In the programme five celebrities swapped their lavish lifestyles to spend ten days living as homeless people on the streets of London. The five included comedian Hardeep Singh Kohli; former tennis player Annabel Croft; ex-newspaper editor Rosie Boycott; Winston Churchill's great nephew the Marquis of Blandford, and Coronation Street actor Bruce Jones.

I’m not going to give too much away but there were some extremely interesting elements including the partnering of the celebrities with people who were currently homeless. The Marquis of Blandford didn’t last long on the streets checking into a hotel on the first night. But I do urge you to watch the programme to see how the celebrities faired.

You can watch it on BBC Iplayer http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/ this week or download the programmes which gives you an extra 30 days to watch them. The programme reached 4.9 million viewers with a 23% audience share. A solid audience but do you think programmes like this will change perceptions about homelessness? I look forward to reading your comments.

Jude Habib, Director, sounddelivery, www.sounddelivery.org.uk

Now with the diversity of new media, and the newer sibling social media, our supporters are finally pushing us into putting our stories where they are, rather than the historical expectation that they will come to us. With the MySpace/Facebook/Bebo/linked-in networks, flickr and YouTube, twitter as well as blogs, RSS, web, email and SMS we all need a presence in a wide diversity of online spaces.

It is no longer enough to have a website and expect supporters to come - we need to proactively pull our audiences to the site with content that has a value to them. We must also pitch our features and core values in the wider network as that is where our new supporters are now living.

The challenge of course is both to be in all the right places so supporters can join us and to create enough content to keep it fresh and interesting. For smaller charities with a non-existent web team and over-busy Marketing and Comms staff the challenge is increased.

The best option is to design a marketing strategy for each channel, as we have learnt to do for direct marketing, phone, billboards and other offline channels. As we learn about the audience of each network we will learn to tailor the stories for that channel by the normal socio-demographic profiles.

Until we have a history to learn from we can still make educated guesses about the age and type of users by looking at the content of the most popular areas of the various sites. Just by knowing Bebo has a very young play profile while Linked-in has a professional middle aged user group we can start to apply the lessons we have learnt offline to our online supporters.

Alternatively we can produce a small number of stories and put them in all of the online spaces, adding them to our sites or blogs, offering an RSS feed and sending out both bulk emails and Facebook style updates to everyone who has joined our groups.

The later allows a smaller charity with limited resources to repurpose each piece of content simply by creating a precis to use in the shorter mediums. The downside is that people who have signed up to multiple channels, such as an email newsletter and a Facebook group, may get the story twice. Some of them might even opt out of one or other channel.

But then isnt that the whole point of choice - allowing people to chose which medium they want to engage with.

Sue Fidler, Sue Fidler Ltd

Last year the Charity Commission dealt with more than 1,500 merger issues, with 230 completed. There's a good chance that number will rise even higher in the near future. But anyone that's dipped their toe in the water, or gone the whole way, will tell you that the obvious benefits of merging - economies of scale, cost savings in back office support, improved infrastructure and shared expertise - must be weighed against the difficulties, including redundancies, supporter backlash and branding decisions, to name but a few.

Good communication is critical to the success of any merger, large or small. Whether you're about to enter into preliminary talks, have started concrete negotiations, or the merger is about to take place, you must have a clear idea about who will need to know what's happening, what their concerns may be, what you'll need to tell them, and when and how they'll need to be told. When two organisations enter into talks, word can always get out, so be ready from day one.

Although you'll be used to communicating with staff, purchasers, regulators, partners, funders and service users on a regular basis, a merger will throw up issues you'll probably never have considered. Resistance to change will most likely emerge at either individual or organisational levels. For instance, if staff get wind of the fact that merger talks are happening through the tangled office grapevine, they will be concerned about their jobs, possibly angry about not being told formally, and perhaps express negativity about the charity you are in talks with. Chances are, you'll be proposing a merger with someone that has for years been seen as a competitor, and that's a big change for people to accept.

