2. 2
Table of Contents
Executive Summary.................................................................................................... 4
Introduction............................................................................................................... 5
Secondary Research................................................................................................... 7
Primary Research Findings....................................................................................... 10
Research Insights ................................................................................................. 13
The Big Idea.............................................................................................................. 14
Marketing Communications Strategy...................................................................... 16
Media Plan............................................................................................................... 20
Location Rationale ............................................................................................... 21
Key Performance Indicators (KPI’s).......................................................................... 24
Future Recommendations ....................................................................................... 26
Conclusion................................................................................................................ 29
References ............................................................................................................... 30
Appendices .............................................................................................................. 33
Research Objectives and Methodology............................................................... 33
Corporate Questions (Primary Research)............................................................ 35
Brand Audit.......................................................................................................... 37
Carmichael Centre Questions (Public Questions)................................................ 42
Mock Social Media Post....................................................................................... 43
Social Media Graphic Work ................................................................................. 44
Example of philanthropy quotes.......................................................................... 45
Media Plan Locations........................................................................................... 46
Out-Of-Home Graphic Design.............................................................................. 47
Event Budget........................................................................................................ 48
Pull-Up Banner..................................................................................................... 49
Alternative Media Plans....................................................................................... 50
€10,000 Media Plan......................................................................................... 50
€2,000 Media Plan ........................................................................................... 51
Media and Event Budget Total ........................................................................ 52
Website Designer................................................................................................. 53
About ............................................................................................................... 54
Project.............................................................................................................. 55
Process............................................................................................................. 55
4. 4
Executive Summary
The Carmichael Centre is a Dublin based charity that provides
accommodation and support services for charities and community groups.
Their low brand awareness and lack of an emotional selling point have
hindered their ability to attract public and corporate financial support. Their
aim is to target corporate Ireland for donations.
The research suggests that Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) has
evolved beyond signing cheques. Corporates nowadays want to use their
expertise and skills to be directly involved with their chosen charity.
Companies stressed that employee and colleague engagement with the
charity was of critical importance.
The ‘Good Deeds’ campaign revolves around the key research insight that
corporates nowadays want to get involved with charities. The first element
of the campaign is to offer bundles to companies which they can sponsor.
The main point of offering bundles is to suit a corporate’s need to be able to
get involved and, most importantly, to make it far more convenient and
tempting for them. For example, an I.T. company would be far more likely
to sponsor an I.T. bundle, allowing them to use their expertise and
knowledge in an area that is suited to them. Once a corporate gets involved
with The Carmichael Centre and donates funds and time to their cause,
such action will be recognised as a ‘Good Deed’. The Carmichael Centre
would publish this ‘Good Deed’ on all their social media platforms. The
campaign will be driven by a heavy social media presence, a newly
produced corporate video, strategically located out-of-home advertising
and a strong networking movement. Such a campaign will create a stronger,
increasingly distinguishable “Carmichael Centre” brand, ultimately leading
to donations from corporate Ireland.
5. 5
Introduction
The Carmichael Centre is a charity located in the heart of Dublin City. The
Centre proudly boasts the title of being the first, largest and busiest shared
facility for charities in Ireland. Now in its 26th
year, it houses 47 charities
within its buildings, which, on an annual basis support 40,000 people
directly and 100,000 indirectly.
The Carmichael Centre provides office accommodation at a low cost for
charities and community groups as well as offering critical support services
to members. The Centre is an open community of charities which enables
members to informally network to share vital information with each other.
They also provide charities with a postal address operating within it which
offers them a sense of legitimacy. Such points are of critical importance;
especially to the smaller scale Non Profit Organisations (NPO). The
Carmichael Centre stresses the significance of good governance structure to
build better Irish charities, which in light of recent scandals, is also an
important factor.
Low brand awareness and the absence of a clearly communicated ESP
(emotional selling point) have made it challenging for the Centre in the past
to receive corporate financial support and substantial donations. In recent
years, there has been a surge in popularity throughout corporate Ireland of
developing CSR programmes to reflect positively on their business. The
Carmichael Centre recognises this trend and now aims to develop and
widen its funding model. The campaign that will be implemented should
aim to generate income from corporate Ireland. They also have ambitions
to increase brand awareness and improve their brand image overall which
are factors that the campaign should also address.
