Free communications support offered to charities and public sector
Howard Lake | 14 April 2020 | News
A group of volunteer PR practitioners have launched an initiative to provide free communications support to charities and public sector organisations that are struggling against the background of coronavirus, lockdown and staff on furlough.
Launched by Nick Payne and Alex Williams of Roxhill Media and Aceil Haddad, the volunteers include RedGem and Latte Recruitment. The Community PR initiative is open to other PR professionals keen to offer their services for free.
Nick Payne, VP of Sales at Roxhill, explains:
“It’s an unprecedented time for our country, and there is a real need for clear communications at this time. At Roxhill, we provide PR practitioners and access to a comprehensive database of journalist and media contacts. It’s a valuable resource, and at this time we wanted to use it for good, which is why I have approached our users to create The Community PR initiative. Our aim is clear, we want to help charities, local authorities and other organisations with support to get their messages out at a critical time for people’s health.”
To access support, charities, community groups and businesses will be asked to apply through a simple form. This will then be put forward to the core team, who will judge it on one basic criterion – the extent to which it benefits the community. Successful applications will then be passed to a PR professional.
Aceil Haddad, co-founder The Community PR Initiative PR specialist adds: “Clear messaging has never been more important, be it – #stayathome, or signposting people to assistance in applying for Universal Credit, signing up for the Priority Services Register or finding help through domestic violence and child abuse charities. Households, charities and businesses are under pressure at this time, with many people looking to help where they can, which is why I was delighted to join forces with the team at Roxhill to get this project off the ground.
“This is a temporary arrangement, and volunteering our skills will make these messages clearer, and help ease the pressure on these organisations. It is also an opportunity for us as PR professionals to broaden our experience, network and relationships with journalists alike.”
Charities and eligible organisations can apply for PR support and PR staff can offer their voluntary services.
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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.