{"id":144892,"date":"2023-12-05T14:29:27","date_gmt":"2023-12-05T13:29:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vuelio.com\/uk\/?p=144892"},"modified":"2023-12-05T14:37:44","modified_gmt":"2023-12-05T13:37:44","slug":"pr-for-good-how-to-empower-communities-with-advocacy-campaigns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vuelio.com\/uk\/blog\/pr-for-good-how-to-empower-communities-with-advocacy-campaigns\/","title":{"rendered":"PR for good: How to empower communities with advocacy campaigns"},"content":{"rendered":"

Feeling unsure of your purpose in PR? Comms can be a force for good – it can amplify voices (too often) unheard by decision makers, changing mindsets, and sparking progress in society. <\/strong><\/p>\n

If you have PR skills, you already have everything you need in your toolbox to make change, too.<\/p>\n

This was the topic of our latest Vuelio webinar \u2018Empowering communities through advocacy campaigns<\/a>\u2019, where we were joined by the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) and the Commission for Victims and Survivors for Northern Ireland (CVSNI). Both organisations have had measurable success with ensuring their communities are heard and with pushing progress forward – here\u2019s how they did it\u2026<\/p>\n

\u2018From the outset, our purpose and objectives were clear\u2019: Royal National Institute of Blind People<\/a>\u2019s battle against railway ticket office closures<\/h3>\n

The challenge: Keeping offices open<\/strong>
\nOn 5 July, a proposal<\/a> was published to close almost all ticket offices across England and Glasgow Central. Despite the potentially huge consequences of this, a consultation was opened for just 21 days. For the RNIB, this meant quick action would be needed:<\/p>\n

\u2018Our messaging was very clear,\u2019 said RNIB’s local campaigns manager Lindsay Coyle. Aims were set – push for an extension to the consultation period, and keep the ticket offices open.<\/p>\n

Actions: Get the word out<\/strong>
\nRNIB has regional teams across the country, and everybody needed to be on board with plans to spark engagement with the cause. Consultation response templates were shared, emails were sent out to subscribers encouraging contact with MPs, and news items were placed detailing how to submit responses.<\/p>\n

As the consultation period was extended to 1 September, the RNIB team kept pushing, asking supporters to continue to write to their MPs and local newspapers expressing their concerns. In October, the transport secretary asked operators to withdraw their proposals – ticket offices would not be closed, and RNIB had achieved both of their objectives.<\/p>\n

Results: Mainstream media cut through<\/strong>
\nAs shared by Gorki Duhra from the PR team, RNIB secured 1,121 pieces of media coverage across broadcast print and online for this campaign. National media outlets including BBC, ITV, Sky, The Telegraph, The Independent, and local outlets across the devolved nations picked up the story, as volunteer campaigners, regional campaign officers, policy officers and spokespeople gave interviews.<\/p>\n

\"RNIB<\/p>\n

The RNIB team secured a huge key message penetration rate of 98% across its media coverage, with 94% directly mentioning the charity\u2019s research.<\/p>\n

\u2018On the first day, we reached about 906 media outlets, which was a record for the charity for a one-day event,\u2019 said Gorki. \u2018Our messaging resonated with so many different people across society. We were on target straight away in getting the message out. And that was just by being prepared.\u2019<\/p>\n

Want to get positive results for your next campaign? Get everybody on board<\/strong>
\n\u2018We coordinated our team internally, engaging our wider staff group, and setting up an internal teams channel,\u2019 shared Lindsay.<\/p>\n

For external stakeholder engagement, personal stories and case studies are vital. RNIB invited the public to create their own stories using #INeedATicketOffice<\/a>:<\/p>\n

\n

Thank you to everyone for sharing your #INeedATicketOffice<\/a> so I can\u2026 stories.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve shared them with Secretary of State for Transport, @Mark_J_Harper<\/a>, and will continue to share your concerns so keep them coming. <\/p>\n

Listen to hear a snippet of what you said. #NotJustTheTicket<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/3t8XYnZa0q<\/a><\/p>\n

— RNIB (@RNIB) July 27, 2023<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n