6. 6
Outcomes expected include;
A fully completed brand audit
A fully worked out saleable proposition
A marketing plan to generate funds from corporate Ireland including
fully measurable KPI’s
A media selection plan and budget
Any Marketing materials/artworks needed to deliver the campaign
7. 7
Secondary Research
A clear understanding of the importance of CSR programmes to companies
is of paramount importance to this project. CSR is a management concept
that is aimed at aiding social and environmental concerns through business
operations and interactions with stakeholders. (UNIDO, 2015) According to
Nielsen, (2014), 55% of online consumers across 60 countries say that they
are willing to spend more on products and services provided by companies
that have a CSR programme. Charitable donations boost employee
engagement, morale, productivity, ethical behaviour and employees take
further pride in their work. (Frontstream, 2013) Surprisingly, nearly 40% of
the respondents to an Irish survey stated that their firms had no immediate
intentions of applying a CSR strategy, despite the benefits it offers and the
changing buying habits of consumers. (Nsai.ie, 2014) According to Business
News Daily, companies choose an NPO that can benefit from their
involvement. They also consider the emotional connection of the NPO
(Business News Daily, 2011) and the NPO must have values consistent with
their mission statement too. (Hendricks, 2013) Louise Murray, senior CSR
adviser at BITCI, (Business in the Community Ireland) argues companies
should be involved with their community. She states involvement can help
demonstrate the values that are important to the company; it can also be a
method to engage employees and supports lasting impact on issues of
social importance. (Murray, 2015)
Gaining a concise understanding of the public’s point of view with regard to
what issues are presented when people decide to donate money to
charities would also be beneficial. Recently, the Central Remedial Clinic
(CRC) admitted to using charitable funds to top up the salaries of senior
staff members. This resulted in significant consequences to not only the CRC
but the charity sector nationwide as well. (Irish Independent, 2014)
The wheel surveyed 150 members of the charity sector and found that 97%
believe that the CRC scandal has damaged public trust in charities and 54%
8. 8
believe the damage may be permanent. (Irish Independent, 2014) Members
of the public want to have confidence that their donations to charities are
being used as intended. (Justice.ie, n.d.) Due to past corruption, the
Governance Code has been created by the sector in an attempt to prevent
future scandals and restore public confidence and trust. (The Governance
Code, 2014) The code aims to reassure current funders that their money is
being managed by a well-run organisation with good governance structure,
increase charity transparency, direct NPO’s away from practices which may
attract negative publicity, and assist NPO’s to achieve goals faster and
reduce costs. (The Governance Code, 2014) One thing Ken and Diarmaid
stressed was The Carmichael Centre strongly emphasise the importance of
good governance practice to its members.
Competition is high within the charity sector and The Carmichael Centre is
competing with all charities seeking donations, including the 47 charities
they currently house on their premises. It was necessary to identify charities
which offer similar or identical services as The Carmichael Centre in order to
gain a better understanding of how they could set themselves apart from
competitors. ‘The Wheel’ offers almost identical services to The Carmichael
Centre, however they do not offer a premises or postal address to charities.
They have a far greater national presence. They claim that 1.75 million
people benefit from the work of their members. The Wheel’s high national
awareness can be credited to factors such as they achieved 127 interviews
and mentions on air in 2014 and have gained partnerships for training
purposes with companies such as Ulster bank. One key factor to note is
their membership pricing structure, which is tiered in order to offer fairer
charges to charities with smaller incomes. (Wheel.ie, n.d.)
Another similar NPO is the ‘Small Charities Coalition’ in the United Kingdom.
They claim they exist to “help trustees, staff and volunteers of small
charities access the skills, tools, and information they need to get going and
9. 9
do what they do best.” (Smallcharities.org.uk, 2015) It is clear then that
they offer similar services to The Carmichael Centre and virtually identical
services to The Wheel. (Smallcharities.org.uk, 2015) One point worth
highlighting with regard to ‘Small Charities Coalition’ is their donation
model. It is transparent and ensures that people who are donating know
exactly where their money is going. For example £6 will help maintain their
free online resources for charities and £32 will allow them to provide free
and affordable training to charities. (Smallcharities.org.uk, 2015)
10. 10
Primary Research Findings
(See appendices 1)
After asking charities within the Centre their opinions, it was clear that
many of them communicated similar or identical benefits. One benefit that
every single charity mentioned was the ‘informal networking’ capabilities
which The Carmichael Centre offers. Charities have the ability to interact
with each other and gain vital information from one another. The
Carmichael Centre is unique in this way. They are the only organisation
offering advice and training, as well as offering a postal address which
enables 47 charities to be in close proximity; consequently allowing
charities to easily collaborate and learn from each other. This point seemed
to be of significant importance to charities within the Centre.
