# How charities can communicate about coronavirus - Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2020/03/31/how-charities-can-communicate-about-coronavirus/ - Published: 2020-03-31T10:55:42+01:00 - Author: Howard Lake **What charities say and how they say it when communicating about coronavirus matters. Content, tone and timing are all important.** A near total reliance on digital communications by charities, compounded by staff and volunteers working remotely from each other, many doing so for the first time, has of course rapidly brought huge challenges to how charities continue to communicate effectively. UK Fundraising looks at some of the ways that charities are communicating with supporters and the public, combining positive examples with some suggestions on what to avoid.   ## 1. Be accessible in your messaging From the outset of coronavirus and organisations’ public responses to it, there has been a rush to distribute this response in tiny text on a graphic image of an A4 page. Tesco, Sainsbury’s, 10 Downing Street – everyone it seems is posting images of text: > ⚠️Am seeing so many covid statements which are images. > Please THINK ACCESSIBILITY! > Not everyone can read a photo of text. Include a link to an html version &/or > include your text in your tweet. You are sharing important information, make it > available. [https://t.co/ZlTXxTSuzJ](https://t.co/ZlTXxTSuzJ) > — Madeleine Sugden 🌎 (@madlinsudn) [March 16, 2020](https://twitter.com/madlinsudn/status/1239535412697235456?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)   Sometimes, to be fair, the text-as-image is entirely legible.   > The British Museum will close temporarily from 18 March 2020. Director Hartwig > Fischer would like to share this message. > For more information, please see our > website: [https://t.co/3WrFt92jn2](https://t.co/3WrFt92jn2) (1/3) [pic.twitter.com/CDrCKIaPhF](https://t.co/CDrCKIaPhF) > — British Museum (@britishmuseum) [March 17, 2020](https://twitter.com/britishmuseum/status/1239956504033120257?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)   Nevertheless, images are lacking if you want to communicate an important text message, especially one that is more than one sentence long. The image will be useless and illegible to those using screen-readers or other adaptive technology, unless the sender has added in alternative (‘alt’) text to replicate the full text of what the image displays. Similarly, the text on the image, if there is no alt text, will not be indexed by search engines and therefore not easily found.   ## 2. Be positive and offer reassurance When your charity has expertise, trust and a track record, now is the time for that to come to the fore. Your supporters will welcome that now, and they are unlikely to forget it in the future. Most of us are uneasy and searching for support and reassurance. That is part of many charities’ roles in civil society in hard times, even when their own future is under threat financially. That is easier said than done of course. All organisations are under pressure, scrambling to work effectively under completely different conditions, but some charities are focusing on what they _can do_ now to help. With “Hey Kids! Here’s How YOU Can Stay Safe and Fight Coronavirus” UNICEF USA adopts a reassuring tone in explaining coronavirus to children.   ## 3. When planning ahead causes you problems If your charity has scheduled a number of announcements such as tweets or Facebook posts for the months ahead, now is the time to review those. You could end up sending out inappropriate messages or those that simply look so out of context that they make your charity look insensitive. For example, make sure you haven’t lined up posts to remind people to register to take part in a half-marathon that was cancelled weeks ago. ## 4. Give people something positive to do Organisations like the British Red Cross are building on their volunteer services record to inspire more people to volunteer under these challenging conditions. Of course, conditions change and volunteer opportunities become more restricted. But don’t doubt the willingness of people to want to volunteer, as evidenced by **750,000 volunteering to support the NHS**!       ## 5. Be lighthearted where appropriate   https://twitter.com/MegsNewshound/status/1241991780213633025   > [#StayHomeSaveLives](https://twitter.com/hashtag/StayHomeSaveLives?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) > > And remember to stay at least 2m (or a giant panda) away from others when you > go out to buy food or other essentials. [#COVID2019](https://twitter.com/hashtag/COVID2019?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) > [pic.twitter.com/50VnbTwKr0](https://t.co/50VnbTwKr0) > > ## Advertisement > > — WWF UK (@wwf_uk) [March 26, 2020](https://twitter.com/wwf_uk/status/1243167792578334723?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) WWF-UK have riffed on this idea some more: > When social distancing, imagine between you and another person… > a giant panda…. > or a leatherback turtle…or a young male polar bear…or two king penguins sliding > on their bellies![#StayHomeSaveLives](https://twitter.com/hashtag/StayHomeSaveLives?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) > [#COVID19](https://twitter.com/hashtag/COVID19?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) [pic.twitter.com/jMwlhODcHa](https://t.co/jMwlhODcHa) > — WWF UK (@wwf_uk) [March 26, 2020](https://twitter.com/wwf_uk/status/1243208809805484033?