Use communications to create the climate for change from the outset. Explain what's happening and outline why it will improve the situation of individuals and of the organisation. Reduce uncertainty by providing prompt, clear and honest information to all those that will need and want it. And consult and involve people to build confidence and secure buy-in. At the same time, however, remember that there is a balance to be struck - talks often fall through and you don't want to alert staff to every conversation. So careful judgments must be made.

Purchasers and partners will have very different concerns. Depending on how they view you already, they may be worried that a merger could dilute your expertise, or if you're a small organisation, that growth may come at the expense of hands-on, personal services. However, if you have difficult relationships or a mixed reputation, this may be an opportunity to turn a corner and address problems by highlighting the benefits a merger will bring. Some may not seem bothered either way, but it's important to keep them in the loop so they don't suddenly feel confused or neglected further down the line when names and brands may change and structures may alter. There are also legal, contractual implications involved in a merger which will need to be explored and discussed early on to avoid difficulties.

Branding is a key issue for charities considering, or in the midst of, a merger. Will one organisation be adopting the other's existing name and identity? Or will you form a new brand between you? The implications for this are far-reaching and need careful consideration - if you lose one or both existing brands, you may risk losing the positive perceptions and associations people have built with that brand. However, a fresh start can make it easier to communicate a merger as a meeting of equals, rather than a partnership appearing as an acquisition or takeover. A thorough brand audit of both organisations is required to establish the pros and cons of each option, in order to allow you to make the best decision for both the short and longer-term.

With all that out of the way, and the merger signed, sealed and delivered, it would be understandable to want to put your feet up for a bit! But as we all know, the world doesn't work like that. As a new entity, your audiences will be scrutinising you more closely than usual, ready to pounce on any difficulties, ready to blame the merger for any reduction in service levels, and ready to dispute whether you are delivering all the things you said the merger would bring. A good reputation management plan for the months following merger is essential, as well as a thorough investigation of any potential 'skeletons' in the closet of those you are merging with, which may pose reputational threats.

Of course, it's also essential to plan out regular, positive and proactive communication with all key audiences from the merger date onwards, to update them on the achievements and further development of the organisation, to keep a firm hold on the agenda and maintain the momentum established by the merger announcement.

For more information and advice on internal and external merger communications, please contact Kirsty Kitchen at Amazon PR on 020 7700 6952 or email Kirsty@amazonpr.co.uk

As a leading voice in the fight against cancer, Scowcroft explained the obligation CRUK felt to giving the public up-to-date and reliable information. If people are using the internet as a main source of information about the disease, there is always the danger of the myths and unqualified facts about cancer being believed. By setting up a blog, CRUK had an informal yet trustworthy vehicle to distribute the facts people were searching for. They also had a way to provide topical information quickly and a way to influence the wider narrative about cancer.

Setting up this blog was no easy task, as Scowcroft pointed out that with around 700 views per day, the content needs to be updated regularly. Three people contribute posts to the blog, which are edited by all three authors and then signed off by the CRUK press office. This amounts to around 2-3 posts per week and Scowcroft admitted that managing it takes up quite a lot of his time. A possible downside to the blog, which was put to Scowcroft from a member of the audience, is that the internet public are able to post comments saying almost whatever they like. The response to this was that, yes, they can, but with a faith in the sensibilities of the blog's audience and the watchful eye of a moderator, it's just another one of those things that are part of an online community.

One year on and the Science Update blog now has: over 165,000 views, over 200 posts and over 600 comments. The wider organisation has also been able to use the blog: Press Officers - to brief journalists and Supporter Services - to answer enquiries. The blog also won an AMRC Science Communication Award.

If you would like to see an example of a fantastically successful blog visit: http://scienceblog.cancerresearchuk.org/

Suzi Gammon, nfpSynergy Intern, Emma Wickenden, CharityComms Coordinator

While I was excited and knew we could deliver, one thing concerned me. I had been told that on the day the announcement was to be made (Monday 18th May) I knew we only had six hours available from Bear to cover off all the media work that needed to be done. The question for the team was how to stretch the resource to generate as much coverage as possible.