The Carmichael Centre also houses many ‘Kitchen Start-Up’s’ and is of great
importance to these smaller charities as it provides them with a postal
address and offers them a sense of legitimacy. As well as this, rent is
inexpensive, which many of the charities find extremely beneficial. Charities
within the Centre also mentioned the benefits of having IT support and
other training. Many of the charities communicated that they are delighted
with the fact that The Carmichael Centre was able to teach them the
importance of good governance structure and good governance practice as
the recent CRC scandal is still raw in the minds of consumers. As a final
attempt to gain some valuable insights, each charity was asked to sum up in
one short sentence, what The Carmichael Centre has done for their charity.
Some replies include, “Ultimately we wouldn’t be able to run without The
Carmichael Centre”-IAPC and “A springboard to improve services”-Coeliac
Society of Ireland.
For the purpose of this research, numerous large corporations within
Ireland were contacted and kindly offered their time and knowledge. (See
appendices 2) The information they were able to share was incredibly
valuable. Almost all corporates stated that colleague engagement was of
11. 11
paramount importance. Corporates seem to be moving away from simply
signing cheques and instead want to collaborate with charities who can
offer fundraising and volunteering opportunities for their staff.
Many corporates also communicated that a charity must have a link to what
they stand for or practices they engage in. Corporates must be able to offer
their expertise as well as their money so they can devote time to the charity
and be viewed as more of a ‘Corporate Citizen’. It is evident that CSR is
becoming increasingly important, yet there are still many smaller Irish
companies which have not adopted a CSR policy and are unsure how to
start one. One company suggested approaching organisations to offer them
assistance in developing a CSR programme and help them manage it.
Another member from corporate Ireland stated that tailoring your proposal
to each business is vital. It is not wise to send out 500 generic letters
seeking donations from corporates as this is not looked upon favorably
because they prefer a personal touch. Corporates like to see a
demonstration of knowledge from charities about their business. One
corporate stated that they are very keen on the fact that The Carmichael
Centre are ‘helping 50 smaller charities and (therefore) our donations of
money or services would be going towards a number of organisations.’ This
clearly appeals to some corporates and if The Carmichael Centre had
greater public awareness then corporates such as this one may well have
chosen to sponsor them in the past.
Good governance and donation transparency were also vital to all
corporates in their process of choosing a charity to sponsor. Any bad
publicity or negative governance practices affected their decisions greatly. A
breakdown of exactly where a donor’s money goes is of great benefit and
makes the charity more inviting. One company stated that the charity they
recently chose to involve in their CSR programme communicated to them
exactly where their money is going. In that case ‘every €16 raised = 1 hour
of nursing home care.’ This transparency enables corporates to see exactly
how their money would make a difference.
12. 12
The brand audit entailed looking at all things relevant and directly related to
The Carmichael Centre’s brand. (See appendices 3) The message they are
looking to communicate more effectively is not helped by further branding
confusion. The Carmichael Centre is not one Centre; it is made up of
Carmichael House, Coleraine house, and the Richmond Office suite. Bringing
them all under one stronger brand name would be beneficial and offer
better uniformity. They boast that they have 47 resident charities on their
website, however on their welcome pack, which is given to charities, there
are only 39 charities included. There is no uniformity to their printed
documents and the logo can be seen in different locations on numerous
documents and in different colours and sizes. Many general discrepancies
can be easily noticed such as poor grammar and spelling errors. Also, there
are far too many email addresses to contact for different issues, which add
greatly to the confusion. The introduction of a single contact method or a
reduction of contact points is essential. On social media, The Carmichael
Centre’s profile picture is different for Facebook and Twitter. One is of the
logo and the other is a picture of their resident charities. With regard to the
website, the inclusion of more photographs and colour as well as reducing
the amount of “white space” that features on the body of all pages would
be beneficial. Reformatting information that is being provided and avoiding
lengthy text filled spaces should be looked into. Also, correcting and
updating statistical and numerical information such as the number of
charities based in the Centre is essential. The website’s layout and structure
needs to be simplified with removal of irrelevant pages. Navigational layout
and links also need to be addressed. ‘Knowledge Net’ should ideally be a
separate website to which members could contribute content and pay a fee
to access this service. The current corporate video, which is on the charity’s
YouTube channel, is not of a standard which promotes the brand image
positively.
