Who I worked with
The Urostomy Association, a national charity providing information and peer-to-peer support to people with or about to have a urinary diversion
The challenge
The charity had completed a strategic review of their activities and had identified the need to improve communication as central to future success. A wider range of people now have urinary diversion surgery and the way people want to connect with the charity is changing. The message of support from volunteers who live with urostomies was being lost and the people who need the charity’s support at a difficult time were missing out. It was time to look at a more joined-up approach to communication.
What happened?
I began by speaking to the CEO and trustees about what was being lost through poor communication. We talked about the potential of the charity to reach a new, wider audience whilst maintaining connection with existing audiences. I also reviewed their existing communication activities.
Using this insight, I was able to put together a strategy for communication that would enable them to reach their target audiences more effectively and showcase the benefits of the peer-to-peer support they provide. The suggested action plan I drew up identified a phased approach to improvements that would be manageable and realistic for such a small charity.
The CEO and Chair subsequently asked me to work with them on an improved website, looking at how to make the site an easy-to-use source of credible information about life with a urinary diversion.
The outcomes
The Board accepted the communications strategy and recommendations. They are currently working with a communications delivery specialist to bring about the improvements to their communication channels. I worked with their website developer to build a more user-friendly site that was fit-for-purpose and once launched, the site quickly received positive feedback.
“Thanks to Sarah’s hard work and insight, we now have a solid basis to move forward with our communications. We understand how to reach out to existing and new audience groups in effective ways. We can focus on using the powerful messages of our lived experience in supporting others.”