On the day of the announcement I knew we wanted to target the following channels with our messages:

-National newspapers
-National Radio
-National TV
-Regional TV
-Regional Radio
-Local papers

The question was how to use all these channels with only six hours of spokesperson time. Our solution was some detailed planning and thinking a bit differently about the images and B role and adding in some extra spokespeople.

A few weeks before the announcement we managed to get some time from Bear for a media materials day. We also secured 90 mins of his time the day before the announcement went public. We held a media materials day at a Scout Activity centre near Bear's home. For four hours we captured stills and video of Bear in a whole load of situations talking to different young people from around the UK. We ended up with the following resources using our in house photography team and our video contractors at Fluidhd.com:

-A generic B role of Bear talking about being the new Chief and doing a range of adventurous activities
-18 pieces of B role with Bear answering questions from young people from every UK TV region
-Stills of Bear doing activities
-Stills of Bear with young people from across the UK

The day before the launch day we offered key interviews to:

-Reuters
-PA
-The BBC (news and Newsround)
-The Independent
-The Sun

This selected list gave us reach across the major and local news outlets

On the day we used our time to offer live interviews (and b role) to:

-Sky News
-BBC Breakfast
-BBCR4
-BBCR5
-An hour of BBC GNS
-BBC R1
-BBC R2
-BBC World

Did our Strategy work? The planning and use of Scouts from across the UK at the material day cost us time and money but gave us great local and Regional story lines. We made sure all the young people who met Bear, were available for local interviews in the days following the announcement. The results were stunning.

Over 95% of coverage conveyed our recruitment message and the volume was better than expected.

We achieved:

-23 pieces of network TV coverage
-9 pieces of regional TV coverage
-6 pieces of network radio coverage
-49 pieces of regional radio coverage
-12 pieces of national print coverage
-Over 60 pieces of regional and local print coverage (and still going up)
-Over 50 pieces of Online coverage (mainly with a national focus)

Some of my favourites are listed below. They made the list because they are spot on for messaging or are in channels we don't normally have the capacity to interest in our activities. The vast majority use our images and video:

www.hellomagazine.com
www.independent.co.uk
news.sky.com
news.bbc.co.uk
news.bbc.co.uk
www.expressandstar.com
www.gazette-news.co.uk
www.getbracknell.co.uk

I am taking this week off for a good sleep and will take some time working out which of the opportunities we take up for the future. This Morning or Richard and Judy, Mail on Sunday or Observer...decisions decisions....

Simon Carter, Assistant Director Marketing and Communications, The Scout Association.

But while fundraisers have used these new technologies to change the way they do business have charity comms people done the same. I'd argue not. They have let themselves become the poor relation in the race to use new technology to best effect - or business-transforming effect.

What's my evidence for this? Well how have fundraisers used the internet to change the way they do business? Event and marathon fundraising has been transformed by services like Justgiving and Bmycharity. Income generation from services like Everyclick and eBay for Charity has opened up huge opportunities for small organisations to raise more funds. Online direct debits and online credit cards have made a big difference to emergency appeal fundraising. There is more to be done on using new technology in fundraising but a huge amount has already been achieved.

How does this compare to communications in charities? Well all but the tiniest charities now have a website and larger charities have intranets and the like. But beyond that I struggle to tell how comms people are using new technology. Press officers now email releases rather than fax them. Campaigners send petitions online rather than on paper. There are bright spots like Save the Children doing a text petition for Gaza or the variety of bloggers who tell the stories of life at the frontline of their charities' work or those who have a Facebook site or do the occasional twitter.

But my feeling is that overall the bright spots are pinpricks in the dark. This lack of proactivity about the use of new technology is hard to understand. Web 2.0 gives fantastic opportunities to engage supporters and stakeholders in new ways. Volunteers could be texted to thank them for their work or message groups could be created for supporters to talk about the latest big issue that needs discussing. Old-style media relations can be merged with new style responsiveness by the direct creation of content online but not on a home website.