Finally, to investigate The Carmichael Centre’s public awareness, 111 people
were asked throughout Dublin City (Greater St. Stephens Green area,
13. 13
Smithfield) if they had ever heard of The Carmichael Centre. (See
appendices 4) 80% of the participants had never heard of the Centre. 11%
claimed they had heard of the Centre but were not sure what they do. 9%
shared some sort of knowledge of the Centre but alarmingly only 1
participant of the 111 (0.9%) knew exactly what The Carmichael Centre
does.
Research Insights
Charities must have a good governance structure in order for
corporates to sponsor them and The Carmichael Centre encourages
charities within their walls to practice good governance.
Corporates want charities to communicate exactly how their money
is helping NPO’s within The Carmichael Centre. This allows
corporates to measure how their donation is making a change for
the better, with a degree of accuracy.
Corporates want to directly involve their employees in fundraising
and volunteering opportunities for charities. Such practices can
increase employee productivity, reduce staff turnover and boost
employee morale.
Corporates agreed low awareness would not put them off
sponsoring a charity, however low awareness prevents corporates
from recognising NPO’s in the first place.
Corporate sponsorship and involvement would allow The Carmichael
Centre to improve their infrastructure and services on which
‘kitchen start-ups’ within the Centre so heavily rely.
14. 14
The Big Idea
The ‘Good Deeds’ campaign revolves around the key research insight that
corporates nowadays want to get involved with charities. This campaign
invites corporates to get involved and carry out their own ‘Good Deed’ for
The Carmichael Centre, demonstrating an understanding of their needs and
wants as well as allowing them to use their specific expertise for greater
good. Critically, this approach avoids the cut-throat method of simply
looking for money which is frowned upon by many businesses. As well as
this, asking corporates for help will also flatter them.
The first element of the big idea is to offer ‘Sponsorship Bundles’ that are
relatable and attractive for corporates to choose from. The main point of
offering bundles is to suit a corporate’s needs to be able to get involved
and, most importantly, to make it far more convenient and tempting. A
large I.T. firm will be more likely to sponsor an ‘I.T. bundle’ and therefore
will be able to share specific expertise as well as advise and provide funds
where needed. The same principal applies to the other bundles. This
component deals with two key insights that were uncovered;
1. Corporates want to directly involve their employees in fundraising
and volunteering opportunities for charities.
2. Transparency of donation allocations, allowing corporates to
measure how their donation is making a change for the better, with
a degree of accuracy.
Companies will have the option to choose from areas such as (for example):
I.T.
Event Management
Public Relations
Finance
15. 15
Once a corporate gets involved with The Carmichael Centre and donates
funds and time to their cause, such action will be recognised as a ‘Good
Deed’. The Carmichael Centre will acknowledge the ‘Good Deed’ carried out
by the corporate by sharing it on each and every social media platform they
operate on. (See appendices 5)
This element of the campaign is essentially a selling point which The
Carmichael Centre can offer to potential corporate donors. The Centre will
highlight the ‘Good Deed’ and publish it for everyone to see on social
media. Such a post would reflect exceptionally well on the corporate
sponsor, allowing the public to see the good they are doing for society from
a source other than themselves. The company and its employees could then
share the post to boost further awareness of their honourable and decent
actions.
Another component which will complement the campaign will be the newly
produced corporate video. This video will act as a way of clearly informing
viewers of The Carmichael Centre’s work. It can be embedded in the home
page of their website as well as the ‘Good Deeds’ landing page, and can also
be shared on all of their social media platforms.
The ‘Good Deeds’ campaign meets the needs of all parties involved. The
‘Bundles’ offer corporates the chance to get involved with relative ease and
such involvement would enhance the corporate’s image and boost
employee morale. Simultaneously, this would boost The Carmichael
Centre’s financial health and improve the services which they offer to small
charities that are making a big difference. The ‘Good Deeds’ social media
presence will enhance brand awareness of both parties and heighten the
elements of fun, creativity, vibrancy and devotedness of everyone involved
working towards a common goal.
