suite of high-impact PR assets for use across multiple channels, crafting key messages that would help the charity along the road to achieving its objectives of raising awareness, increasing funding opportunities and encouraging new volunteers to support efforts to aid those with mental health need and combat loneliness.

Our work included:

  • ·        Case studies: we created written case studies which showcase the Thrive project and celebrate the impact it has had on members of the community, using persuasive messaging to encourage people to participate, donate, volunteer and help secure funding. The case studies focused on service users, family members/carers and volunteers.
  • ·        Media releases: we pitched and positioned a press release with the local media across three counties to introduce Thrive and its services, alongside promoting its Christmas carol concert. This was followed up with an in-depth feature to raise awareness of Thrive and the work being done.
  • ·        Promotional video: our video showcased the Thrive project and its Singing Cafes, celebrating the impact it has on individuals and the local community, and utilised persuasive messaging to make the case for future funding. The video was a powerful asset for sharing via Without Walls’ social media channels and offered longevity for Thrive’s own PR efforts after we had finished.
  • ·        Photography: we captured and edited a selection of 50 high-quality photographs from a Singing Café event, for use across a variety of the charity’s channels and promotional assets – for example on its website, in brochures, leaflets and social media posts. This library of images would help to support Thrive’s PR activities for some time.
  • ·        Social media content: we crafted a selection of social media posts to help promote Thrive and the services it offers, alongside some training and guidance for those who managed social media accounts on how to use it more effectively in the future.
  • ·        Sharing learning: we worked with Thrive leaders to give them the basic skills and tools to run their own effective PR in future.

 

The result

Without Walls told us that our work had proved invaluable at what was a challenging time for the charity. With its small budget and lack of knowledge in how to promote itself, it was in desperate need of some professional PR assets that would have longevity across multiple channels, to both support its efforts to raise its profile and secure funding that would allow it to continue its life-enhancing work.

The photographs, promotional video and case studies all met this brief, while the media attention we secured brought the charity into the local spotlight, and not only in front of the eyes of new service users, but also to those with the potential to assist from a future funding perspective.