But more important is that new media allows people to reach more people at lower costs. Old-fashioned post is expensive and slow whereas websites, outbound texts and emails represent a real opportunity for cost-effective communications. New media can transform the way that charity communicators do their business - but in order for that to happen communicators will need to be pushing for change every step of the way.

Joe Saxton is Chair of CharityComms

We'll be putting more value on value
For years people have been putting extraordinary value in brands and labels. Just wearing a certain logo or supporting a 'brand name' charity was worth much more than wearing own label products or supporting unknown causes. Our celebrity-obsessed culture further motivated our desire to have the right products, to go to the right places and to support the right causes.

It became quite easy to blindly trust brands as providers of quality and value. But now people are pausing to question the value of the brands that they give custom to. They're stopping to consider the quality of the product or service, the relative worthiness of the cause, and how genuine or honourable the intentions are of the companies behind the things we spend our time or money on.

For some this is a time of opportunity. For others, a day of reckoning. If your charity has tremendous, unrecognised merit, qualities, activities or people that are truly distinctive or stories that will surprise and move people; then now is the perfect time to let people know about it. If now is the time to be brave with your marketing and communications efforts it is also the time to be honest: is your service as good as it can be? Is your cause adequately distinctive? Are you giving people compelling enough reasons to get involved? If it’s not good enough, rethink it - good marketing won't fix it. The days are numbered for marketing and communication's ability to re-package sub-standard products or services as attractive or worthy.

As we begin to scrutinise what we do and where we spend, we will want to be sure that we're getting the best value or return from every penny; we'll be putting much more emphasis on getting true value for the investments we make.

The rebirth of craft skills
For the last few years with the help of TV programmes and endless self help books, we have come to believe that we can do anything if we put our minds to it; we can all be published authors or journalists, we can cook like chefs, refurbish derelict homes, create works of art or design gardens to die for. Occasionally we have some success in these ventures, but more often we learn that it takes proper skill to pull off these easy looking tasks.

We have also come to believe that products sold by big box retailers or services provided by faceless, far-off organisations are "just as good" as the ones provided by smaller or independent companies or charities. Clever marketing has allowed this surface perception of value to exist for a number of years, but that time seems to be coming to an end.

People are starting to look under the bonnet; to question the ingredients, the manufacturing process and the people or purpose behind the things they buy. There is a greater affinity developing between the local butcher, DIY shop or charity. Not simply because they offer better value, but because they offer far greater emotional return on 'investment'.

We are beginning to put greater importance on craft skills again because they signify a better product and a more worthwhile service. They also provide something that is desperately missing in mass produced goods: a story. The little nugget that simply makes us like one product or person more than another. What is your nugget - what is your equivalent of the baker who has been using the same yeast for 40 years? The tailor who was trained by his father, who followed the training of 6 generations of the family before him? The booksellers who personally talk to every author and read every book they sell before attaching reviews and recommendations?

The nugget doesn't have to be big, or important. But it must touch the heart. Dig for it. It's in your organisation somewhere - a scientist or field rep or volunteer with a remarkable story that embodies the spirit or purpose of the entire organisation. These are your craft skills; the things that will endear people to you over any other.

We want to be seriously entertained
If you listen to filmmakers, in times of great prosperity people desire films with a message, films that challenge and films that uncover society’s darker side. By contrast, in times of depression, people look to films for escapism and entertainment.

The same themes are largely true in marketing. Until recently the effective strategy for marketing charities might have been to dial up the challenge and drama; in the coming times the optimal approach will be to entertain as the opposite may only serve to alienate. To be entertaining need not mean that you be flippant, but it should allow people to see the bright or better side, either for the people affected by an issue or for themselves.

Just because we deal in very serious issues, with potentially very serious consequences, does not preclude us from a little lightness of touch, a little drama and even a spot of humour. Because, even in the most serious of circumstances, a little laughter goes a long way.