16. 16
Marketing Communications Strategy
The timing of the rollout of the campaign is of critical importance. Often,
companies tend to choose the charities they wish to involve in their CSR
programme months before the New Year begins. Therefore, it is essential to
initiate the campaign while companies are trying to pick suitable charities to
sponsor and donate money to. Summer is generally a quiet time as
employees are taking holidays etc. and because of this it can be argued that
the end of August through to the middle of September would be an ideal
time to target these companies with the rollout of The ‘Good Deeds’
campaign. Mornings and evenings tend to be bright and the weather is
relatively nice at that time of year meaning more people would be spending
time outdoors.
The campaign will involve a heavy social media presence in the run up to,
during, and after the end goal which is a corporate event. The social media
element is of critical importance as frequent posts and regular sharing of
‘Good Deed’ content will be the driving force behind the campaign. This
component can be used as a selling point to companies as posting content
portraying their chivalrous work will reflect positively on their image.
Companies will be invited to sponsor a particular bundle which they believe
their business can offer most assistance on. They will then come in and
share their expertise with The Carmichael Centre and, in return, The
Carmichael Centre will ensure that every ‘Good Deed’ carried out by a
company will be broadcast across all of their social media platforms in a
highly flattering manner. (See appendices 5) The Centre’s Facebook page,
Twitter page, LinkedIn page and YouTube channel etc. offer a platform to
run the campaign in the most cost effective way possible. Content posted
on these platforms should include:
The newly produced corporate video.
17. 17
The ‘Good Deed’ campaign graphic work which has been produced.
(See appendices 6)
Charitable quotes from iconic figures (see appendices 7)
Relevant articles and suitable sharable imagery i.e. CSR articles and
pictures of charities working hard within the Centre etc.
Content portraying how CSR programmes can benefit businesses
and charities alike.
Reminders of the upcoming corporate event and important dates.
Any ‘Good Deed’ carried out by a corporate i.e. photos and posts
showing their involvement. (See appendices 5)
Such a heavy presence online will result in strengthening of the brand
image and improve brand awareness.
Also, there is potential for the Centre to advertise on social media
platforms, in particular LinkedIn. A budget for this medium is included in the
media plan. LinkedIn was precisely chosen as it would allow them to target
specific businesses which they feel would be the most likely candidates to
donate to them.
The corporate video which has been produced will act as a vehicle to inform
all social media followers and website visitors of exactly what The
Carmichael Centre does. It should be embedded in the landing page of their
website and also the ‘Good Deeds’ sub-page. The video can be proudly
shared on all social media platforms ensuring all followers can fully
understand what the Centre does. The video also supports the story of The
Carmichael Centre, boosting the strength of the brand in the minds of
viewers. The tone of the video will furthermore help clarify to corporates
the absolute necessity of The Carmichael Centre’s work and the
dependence which charities have on them to survive.
Once the campaign is underway, as well as the social media element, it is
advised that a strong networking movement should also ensue. This would
involve tailoring mini-pitches for specific potential businesses, actively going
18. 18
out and asking SME’s and larger corporations would they be interested in
including The Carmichael Centre within their CSR programmes in
conjunction with the ‘Good Deeds’ campaign. The main aim of such
excursions would be to encourage businesses to come and attend the final
event which will be held for corporates, at which The Carmichael Centre can
go into greater detail about what they are looking to gain (as well as what
the businesses can gain) and ultimately, entice businesses to get involved
with them.
There is an out-of-home media element to the campaign, whereby The
Carmichael Centre could buy ad space on bus stop ‘Adshels’ and other OOH
platforms targeted in specific areas with a high footfall of business
commuters i.e. Dart Stations, Luas stops etc. to boost awareness of the
campaign. (See appendices 8) Specific posters have been produced (See
appendices 9) in a corporate style to ensure maximum impact when viewed
outdoors. It will drive traffic to the website and their social media pages as
it contains a call to action. Although this graphic work has been designed
specifically for the OOH element of the campaign, it can still be posted on
the Centre’s social media pages. The budget for the OOH element can be
seen in the media plan. A presence on the street, designed specifically to
target corporate employees, will further strengthen the brand when
coupled with a social media presence and give weight to the reputation of
the campaign. The Carmichael Centre also has a good relationship with
Dublin City FM which could be used in order to promote the campaign on
their station.
