| With the credit crunch affecting people from all walks | | | | tug on people's heart strings and build the human |
| of life right across the country, charity shops are | | | | relationships which charities depend upon, charities are |
| reporting a marked and very noticeable increase in | | | | realising that with effective, well devised charity PR |
| sales. The up side is that people may be buying from | | | | and marketing strategies, which focus on both the |
| the charity shops however, there has also been an | | | | global and local market via innovative IT campaigns is |
| alarming fall in the number of people making charitable | | | | both an impressive and very cost effective method of |
| donations. | | | | offering the edge they need to expand public interest. |
| While sales may be notably increasing, many charities | | | | Leading public relations companies are able to offer |
| are having to make staff cutbacks and are being | | | | 21st century marketing and public relations strategies to |
| forced to reduce services in an attempt to keep afloat | | | | boost public interest and generate attention in positive |
| in the current economic downturn. | | | | and constructive ways. |
| The government are stepping in with over | | | | Social enterprises are also being given government |
| £40m which is planned to help charities to assist | | | | funding to help people beat the economic downturn. |
| people through the recession. The plans include giving | | | | An expected £42m will be given to charities in |
| grants to deprived areas, a volunteering scheme and | | | | order for them to help offer employment advice, |
| money to encourage and assist non-profit | | | | mental health and family support services in the most |
| organisations to merge. | | | | deprived areas of the UK. |
| Charitable organisations are also being encouraged to | | | | £10m of the fund will be allocated to help create |
| merge, share offices and form partnerships in order | | | | over 40,000 people learn new skills which they will be |
| that the public are able to source help and advice in | | | | able to use in the voluntary sector. Recent |
| these difficult times. | | | | government TV advertising has included Sir Alan |
| Although charity groups have welcomed the | | | | Sugar to encourage businesses to seek Modern |
| government initiatives, they believe far greater | | | | Apprentices and to take advantage of the multitude of |
| amounts of money are going to be needed if they are | | | | young people who are willing to train and learn skills in |
| to remain buoyant over the forthcoming year and | | | | order to gain or remain employed. |
| beyond. | | | | PR advertisements such as these are being used to |
| Most charities are well aware that in order to remain | | | | give hope and encouragement to the public at a time |
| operating they cannot ignore the importance of having | | | | when more and more people are facing redundancies |
| an effective public relations campaign. Competition | | | | and unemployment. |
| between charities is visibly palpable on TV, with | | | | Charities and social enterprises will need to ensure |
| virtually every afternoon advertisement slot asking the | | | | they have maximum charity PR exposure during these |
| public for monthly donations to help relieve poverty at | | | | difficult times to broadcast their messages of support |
| home and abroad or help rescue plighted animals. | | | | to the British public. |
| While these advertisements are an effective way to | | | | |