March 16, 2022

Being a part of Team Tommy’s

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Being a part of Team Tommy’s

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Zoë Scorer, Deputy Managing Director:
  • Times are changing
  • PR and marketing expertise
  • Strategic recommendations 

It doesn’t seem that long ago that I last had the opportunity to spend time with Tommy’s, the charity committed to saving babies’ lives, but in fact, it was 2018! It might seem strange that I decided to do both of my volunteer placements with Tommy’s while pregnant as a lot of the information I was exposed to can be emotionally triggering. But the charity’s research into miscarriage, stillbirth and premature birth is so vital, and its PregnancyHub is a brilliant resource for expectant mothers. As with many charities and indeed companies over the last two years, it has not been plain sailing with many, if not all, fundraising events cancelled and new, creative ways to approach fundraising now needing to be considered. So, I was delighted when the Head of Sporting Events confirmed that I could help out again this year, albeit remotely. 

All Conscious Communications’ team members have two days each year to volunteer for a charity of their choice; we always offer our expertise in marketing and PR as a first port of call, sometimes this is taken up and other times they indicate other areas they might need help with. In this instance, I was tasked with two projects which were right up my street.

The first task focused on Team Tommy’s Training Guides. I’m sure most people will be familiar with charity running vests when they’ve taken part in or been a spectator at 10km races, half marathons and even marathons. Team Tommy’s is a strong force to be reckoned with and now that running and cycling events are back in the calendar, the Sporting Events team wanted to refresh their guides for their supporters. Now, I’m no seasoned runner although I have dabbled in the odd 10km race but my family members and colleagues are pros so I had a good idea of what needed to be included. The guides needed to be compelling and engaging; most of Team Tommy’s runners are novices, wanting to raise money for the charity, so they need clear, relatable guidance (no jargon please!) on preparing for their events. I loved that as part of the brief the Sporting Events team would then ‘Tommy-fy’ the technical advice, format and schedules that I would be recommending.

I carried out research into what other charities offered but also looked at sporting clubs and organisations such as Nike and Strava. My recommendations included suggestions on tone of voice, format and length, content, expertise and video ideas to really bring the guides to life. As a near novice, I kept in mind what I would want to know from the basics like what gear do I need and time of day to train, to a glossary of terms for the training plans.

My second task was reviewing Tommy’s existing fundraising guides. Although life is largely getting back to normal post-lockdowns, many corporates – especially the larger ones – are operating hybrid working policies. Charities like Tommy’s rely on companies, and individuals for fundraising so they need to think outside the box when it comes to fundraising ideas – keeping the hybrid world in mind and making it as easy as possible for people to implement. The team wanted the guides to be creative, personable, accessible and inclusive. I reviewed what resources other charities are offering as well as looking at Tommy’s existing assets. Following my review, I recommended areas for Tommy’s to update content on its fundraising webpages and resources, building on what was already there. Importantly, charities need to keep their marketing outputs lean so any new design work needed to be kept to a minimum. My suggestions also included navigation and signposting changes to the website to make it as easy as possible for people to find what they need. 

With so much disruption over the last two years, the Tommy’s team knew it needed to refresh things and be mindful of the ‘new normal’; carrying out reviews, research and making strategic recommendations is part and parcel of what we do at Conscious Communications so I was pleased I was able to lend my support in this way for Tommy’s. Being a part of Team Tommy’s for these two days was enlightening, energising and inspirational and I hope I can do it again in another few years!

Zoë Scorer, Deputy Managing Director:
  • Times are changing
  • PR and marketing expertise
  • Strategic recommendations 

It doesn’t seem that long ago that I last had the opportunity to spend time with Tommy’s, the charity committed to saving babies’ lives, but in fact, it was 2018! It might seem strange that I decided to do both of my volunteer placements with Tommy’s while pregnant as a lot of the information I was exposed to can be emotionally triggering. But the charity’s research into miscarriage, stillbirth and premature birth is so vital, and its PregnancyHub is a brilliant resource for expectant mothers. As with many charities and indeed companies over the last two years, it has not been plain sailing with many, if not all, fundraising events cancelled and new, creative ways to approach fundraising now needing to be considered. So, I was delighted when the Head of Sporting Events confirmed that I could help out again this year, albeit remotely. 

All Conscious Communications’ team members have two days each year to volunteer for a charity of their choice; we always offer our expertise in marketing and PR as a first port of call, sometimes this is taken up and other times they indicate other areas they might need help with. In this instance, I was tasked with two projects which were right up my street.

The first task focused on Team Tommy’s Training Guides. I’m sure most people will be familiar with charity running vests when they’ve taken part in or been a spectator at 10km races, half marathons and even marathons. Team Tommy’s is a strong force to be reckoned with and now that running and cycling events are back in the calendar, the Sporting Events team wanted to refresh their guides for their supporters. Now, I’m no seasoned runner although I have dabbled in the odd 10km race but my family members and colleagues are pros so I had a good idea of what needed to be included. The guides needed to be compelling and engaging; most of Team Tommy’s runners are novices, wanting to raise money for the charity, so they need clear, relatable guidance (no jargon please!) on preparing for their events. I loved that as part of the brief the Sporting Events team would then ‘Tommy-fy’ the technical advice, format and schedules that I would be recommending.

I carried out research into what other charities offered but also looked at sporting clubs and organisations such as Nike and Strava. My recommendations included suggestions on tone of voice, format and length, content, expertise and video ideas to really bring the guides to life. As a near novice, I kept in mind what I would want to know from the basics like what gear do I need and time of day to train, to a glossary of terms for the training plans.

My second task was reviewing Tommy’s existing fundraising guides. Although life is largely getting back to normal post-lockdowns, many corporates – especially the larger ones – are operating hybrid working policies. Charities like Tommy’s rely on companies, and individuals for fundraising so they need to think outside the box when it comes to fundraising ideas – keeping the hybrid world in mind and making it as easy as possible for people to implement. The team wanted the guides to be creative, personable, accessible and inclusive. I reviewed what resources other charities are offering as well as looking at Tommy’s existing assets. Following my review, I recommended areas for Tommy’s to update content on its fundraising webpages and resources, building on what was already there. Importantly, charities need to keep their marketing outputs lean so any new design work needed to be kept to a minimum. My suggestions also included navigation and signposting changes to the website to make it as easy as possible for people to find what they need. 

With so much disruption over the last two years, the Tommy’s team knew it needed to refresh things and be mindful of the ‘new normal’; carrying out reviews, research and making strategic recommendations is part and parcel of what we do at Conscious Communications so I was pleased I was able to lend my support in this way for Tommy’s. Being a part of Team Tommy’s for these two days was enlightening, energising and inspirational and I hope I can do it again in another few years!

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