Ultimately, these components will work towards maximising attendance at
the culminating event which would be held in The Carmichael Centre. (See
appendices 10) At the event The Carmichael Centre will pitch to the
attending corporates, asking them to sponsor them and to get involved.
Here, the video can be used as an introduction to lay out clearly in the
minds of attendees what the charity does. The purpose of this event is to go
into greater detail for the attending businesses about how the social media
19. 19
element can benefit them and to go through specific details of the bundles.
Pull-Up banners have been designed to stand in the event room to help
further clarify the details of each bundle. (See appendices 11)
It is advised that the Centre should ask a numbers of CEO’s from resident
charities to talk to corporates in order to hear first-hand from the
benefactors of the Carmichael Centre’s work. The ambiance of the event
should be relaxed and members should make an effort to talk informally
with attendees afterwards, in an attempt to leave a final lasting impression
on them. This event should be used as a final opportunity to entice
companies to sponsor and get involved with The Carmichael Centre. It will
be at this point, or shortly after, that The Carmichael Centre will begin to
reap the tangible rewards of the ‘Good Deeds’ campaign.
20. 20
Media Plan
Cycle 18 (29th
August 2016 – 11th
September 2016)
(See appendices 12 for alternative media plan)
21. 21
Location Rationale
Media Plan objectives:
Advertise in highly dense corporate landscapes
Target East Point Business Park, Silicon Docks and IFSC (600+
companies 50000 + employees) (See appendices 8)
Target High Footfall areas
Use small format outdoor advertising to keep costs minimal.
Target companies specifically online
It is advisable that the client should heavily advertise through out-of-home
(OOH) mediums. Outdoor advertising is becoming an increasingly popular
option due to its cost effectiveness and its ability to reach high footfall
areas. The ‘Good Deeds’ campaign combined with networking, will allow
The Carmichael Centre to significantly boost brand awareness amongst
corporate Ireland and the general public. In order to maximise effectiveness
and exposure, the campaign should be promoted in high footfall areas
within Dublin. Not only would this strategy result in gaining public
awareness but also these locations were purposely chosen to target areas
with a high number of businesses. As a means to keeping costs down, the
use of small out-of-home formats would be beneficial for the purpose of
the campaign.
In order to target highly dense corporate landscapes, the promotion of the
campaign would be communicated in the vicinity of business parks and
financial sectors in Dublin. The OOH advertising content would be displayed
on Adshels, Commuter-points, Luas Columns and Metropanels.
Adshels and Commuterpoints offer longer dwell time, which means an
increase of exposure duration. These smaller formats are an effective
format with 73% of passers-by seeing it and on average seeing it a total of
22. 22
14 times over a cycle. (Clearchannel.ie, n.d.) Dart Stations have been
selected to target corporates working in the City. Grand Canal Docks is a
central location to the Silicon Docks, which consists of Google, LinkedIn,
Amazon, eBay, Accenture and many more. In order to increase The
Carmichael’s Centre presence in this area, it would be advisable to also use
Luas Columns and Adshels in the Docklands. Targeting bus stops and Luas
stops will not only communicate the message to public transport
passengers but also pedestrians in the area.
Ireland’s International Financial Services Centre (IFSC), with 38,000
employees and 500 companies would also be a suitable location to promote
The Carmichael Centre’s campaign. (IFSC, 2016) The IFSC includes some of
the most charitable corporations in Ireland including KPMG, J.P Morgan,
Deloitte plus many more. In order to target this area, it would be advisable
to use Connolly & Tara DART station and Connolly Luas stop to promote the
campaign. It is recommended to use the Adshel on Amiens Street as it is
located in this area.
East Point Business Park is another potential location to gain exposure
amongst corporate Ireland. East Point has over 50 companies with more
than 6000 employees. Companies such as Cisco, Oracle and Enterprise
Ireland are situated in this business park. (Eastpoint.ie, n.d.) In order to
access this highly dense corporate landscape, the campaign will be launched
through various platforms in the vicinity. The mediums that have been
chosen to communicate the campaign in this area are Adshels and
commuter points. By selecting these formats the campaign is targeting two
of the main transport systems in this area. Clontarf DART station is located
within 10 minutes of the business park and is a popular mode of transport
for corporate employees within the area. (DART & Bus).
