Site by Reason Digital

Because You're Worth It

By Julia Jul 13 2010

“ 'safe' is surely terrible ambition for a project which has the proven ability to transform young lives”.

A dark afternoon in a corporate suite

I've just got back from an event to launch a great new project from a local charity doing wonderful work with under 18's, so why am I depressed ? Because this organisation, as cash strapped as everyone else in the current climate, splashed out several thousands pounds on a dark afternoon in a corporate style room in a well known sporting venue....

We stood around stiffly for a few hours, drinking luke warm tea (I guess at several quid a go), heard a few speeches, shook a few hands, and left feeling strangely flat. Why ? Because the event itself expressed nothing of the work of the charity or of its dedication, enthusiasm and inspiring spirit. Instead of giving those involved a platform for expression, this corporate enclave compressed them into its own image: youth workers uncomfortable in suits, teenagers trussed up as for a speech day, councillors, stakeholders and local bigwigs glassy eyed at yet another faceless room lined with miniature cheese straws and unopenable windows.

I caught a few words with the organiser and heard a familiar story. A youth worker herself with no experience of event management, she was handed the task (which included, amongst 100 other things, bussing in 50 teenagers from all over greater Manchester, and making sure all attendant adults had a current CRB check), on top of her normal duties and with very little lead-in time. Understandably she plumbed for something which she thought would be - well to be honest - safe. In choosing a 'brand destination' familiar to everyone she was right, but 'safe' is surely terrible ambition for a project which has the proven ability to transform young lives.

Let's be clear -it would be completely unfair to blame the youth worker, she had done her best and had worked very hard at it. But she was also clearly as flat and unsatisfied as everyone else. Certainly the event had gone without a hitch, but it was so bland and unmemorable: no excitement, no individuality, no imagination. Why?

No ambition, no imagination: why?

I think one reason is that small third sector organisations like this one often fail to really engage with events and PR. Even though they do periodically need to stage some form of ceremony (for example when they get a new grant/award or launch a new project), and do look for PR from it, they don't approach it in the same way they clearly approach the excellent projects themselves, which may well have won the awards in the first place.

So instead of approaching this part of the operation like any other project - by staffing it, giving a proper lead-in time, really thinking about it, and funding it; they leave it until the last minute, and give it to the person who is already up to their eyes in their day job. It can therefore end up in the hands of someone with no time and no experience, and ironically in the end they can end up paying considerably more than they would have done if they'd done it properly in the first place.

Third sector organisations really are worth it

Working with a variety of small third sector organisations over the years, I have found that many of them have the underlying, unspoken belief that they aren't really worth it. They think they aren't big/important/successful enough to have a properly staged event with attendant media coverage. So when they do have to do something, they shove it under the carpet, leave it until the last minute, and unfortunately end up missing a great opportunity.

To be fair this may be because they've had their fingers burnt. Maybe they tried to get outside help once before and did they only thing they knew and approached one of the big PR agencies, and found them expensive and unwilling to properly engage with them. This is because big agencies aren't geared up for small projects. It isn't economic for them to work on that scale, and they aren't ready to put in the investment necessary to get under the skin of what they really are about.

It makes me sad to see such missed opportunity. Events celebrating achievements should do just that: be a genuine celebration which reflects the character of the organisation, it should trust the people and the work enough a create a proper platform to allow them to shine. Events like this should provide an arena for organisations to express themselves, to let their intended audience know what their doing, and to lay the foundations for the next stage in the journey of their continuing success.

Work with us...

We can work with your organisation at whatever stage you're at. If you'd like to talk to us give us a call or contact us by email.

Frankie Office: 0161 236 2522 Mobile: 07775 635674

Julia Office: 0161 236 6662 Mobile: 07870 306867

Dovetail
4th Floor
Cheetwood House
21 Newton Street
Manchester
M1 1FZ