Get on Board
Campaign message: "Be important. Get on Board" and "Bring Your Passions To The Table. Get on Board".
Aim: To encourage young professionals and those from BME communities to become trustees for charities. To increase awareness of the work trustees do for charities.
Number of people involved: Approx. 6 (TimeBank IT and communications team)
Launched: August 2005
Campaign description: The Charity Commission asked TimeBank to devise a campaign to recruit trustees. They devised two adverts for the campaign. One aimed at young professionals showed a close-up shot of a hand holding out a business card, which carries a job title and the word ‘Trustee’. The advert ran in various trade press and the job title was altered according to the audience. It was designed to reassure the audience that personal development is a valid reason to consider volunteering.
The other advert was devised to encourage people from BME communities to become trustees. The advert showed a boardroom table set in an outdoor urban environment. The advert asked people to "Make sure your community’s concerns and interests are represented" by becoming a trustee.
PR work: TimeBank commissioned a YouGov survey to collect information on the ways people look to develop their careers. The results provided a robust basis for the PR. The PR was made more ‘human’ by using case studies and examples of celebrity trustees like David Beckham and Tim Henman. TimeBank secured editorial coverage for the campaign in both the national and regional press.
Online campaign: A viral quiz, called "What kind of leader are you?", was sent to 19,000 professionals aged 25-40. Participation was incentivised with the chance to win a PDA. On completing the quiz, players were told how volunteering as a trustee could help them become better leaders. A website was also set up to give people more information about becoming a trustee with an easy online registration form: www.getonboard.org.uk
Outside agencies involved: TimeBank for the recruitment campaign and YouGov for the research.
Results: In the first six months, 2179 volunteers had signed up to the campaign. 22% of them were from a BME background and 72% were under the age of 45.
Contact: Madeline Willis www.TimeBank.org.uk