Trevor Hardy, The Assembly

ProHelp is a national network of professional firms who are committed to making a difference in their local community by providing free advice and professional support within their area of expertise.

This mutually beneficial system means community organisations can gain valuable pro-bono help and companies can develop their corporate social responsibility and reputation, as well as using their skills in situations in new environments.

As an Events and Marketing company, I have engaged with my local ProHelp provider, Business Community Partnership in Brighton. They are a well respected organisation who have developed great relationships with local businesses. This means in addition to being able to offer my help to interesting community projects, it also allows me to network with organisations I might not have otherwise come into contact with.

I am offering marketing and PR support to a project that hopes to promote recycling of local organic waste for resale as compost. This could potentially help my 'green' credentials and even help me to approach other environmentally friendly companies as clients, as I could use this example as a case study.

I know that many community organisations find this help invaluable as it provides access to expertise and knowledge that they simply couldn't afford otherwise. This in turn means that community projects and initiatives are given a real chance to develop and grow, which can offer wider benefits across a local area or region.

ProHelp offers a more official, structured way of delivering pro-bono help into the community and I think that commercial businesses feel reassured by this and the benefits it can offer them in return, rather than them simply providing ad hoc free support and having to manage that process themselves.

Having a formal process ensures both parties get the most of the arrangement. I believe that now could be a good time to engage with professional organisations because during the tough times we are currently experiencing, means they may have a little bit more time on their hands but can still be active in contributing to the development of their own business and community.

As a charitable organisation I would say think carefully about what you might be able to offer in return for their time and specialist knowledge. This could really make you stand out and encourage professionals to want to work with you. Being clear about what your needs are or where the gaps in your knowledge are is also helpful. This allows you to make maximum use of the time the individuals and companies are able to allocate, which in some cases may only be a few hours. If you have clear objectives, it makes it easier for your ProHelp organisation to assist you and the results and outcome will be the best it can be for all involved.

There are many ProHelp centres across the country. You can find out more about whether you are eligible for support and where your nearest local centre is here: www.bitc.org.uk

Fay MacDonald, Diosa Media Ltd

When Neate joined in 2005 NCH's public awareness levels were at an excruciatingly low 1% and from volunteers to service users - there were mixed ideas about what NCH actually did. So after much consideration, NCH decided to do an all-encompassing rebrand.

Neate said one of the biggest hurdles was the internal changes. It must be a communicational feat to get a large organisation singing from the same hymn sheet, especially when the old hymn sheet has been around for over 100 years. A key way they worked through this was by involving everybody. You could argue that the brains in the marketing and communications department do what they do because they do it best so it should be left to just them. But conversely, if you're trying to put your finger on the essence of a "brand" or organisation, who knows what it is better than all those people it is made up of. Neate described conducting staff focus groups to decide the new name, and workshops across the organisation to discuss "reasons to believe" in the new brand; they also ran interactive staff sessions to discuss concerns.

Action for Children's core values didn't change, but the way the organisation spoke about them, and consequently felt about them, did. In establishing these clear messages and understanding why it is necessary to "present" the organisation in a certain way, it becomes easier to deliver services and for people to find your services. The Action for Children rebrand is proof that although having a complete makeover is hard work, it can definitely be worth it. The new brand is comprehensive and accessible - who they are and what they do is now very clear. However, their awareness level is still at 1% - it will be interesting to see if this improves over time.

To see Polly Neate's presentation please visit the CharityComms site by clicking here

Suzi Gammon, nfpSynergy Intern.

The thing that struck me the most about the two days was finding out about the variety of ways that organisations now communicate with their supporters and the levels of sophistication involved. Email is still the "killer application" but where as in the past full lists would receive the same email message time and time again, now the vast majority target their communications based on supporter activity, a great way to increase response rates. For example, initially an email goes out to everyone with an 'ask' to take action - a week later those who haven't taken part get a 'chaser email', whilst those that have are thanked and asked to email the action onto friends.

