TimeBank
Campaign message: "Match your time and passions to the needs of your local community" and "You get more out than you put in"
Aim: To launch the volunteering charity, TimeBank. To recruit a new generation of younger volunteers (aged under 35). To create a new image for volunteers.
Number of people involved: Unknown
Launched: 2000 (film re-released 2001)
Campaign description: TimeBank is a national charity inspiring and connecting people to share and give time.
To mark the launch of the charity, a short film/ advert called "Turned Tables" was made for TimeBank by Paul Weiland Film Company. TimeBank secured pro-bono support from the film distributors Pearl and Dean. They ran the short film as a trailer in 300 cinemas across the country over 3 months.You can watch the TimeBank film at the bottom of this page.
The film avoided stressing the word "volunteer" and instead asked people to give their time. The film was also designed to stress the benefit to volunteers; to change the stereotypical image people have of volunteers. The aim was to get people involved in their communities without realising that they were "formally volunteering".
The short film was shown again in 2001 when TimeBank secured another deal with Universal. The trailer appeared on every DVD and video copy of the film, The Grinch. In 2001, Carlton Screen also showed the film as a trailer in 300 of their cinemas. On this occasion, TimeBank paid £20,000 for the cinema trailer reels to be produced. They also produced postcards which were distributed in cinema foyers. People were asked to return the postcards with their contact details to TimeBank, specifying what kind of volunteering they wanted to do.
Outdoor advertising: In 2001 TimeBank also mounted an advertising campaign on three extra-large sites – two in London and one in Birmingham. The campaign aimed to encourage people to register with TimeBank as potential volunteers. They also advertised on the London Underground, outdoor poster sites and on the back of buses.
Stunts: Since 2000, TimeBank have worked in partnership across the public, private and voluntary sector to help organisations get the volunteers that they need. Many of these creative volunteering campaigns are featured on www.timebank.org.uk and many have involved eye-catching stunts. For example, TimeBank worked with the Befriending and Mentoring Foundation (BEME) to encourage more people to volunteer as befrienders and mentors. To launch the BEME campaign, TimeBank created a stunt in Canary Wharf to gain media coverage and catch people's attention.
Outside agencies involved: Paul Weiland Film Company, Pearl and Dean, Carlton Screen, Universal Pictures, Boomerang for postcard distribution
Results: TimeBank secured approx. £1million worth of free advertising from Carlton Screen for "Turned Tables". Between October 2000 and September 2001 TimeBank recorded 1,124 enquiries where the potential volunteer said they'd seen the TimeBank cinema advert. 393 people returned postcards from cinema foyers in 2001.
TimeBank assessed their 2001 outdoor advertising campaign by working out the number of people they reached. For example, for their huge Birmingham advert they calculated 1.5 people per car on average and that 35,000 cars passed the advert each day. This meant they had reached approx. 1.6million people.
TimeBank contact: Sharon Tynan www.TimeBank.org.uk