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw)   If you’re not feeling light-hearted right now, do think of sharing others’ positive or amusing stories, especially if there is some kind of link to your charity: > We usually only bring you goat news from eastern Africa but couldn't resist sharing > this video from Llandudno in Wales where mountain goats are making the most of > quiet lockdown streets to have an explore 🐐🐐🐐 [#goatlove](https://twitter.com/hashtag/goatlove?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) > [https://t.co/PggJrKRmkJ](https://t.co/PggJrKRmkJ) > — Farm Africa (@FarmAfrica) [March 31, 2020](https://twitter.com/FarmAfrica/status/1244908397302030337?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) And even if there is no link, spread the occasional bit of humour.   ## 6. What does your out of office email message say? Many charities’ out of office email message would give you no sense that large proportions of the UK workforce are now working remotely, probably with limited access to the office phone number. We know this from the out of office messages we receive each week from our [email news updates](https://eepurl.com/fzas) to several thousand fundraisers. Others focus on the challenge _they have faced_ shifting to remote working, or indeed that they personally have been placed on furlough, or that the organisation has gone dark or closed its doors. All of which is factual and highly distressing, but it is missing an opportunity to inspire, encourage and support the people who are turning to charities for information, advice or services. At the very least, a charity’s out of office email should give recipients an idea for fundraising from home during this dislocation. Here is one that misses the opportunity to do so: > [Charity X] closed its doors as a result of COVID-19 on Friday 27^(th) March at > 4:30pm. We will endeavour to reopen as soon as we are able in accordance with > the guidelines from Public Health England. Please follow updates on our website > and social media. Remember that 160,000+ charities in England and Wales alone have experienced a similar change. Some of them will be communicating with the same people that your charity communicates with. Positive examples include: > **Watford Mencap** > During the current Coronavirus situation our fundraising department has closed > and I am instead focusing on securing supplies for our 8 residential projects > and community support team which are still fully operational.  We would be grateful > for any donations that can help us to continue our work at [https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/donation-web/charity?charityId=1001219&stop_mobi=yes](https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/donation-web/charity?charityId=1001219&stop_mobi=yes). > My hours are varying significantly so I cannot guarantee when exactly I will be > available but I am reading emails and promise that I will get back to you as soon > as possible.   > **Oxfam** > In the meantime, if you want to see what Oxfam GB is doing in response to the > global pandemic of COVID-19, please visit our website at [https://www.oxfam.org.uk/](https://www.oxfam.org.uk/). > And I hope you and yours are safe, well and keeping socially distant.   > **Dudley CVS** Dudley CVS staff are currently focusing all of our energy on co- > ordinating a community response to COVID-19. For more information on the work > we’re doing (and to get involved), please visit: [http://dudleycvsreview.org/covid-19-community-action-and-support/](http://dudleycvsreview.org/covid-19-community-action-and-support/) > [http://dudleycvsreview.org/covid-19-community-action-and-support/](http://dudleycvsreview.org/covid-19-community-action-and-support/)   ## 7. Listen to your supporters How should you communicate with your supporters? With the public? The above advice might be useful, but nothing beats talking with – or rather listening to – the people who value what you do already. This lockdown is a chance to learn even more about them to make your charity even more effective. The telephone is key in this, but so too are the messages you send as soon as someone donates to you. https://twitter. com/Skipinder/status/1244919571255001089   ## More resources If you need some more ideas and information on charity communications during COVID- 19, try these: * Madeleine Sugden’s [coronavirus comms for charities](https://madlinblog.wordpress.com/2020/03/03/coronavirus-comms-for-charities/) * Madeleine Sugden’s [coronavirus comms – planning ahead](https://madlinblog.wordpress.com/2020/03/25/coronavirus-comms-planning-ahead/) * CharityComms’s [charity communicator coronavirus resources](https://www.charitycomms.org.uk/about/charity-communicator-coronavirus-resources)   * **[Free communications support offered to charities and public sector](https://fundraising.co.uk/2020/04/14/free-communications-support-offered-to-charities-and-public-sector/)**( 14 April 2020) * **[Nominees sought for Inspiring Communicator Awards 2023](https://fundraising.co.uk/2023/11/24/nominees-sought-for-inspiring-communicator-awards-2023/)**( 24 November 2023) * **[Full Fat opens £15k pro bono scheme for charities](https://fundraising.co.uk/2026/07/15/full-fat-opens-15k-pro-bono-scheme-for-charities/)**( 15 July 2026) ![Loading](https://fundraising.co.uk/wp-content/plugins/page-views-count/ajax-loader- 2x.gif)