If discussions on the use of 'real time' eCampaigning are anything to go by though, then this method will become a major force and soon. From live blogging, video posts, mobile phones and of course Twitter there are so many ways to get news out there instantly.

An inspiring presentation given by Tonee Ndungu from Kenya highlighted how campaigners use the social networking capabilities of mobiles far more than any other medium; an amazing example was during the recent elections in the country. People were asked to send in the names of politicians, through Bluetooth technology on their phones (far cheaper and more far reaching in Kenya than SMS). They would then receive information on these politicians, with options of sending them a message directly and the chance to say whether they would vote for them or not. Thanks in part to this mobile phone campaign, 67% of Kenya's "Old Guard" got voted out. Email is still the "killer app" particularly in the UK, but could email help change things so quickly?

Jonathan Purchase, jonathan@advocacyonline.net. Jonathan is Head of Client Services and Support at Advocacy Online.

The report highlights that social networks/ blogs are now 4th most popular online category - ahead of personal email. Time spent on social network and blogging sites is now growing at over 3x the rate of overall internet growth.

Facebook has the highest average time per visitor (three hours 10 minutes) amongst the 75 most popular brands online worldwide. While the amount of time spent on 'Member Community' sites rose by 63% to 45 billion* minutes; Facebook rose by a massive 566% - from 3.1 billion* minutes to 20.5 billion.

Facebook started out as a service for students but now almost a third of its global audience is 35-49 and 1/4 are over 50. Facebook has added almost twice* as many 50-64 year olds visitors (+13.6 million) than it has added under 18 year old visitors (+7.3 million).

Interestingly the report also points out that Facebook has now moved ahead of MySpace as the dominant community, and postulates that is because MySpace has tried to monetise by selling more ad space.

The corporate world are struggling to respond to the dramatic change in personal online behaviour, how can they advertise to a social networking and blogging audience who are resisting attempts to place more ads on Facebook, and moving away from MySpace.

The new Facebook layout also seems to diminish the placement of groups and causes, making it harder for charities to attract new members and spread the word.

Neilson suggests that advertising on social networking sites needs to be about participation and conversation, about adding value and making friends.

If the Facebook format stays then we are going to need to work harder to get attention in this critical marketplace.

The Neilson report is available at
http://blog.nielsen.com/nielsenwire/global/social-networking-new-global-footprint/

* All figures compare 2008-2009

Sue Fidler, Sue Fidler Ltd

During the debate there was a lot of blame being dished out to journalists, but little reasoning behind it. Although the subject was about political parties, slightly squiffy panel member, journalist Nick Cohen, took centre stage in bemoaning "mediocre" journalism, and asking why there is little quality, in depth reporting about politics that is accessible to the normal person. In particular he attacked Peter Oborne and Peter Hitchens, despite their presence.

Author/commentator and panelist Douglas Murray, brought up the issue of the blurring of PR and journalism when he spoke about the outrage surrounding Sir Fred Goodwin's pension. Murray said: "The Government is using Goodwin as a scapegoat for them spending money badly, and the press runs along with it, happy to demonise individuals."

What charities can take from this is that the media relies on us for information, as much as we do them. The days of hacks ruthlessly searching out scoops for the local, or even national daily, are long gone. If you want a good news story to be published about your charity, you have to think like a journalist, and do some groundwork yourself.

There is this atmosphere in the charitable sector that dealing with a journalist is a terrifying experience. But realising exactly what they're up against is a good way to start understanding how to get the best coverage.

Another thing worth considering is that journalism is a two-way process. Very much based on supply and demand - we get what we ask for. Pointing the finger is going to do little to remedy poor standards. What I took away from the debate was the thought that if we get the politicians we deserve, perhaps we get the media we deserve too. The public ask for entertainment, so who are we to moan when front pages consist of celebrities more often than most would like. It does seem that Orwell's journalistic ideals are long gone.

