It’s important that our donors, supporters, and stakeholders (existing and potential) know about the impact of our work. It values their amazing support, and creates positive and solution-focused narratives to change public perceptions and attitudes. Our media work helps us to reach them.
In-house Video
Working with Under the Wing Productions our short film supported our 2022 Christmas appeal. It uses storytelling to illustrate the need to create community to combat isolation, and to highlight the different forms of homelessness and precarious housing in Bristol (sofa surfing, living in vehicles, evictions, as well as street homelessness.)
Our 2023 Christmas appeal took a different approach, using humour to engage donors and supporters. We gained the support of Bristol-based social media influencers to help our reach. The short social media-friendly reels were also used in the online strand of the campaign. This is one of six social media reels exploring a number of relatable, seasonal themes.
Broadcast Media: TV
Caring in Bristol has received regional and national attention from the media for the work that we do. BBC Breakfast broadcast two live packages from our Caring at Christmas centre on Boxing Day 2023, in addition to “as live” pieces for regional BBC Points West.
ITV West Country filmed three similar packages in 2022, returning again in 2023 for a main package and subsequent project update. This is the first of the 2022 pieces.
And this clip was aired on the final day of the 2023 Caring at Christmas project. Our volunteer Shift Leader was able to quickly talk about impact, and update viewers about the increase in demand for the project, and the impact of the cost-of-living factors that are pushing people into a homelessness crisis.
Broadcast Media: Radio
BBC Radio 4’s Saturday Live programme recorded a package in December 2023 with one of the members of Project Z’s Youth Board to raise awareness of youth homelessness and counter common narratives based on misunderstandings about young people. As always, they received the full support of Caring in Bristol to ensure their safety and dignity was upheld throughout the storytelling process. It was also an opportunity secured for them in response to their aspiration to gain media coverage and amplify youth homelessness issues. Listen to this audio clip on YouTube or in the audio player below (3 minutes).
Project Z was also featured in a collaboration with one of its funders, St Martin in the Fields Charity, for their Radio 4 Christmas Appeal (Making a Difference) in 2022 and 2023. In this extract from the programme, which was narrated by actor and comedian, Hugh Dennis, one of our young people talks about their lived experience to encourage other young men to ask for support.
Another clip from Radio 4’s Making a Difference, featuring one of our Project Z Youth Practitioners, and a young person she has worked with. Click image to listen (Opens BBC Sounds website.)
Print Media
Working and building relationships with journalists is an important aspiration, and collaborating on stories helps to demonstrate the impact of our work, and challenge and change unhelpful narratives. Different publications help us to reach different audiences. Examples include a Bristol Post article which establishes the need for and impact of our Bristol Goods food project, and a national mass-market magazine Pick Me Up which celebrated the impact of our volunteers and supported our fundraising appeal. Using appropriate tones of voice and being clear about how homelessness needs to be positively framed, we ensure our media communications effectively connect with their audience.
Digital Media
We have a strong digital presence, with a good reach. This helps influence other media outlets to feature content about us. BBC News featured us in an online piece about our Christmas project, helping with value confirmation for donors and potential donors, as well as celebrating our volunteers (click thumbnail to read full piece – opens BBC News website).
Finally, Caring in Bristol has been able to develop warm direct mail and cold door-drop appeals that are effective and memorable. They aim to earn the support of the recipients, raise awareness and explore some of the issues that our teams are working with to improve the lives of people facing or experiencing homelessness in Bristol.
This example comes from a marketing and comms professional who independently reviewed one of our fundraising appeals. (Click image to read full article – external website)
