Five reasons charities of all sizes come to Principle for support

We love working with charities of all sizes at Principle (with a huge shout out to small charities this week for Small Charity Week, celebrating organisations that turn over less than £1m a year, but contribute so much to civic life and to people who need support). At Principle we get to consult with a mix of large and small organisations, and there are a variety of reasons why they come to us for support.

1. Campaigning with confidence

With less than a week to go, the general election has of course been front of mind for many of our clients, big and small. How to campaign both effectively and in line with the rules is vital, both in election periods and all the year round. But in the dizzying weeks since the election call, we’ve been able to provide concise advice on how charities can take their rightful place in the public conversation and helped mobilise their supporters behind focused asks for politicians. This has seen The Migraine Trust respond to party manifestos with a short video, and St Vincent de Paul and others develop letter-writing tools, for example.

We will even be hosting a post-election brunch on 5 July 2024 so drop us an email if you’d like to come along. 

2. Embedded relationships with many of our clients

Principle’s model is often unique among public affairs agencies. We find smaller charities in particular don’t always have large in-house policy and public affairs teams, but do deserve an influencing voice, so we’re able to work with them closely to provide that capacity. Because of this, our consultants often become part of the team, working with them for many years and growing in depth understanding of their cause. 

One of our longstanding clients are The Hepatitis C Trust who we have retained since 2005 and helped to secure policy wins on routine testing in prisons and hepatitis C elimination plans in the devolved nations, while the Patient Information Forum commented that 

“from day one, [Principle] consultants have felt like members of our team, getting up to speed with the topic area quickly, and driving the project forwards.”

3. An eye for campaign development

Similarly, we find charities can benefit from insights and expertise on shaping creative campaigns, particularly when they’re working in complex coalitions. The Children’s Charities Coalition – bringing together Action for Children, Barnardo’s, National Children’s Bureau, NSPCC and The Children’s Society – highlighted how we helped them plan, develop an engaging campaign video and microsite, centre the voices of children and young people, and ensure that “campaign objectives reached senior decision makers and the wider public”.

4. An experienced and objective friend

Influencing people in power involves understanding their priorities, securing their time and support, and sometimes just standing back to take a wide view of the political landscape. For us, being committed to the success of our clients’ causes means giving objective advice about how best to decide the most impactful policy asks and solutions for those they wish to influence. We’re also able to share knowledge on what works for other charities. 

We were thrilled to hear youth wellbeing charity nurtureuk’s head of communications say:

“we find [Principle’s] perspectives and insight from across the charity sector a fantastic resource, whilst their ability to adapt to our organisation’s ways of working, their can-do attitude, and clear dedication to our cause are all greatly appreciated”.

5. Help in times of crisis

COVID-19 may be a memory now for many, but the ripple effect for charities and the people they support can still be real. This is why we were proud to work with our client Rare Autoimmune Rheumatic Disease Alliance (RAIRDA) to provide the platform needed to highlight the impact of the pandemic on their community and catch the attention of decision-makers to shape solutions.

Campaigning and influencing in such an unpredictable world means we continue to work with charities to be on the frontfoot of all potential crises so that the people they support can continue to be recipients of impactful policy change. 

If you’d like to see how Principle can support your charity, feel free to get in touch, we’d be happy to help.