It was clear from conducting primary research that brand awareness was
low. This low public awareness hinders the charity’s ability to receive public
donations. In order to boost the awareness of The Carmichael Centre, it is
23. 23
recommended that they target high footfall areas such as Suffolk Street and
Henry Street. JCDecaux’s metropanels provide a 6 sheet backlit format that
will be in the centre of both streets. Henry Street is one Ireland’s busiest
streets with approximately 10,000 – 11,000 people passing through every
hour. (Independent.ie, 2012)
LinkedIn advertising can prove to be effective when combined with outdoor
advertising as well as networking. Adverts on LinkedIn can be aimed at
specific industries and individual companies. By using a Cost per click (CPC)
option, The Carmichael Centre would only be charged when a corporate has
shown an interest in the ad. The advantage of paying per click rather than
impression is that the client is only being charged when a genuine interest
in the ad is shown. From August to November The Carmichael Centre failed
to reach more than 10 clicks per post on LinkedIn. By setting a €40 budget a
day for a two week period it could potentially have a Click-Through-Rate of
140 at the end of the period. LinkedIn adverts could coincide with the
outdoor media plan meaning that corporates would see the ads of The
Carmichael Centre on the way to work, after work as well as when they are
online.
24. 24
Key Performance Indicators (KPI’s)
Campaign Objectives
Generate 50 leads with a conversion of 6% - 10%, equating to 3 - 5
companies donating/sponsoring.
Event Attendance
Target 50 companies - attract 10 - 15 companies – 25% - 30%
conversion rate
Twitter
Currently 3400 followers
Rising to 4000 – 4500 followers. Equating to 18% - 32% increase.
LinkedIn
Currently 350 followers
Rising to 600 – 800. Equating to 71% - 129% increase.
Facebook
Currently 1700 likes
Rising to 2200 - 2500 likes. Equating to 29% - 47% increase.
Website
Currently averages 2600 page views a month
Rising from 5000 – 6000 views a month. Equating to 92% - 130%
increase
Awareness
Increase public awareness from 0.9% - 5%
Increase revenue through donations
A donation of €500 could be considered a firm commitment by a
company, according to a CSR expert. (McGeough, 2016) However,
such donations may be considered short term. Long term
partnerships and bundle sponsorship within the first year,
25. 25
amounting to cash donations of €10,000-€15,000 and improvement
of infrastructure worth €10,000-€15,000 should be considered a
resounding success.
26. 26
Future Recommendations
New Membership Model (Tiered Rent or Percentage of total revenue)
1. Instead of using a standardised membership fee for all charities, it is
recommended to base membership fees on a charity’s turnover. The
amount a charity pays is dependent on their annual turnover. By
adopting this tiered structure The Carmichael Centre will generate
more income compared to their current membership cost model.
2. The Carmichael Centre could utilise a cost model whereby it
enforces a percentage tariff on each member charity. The
percentage that The Carmichael Centre charge would be relatively
small, 0.5% or even 0.25%. Taking a 0.5% or 0.25% cut of a charities
turnover would mean that small charities pay far less than larger
ones. This option seems fair for all charities as it allows them to pay
a membership fee accurately relative to their income amount. In
order to test the various membership structures, 15 charity
revenues were looked at.
27. 27
Donation transparency
Since the Central Remedial Scandal, corporations and the public
have stressed the importance of knowing how their money is
helping charities. The public donation model on the website should
demonstrate how each donation is helping The Carmichael Centre
by using relevant examples. For example, ‘€25 will allow us maintain
our free resources for 1 member charity for a month.’ In addition to
showing how the donation is helping the charity, it is advised to
include a monthly donation option.
28. 28
Use a cheaper and safer donation model
Web Site development experts, Nevada, recommend that the client
use a safer and cheaper donation model instead of the current
Realex model. It is advised to use a plugin such as Stripe. (See
appendices 13)
Widen market / Public engagement
In order to generate more income, it is advised that The Carmichael
Centre should widen their market by actively engaging with the
public and eventually seeking donations from them.
New Website
Web designer Alan Duffy of Nevada Web design, recommends The
Carmichael Centre should adopt a content management system such
as Word Press. It allows multiple users to change and modify
content with relative ease. This will allow The Carmichael Centre to
upload videos, images and documents. A responsive design should
be added, which will enable the website to respond to the size of
the screen it is viewed on. (See appendices 13)
Monetise Knowledge Net
‘Knowledge Net’ should ideally be a separate website to which
members could contribute content and pay a fee to access this
service.