Suzi Gammon, nfpSynergy intern

Having worked as a project manager for a digital agency on many long term charity contracts, and more particularly, having worked as a strategy consultant reviewing existing agencies for charity clients, I am struck how much the charity agency relationship is like a marriage relationship! I wonder if the following story is familiar to you:

Following a speed dating/tender process you choose your agency with lots of promises made by both parties as to the wonderful future ahead of you both.

You start working together and for a few weeks or months the honeymoon period is a very creative time with happy days spent in meetings staring into each other's eyes, actively communicating and listening to each other, bouncing ideas around, both seeing what you want to see in the other party.

As time moves on, you spend less time together and communication becomes more formal with more time spent commenting on what isn't so good about each other than what is going well, or indeed talking about what you both want for the future. Money and cost becomes an increasing part of discussions.

You both change over time with new interests, skills, priorities and capabilities. However, your lack of time together means you don't see the change in each other and work within narrow parameters based on your experiences of each other.

You begin to wonder if it's you or the agency as to why things aren't working, and whether you are the agency type? Other agencies you see around start looking a lot more attractive and you begin to wonder what life would be like with them.

Sooner or later, communication ceases altogether and after a period of silence, the inevitable happens and the agency hears the news that you have a found a new partner or they tell you that they don't want to work with you anymore. All that's left is hopefully an amicable agreement to go your separate ways!

Forgive me if I have pushed the analogy too far, but sometimes seeing your agency relationship in these terms can help you achieve a much more creative and productive relationship.

Five top tips for good charity/agency relationships:

1) Are you clear why are you using an agency and where you want your agency to add value?
Be clear why you are using an agency in the first place. Is it to fill a skill gap, time and resource gap, or simply to gain access to expertise? We find that a clear understanding of what the charity can and wants to do in house both now and in the future, and where the agency can add best value is very helpful.

2) Choose carefully
For some types of work, it is very easy to produce a detailed specification, receive an agency proposal with little face to face time in your selection process. However for creative, communication and technical areas, it is far more important for you to select your agency based on the people involved. Ensuring there is contact time in your selection process is important and also adding a review point early on in the project in case things aren't working out.

3) Invest time in the relationship
In house teams have the key advantage over agency teams in that they spend time with other people within the organisation to get to know what is going on, what's new, what's important etc. Agency teams can get this level of knowledge about your organisation for larger programmes of work through project meetings and shared activities. It's more difficult on smaller programmes of work to maintain this level of contact, and charities are understandably reluctant to pay for contact time outside specific pieces of work. Over time, this can considerably reduce the effectiveness of the relationship and it becomes an important consideration. It's worth considering what value you place on the agency relationship and how much time it is worth investing to maintain the relationship.

4) Keep lines of communication open
It' very easy on both sides for communication to focus on problems and difficulties as time goes on. Recognisng the strengths on both sides and making a point of giving positive feedback makes a surprising difference to finding solutions to difficulties.

Also don't be afraid to have an honest conversation with your agency if you are not happy with an aspect of the service they are providing you with. Ideally, give the feedback straight away and communicate the strength of your feeling. A good agency will pick up on your feedback and make changes as quickly as possible. Also encourage your agency to give you feedback on what changes you can make to make the relationship work better.

5) Recognise that you both change over time
Be aware that your needs change as do the capabilities of your agency. Often it's easy to make assumptions about both sides and miss good opportunities for new developments and projects. Good agencies will continue to adapt and change.

It is helpful to periodically review other agencies who provide the same service as your existing agency to keep them on their toes. Again, open dialogue is helpful to ensure your existing agency and any new agencies you open discussions with, have a fair and equal opportunity to make their case.

Revisiting why you need an agency on a regular basis is a helpful exercise and may lead to you to the conclusion that you don't need an agency anymore, that a new agency will meet your needs more effectively - or you never know, maybe with a bit more work on the relationship you are already with the best partner!

