Sky asks customers to help it choose charity partner
Howard Lake | 8 July 2004 | News
Broadcaster Sky’s Make It Big campaign to select a charity partner for the next three years is now asking customers and employees to vote for their favourite out of the ten specially commissioned films.
The ten films created for charities as part of Sky’s Make It Big campaign will be screened from 12-18 July 2004 throughout the day on Sky’s Customer Channel (Sky 999) and daily at 9am, 2pm, 6pm and 9pm on the Community Channel (Sky 585).
Sky customers and employees are being invited to help choose the winning charity using a variety of voting methods including interactive voting through the red button on Sky channel 999, online and telephone. These views “will play an important part in Sky’s final decision”, says the broadcasting company.
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The ten short-listed charities who have had films made are Barretstown, Chicken Shed Theatre Company, I CAN, The National Autistic Society/ASPIRE, NCH, The Prince’s Trust, Shelter, UK Youth, Whizz-Kidz and YouthNet UK.
Some of the charities are already encouraging their supporters to vote for them. I CAN, for example, has sent round an e-mail appeal to staff and supporters to tune in to see the film and then vote for the charity.
Content of the films range from using dramatic images to illustrate issues faced by young people to aspirational and optimistic portrayals of the successes that can be achieved.
Ben Stimson, Head of Corporate Responsibility at Sky said: “It’s the first time a charity partner has been chosen in this way, and we’re really keen for Sky viewers to get behind it and help decide who our charity partner will be.”
The final decision will be made at the end of July 2004 by a panel including James Murdoch, Chief Executive of Sky, Claire Ward MP (Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Youth Affairs), Fiona Mactaggart MP (Minster for the Voluntary and Community Sector), Kay Burley, Sky News presenter and Caroline Diehl, Chief Executive of The Media Trust.
About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale.
He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.