Onstory is currently undertaking pro bono marketing consultancy work for The HPV Anal Cancer Foundation. We are delighted to be involved with this vital organisation which educates the public about anal cancer, advocates for prevention and provides resources for patients and other key stakeholders.

High profile charities will typically enjoy the benefits of an in-house creative team, but smaller charities do not have access to this level of support. However, the rewards of pro bono work are not only seen by the recipient: it’s very much a two-way gain.

Charity briefs are often complex and challenging for creatives. They require an in-depth understanding of the organisation’s niche, which is often rooted in the complex world of healthcare and medicine or human rights.This involves making complex scientific or academic topics accessible and useful to a variety of target audiences, with the aim to create real shifts in practice and changes in the wider community. The subject matter can be very emotive too, requiring immersion into a world which can be emotionally difficult to navigate.  

The objective with charity work is to help them achieve their mission, getting closer to their vision. Whilst fundraising and increased donations are a very important aspect and enabler to the work, it is awareness of the cause and driving audience engagement, which are key to success. And this requires a very different approach to your typical FMCG or music branding project, for example. There is a need to be direct, to create a sense of urgency, but at the same create a campaign which really appeals to the emotions to bring about a call to action using the best available evidence to bring about change. It’s this kind of work which demands the very best strategic mindset to work across marketing, design, advertising, social media and PR.

Naturally, this type of brief is the most emotionally satisfying, too. The projects we work on are always creatively rewarding, but to be able to give something back and provide much-needed help which could not otherwise have been afforded, it instils a sense of pride and purpose.

David Winterflood, CEO of the HPV Anal Cancer Foundation, says:

“Even in the short time we have worked with Onstory we have already begun to reap the benefits of this relationship. Karima and her team have grasped the challenges we face as an organisation, and provided timely and actionable advice and tactics for us to adopt to help us achieve our communications goals. We’re very grateful for their support”.