Jim Raymond is Commercial Director of Baigent Ltd, a digital consultancy and agency specialising in websites, online fundraising and online strategies for charities.

It may seem a bit obvious, but do people know more about you than just your name and a vague idea of your cause? At last week's nfpSynergy client conference, Joe Saxton, Driver of Ideas at nfpSynergy, explained the importance of higher awareness.

Taking it back to basics and stressing that higher awareness cannot be achieved just by increasing advertising, Saxton highlighted the need for charities to have a clear and focused awareness strategy.

To build awareness, everyone in your organisation has to be 100% aware of exactly what you do, why you do it, and what sets you apart from every other charity out there. Step two, shout it from the rooftops consistently and in-keeping with your brand.

An interesting point Saxton raised was that too few charities ensure that people know what makes them different. Being able to recognise a logo, slogan or colour scheme is good, but not enough. How many people are able to say which charities focus on which services in the same field of work?

Achieving this awareness can be approached from various directions, one of Saxton's models for this was:
1: Have they heard of you? So far so good, but:
2: Do they know your cause/niche? Likely some do, but not all.
3: Do they know what makes you different? This is the important one. Once you've got this one sorted:
4: Do they know your brand and your 'asks'?

A useful analogy Saxton gave to put this idea into a nutshell was that of buying a television. So off you pop to the television shop, knowing what size you want (lets assume size = the cause you want to donate to) but feeling quite open-minded. In the crowd of televisions you see one in the right size, made by a brand you recognise. Does it do what you want (i.e. send money to the right places)? Yes. Sold. Recognising the brand gives it that much more credibility and people are far likelier to trust it. The deciding factor will often be how obvious the USP is.

A strategic approach to awareness needn't cost the dreaded arm and leg either. A cynical self-evaluation of how you're presenting yourself to the public is a good start. And keeping an eye on consistency isn't going to break the bank either.

Suzi Gammon, nfpSynergy Intern, suzi.gammon@nfpsynergy.net

"It seemed an impossible task to create something out of nothing but all you need is passion and strong beliefs," Cox said, at a recent CharityComms conference about communicating on a shoestring.

I was at this conference and lucky to hear Cox's inspirational story which took delegates from the charity's conception to when it was shortlisted for one of Britain's Most Admired Charity awards, in 2007.

Here are some of Cox's top tips for other small charities:

Know your charity
Know your product, your goals and your customer base inside out. If your audience is very broad, then narrow it down. Knowing your organisation's strengths and weaknesses is also important, especially when it comes to getting sponsors or funding, Cox said.

Invest in volunteers
Cox stressed the importance of investing in volunteers. He said: "Students are great people to get involved as they are always looking to put something different on their CVs". He advised organisations to think about getting a student volunteer to manage New Media projects such as setting up Facebook pages and YouTube videos.

Get trustees involved
Have a strong dynamic board of trustees with a broad range of skills. Cox recommended appointing two "super trustees" who could be actively involved in driving particular campaigns.

Get a mentor
Mentors are a great resource to: give you feedback on your ideas, create networking opportunities, and to open up new avenues. Cox urged everyone to write to someone who inspired them asking for three days a year of their time.

Know your competition
With approximately 166,000 charities in the UK it's important you know your competitors - what they do, how they do it and their strengths and weaknesses, as this could come up in interviews for sponsorship or funding.

Case studies
"These are your Willy Wonka tickets to success with the media." Invest your time in the really good ones. Cox advised researching the media thoroughly before approaching any journalists. Be careful not to clash with large campaigns and national awareness days, and remember that summer and Christmas are good times as journalists need stories to bank on over the holiday period.

Don't copy
If someone has devised a great marketing plan, don't copy it. Try to be innovative and creative. If it's different the media are more likely to be interested in it.

Determination, passion and commitment
Finally, "hard work makes luck...and don't be afraid to take risks or ask for help." Cox is living proof that success is possible even on a tiny budget. "If you have passion and commitment, people will support you."

Christina Turner, CharityComms intern