The public presence

1. Help the Aged is a highly visible charity with strong local roots. This visibility provides plenty of opportunities for public relations and promotion. Our 300 shops on the nation’s high streets and the 1100 mini-buses we provided for groups all over Britain raise our profile at the local level where important fundraising activities take place. Indeed our Project Fundraising Advice programmes, where we work in partnership with other groups and charities, provide plenty of strong local stories and raise local awareness of Help the Aged.

2. The same is true of innovative campaigns that the Charity runs. For example, our joint project with the Rural Development Commission, ‘Growing Old in the Countryside’, focuses attention on a neglected area – the specific problems faced by elderly people in rural areas. Here is a classic case where we need to draw attention to the fact that the proportion of older people living in the countryside is actually greater than in urban areas, and refute the common perception that only city dwellers suffer from poverty and isolation. Five regional conferences followed by a national conference drew to a close six years joint research work with the Rural Development Commission and focused media attention on the realities of rural living.

3. Whether in town or country the Charity distributes free information and advice leaflets to older people and their carers, currently two million every year. The leaflets attract media coverage because of their value and accuracy. The leaflets attract media coverage because of their value and accuracy. We ensure that Help the Aged senior staff are always available for media interviews on these subjects and on important research papers which we publish on crucial topics such as long-term care and safety in transport. Media training is just as important for a charity as it is for directors of commercial companies – these days everyone has to know the value of a ‘soundbite’.

4. The number one enemy of charity public relations is undiluted worthiness. Help the Aged strongly believes in raising its public profile by emphasizing the fun in fundraising. That is why our SportAge activities are so successful, with hundreds of activities and events every year. Like any active public relations group, we also welcome the generous support we get from showbusiness personalities. The membership of our Stage for Age reads like a Who’s Who of the world of entertainment.

5. Sometimes an unexpected endorsement can have a big impact. For instance, who can calculate the value of Samantha Fox describing Help the Aged as ‘my favourite charity’ in an off the cuff remark during the National Lottery draw on BBC1?