It is always frustrating to witness first hand some of the fantastic work carried out by community leaders and activists who set up organisations and charities that meet the varying needs of local people in local communities - yet! they lack terribly when it comes to telling people they exist, where they are and what they do. They fail to promote their successes and they are often tied in knots between delivering services and scratching around for funding.
Two issues highlighted here. The first, is the lack of marketing and promoting of services so they can reach even more people, and ensure that those most in need of their particular services, know the services exist. The second issue is finance and the total reliance on funding. This is a dangerous and uncertain route that forms a trap, quite like the benefits trap. With the best of intentions from funding sources, there is simply not enough money to go round and when one organisation wins, it always means there is another that has lost. Thus resulting in vital services not being delivered somewhere, because some other organisation got lucky this time. In almost every major city with an active community and voluntary sector, we hear stories of organisations and charities, fighting for small pots of money.
The serious problem with the above, is that is results in a fragmented sector, where people are cautious and mistrusting of each other, instead of a mapped out, joined up, cohesive framework - which defeats the objectives of the sector as a whole.
It has been refreshing to be approached by two community based groups in different parts of the country who are interested in partnerships with Powell and Barns Group to develop their online presence, strategic marketing strategy and to deliver programs that suport them to become more enterprising through project work, educational programs and looking at ways they can monetize their internal expertise and generate profit for reinvestment. Already, we have established several opportunities that are low cost and high impact with great potential for ROI.
Let's think community enterprise!
Interested in our masterclass? Marceline Powell will be presenting a Podcast masterclass on these topics and organisations can send in questions or dilemmas to be discussed.
Talk to us:
T: 0800 118 4175
E:info@powellandbarnsmedia.com