Corporate Video
The corporate video that has been produced in conjunction with this
project should be broadcast on the new website and across all Social
Media pages to make consumers aware of The Carmichael Centre.
29. 29
Conclusion
The purpose of this campaign is to establish The Carmichael Centre as a
more recognisable brand and ultimately polish their image in order to
receive worthwhile donations and assistance from corporate Ireland.
The research conducted was heavily analysed and the most important
insights were used to formulise a campaign which satisfies both The
Carmichael Centre’s needs and their target audience’s needs. The ‘Good
Deeds’ movement will allow the Centre establish a strong brand presence
online and effectively promote their message in areas which have a high
footfall of suitable consumers to target.
The corporate video that has been produced in conjunction with this project
will act as a clear and engaging information source, communicating to
viewers the work that the Centre participates in. Some changes that have
been suggested, such as a new membership model, should help the charity
financially in the long-term also.
With a large amount of work and effort from everyone involved, The
Carmichael Centre will be a more recognisable, stronger, relevant and
forward-looking brand.
30. 30
References
Business in the Community Ireland, (2015). Bitc.ie. Available at:
http://www.bitc.ie/csrcasestudies/boots-irelands-flagship-charity-
partner/
[Accessed 7 Nov. 2015].
Business News Daily, (2011). How to Choose a Charity to Support.
Available at: http://www.businessnewsdaily.com/1604-choosing-
business-charity.html
[Accessed 26 Oct. 2015].
Carmichaelcentre.ie, (n.d.). Carmichaelcentre Available at:
http://www.carmichaelcentre.ie/
[Accessed 19 Oct. 2015].
Clearchannel.ie, (n.d.). Adshel - Bus Shelter. Available at:
http://www.clearchannel.ie/products/adshel
[Accessed 27 Feb. 2016]
Eastpoint.ie. (n.d.). Companies in Eastpoint Business Park. Available at:
http://www.eastpoint.ie/companie
[Accessed 17 Mar. 2016].
Frontstream.com, (2013. Why charitable giving is important to
businesses. Available at: http://www.frontstream.com/why-charitable-
giving-is-important-to-businesses/
[Accessed 22 Oct. 2015].
Governancecode.ie, (2014). About the Governance Code for Community
and Voluntary Organisations. Available at:
http://www.governancecode.ie/about.php
[Accessed 25 Oct. 2015].
Hendricks, D. (2013). How Charitable Giving Can Boost Office Morale
While Helping The Community. Forbes.com. Available at:
http://www.forbes.com/sites/drewhendricks/2013/12/18/how-
charitable-giving-can-boost-office-morale-while-helping-the-
community/
[Accessed 23 Oct. 2015].
IFSC. (2016). About the IFSC. Available at:
http://www.ifsc.ie/page.aspx?idpage=6
[Accessed 17 Mar. 2016]
31. 31
Irish Independent, (2014). Charities' fears over CRC scandal. Available at:
http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/charities-fears-over-crc-scandal-
29925820.html
[Accessed 25 Oct. 2015].
Independent.ie. (2012). Grafton St footfall up 14.6pc. Available at:
http://www.independent.ie/business/irish/grafton-st-footfall-up-146pc-
26839453.html
[Accessed 17 Mar. 2016].
Justice.ie, (2013). Shatter announces plans to establish Independent
Charities Regulator and publishes outcome of consultation on charities
regulation - The Department of Justice and Equality. Available at:
http://www.justice.ie/en/JELR/Pages/PR13000290
[Accessed 25 Oct. 2015].
McGeough, B. (2016). Advertising Students (Corporate Donations). [email].
Murray, L. (2015). Top tips for choosing the right community partner to
make a long lasting impact. Business in the Community Ireland.
Available at: http://www.bitc.ie/newsroom/news/top-
tips-for-choosing-the-right-community-partner-and-make-a-long-
lasting-impact/
[Accessed 7 Nov. 2015].
Nielsen, (2014). Global consumers are willing to put their money where
their heart is when it comes to goods and services from companies
committed to social responsibility. Available at:
http://www.nielsen.com/us/en/press-room/2014/global-consumers-are-
willing-to-put-their-money-where-their-heart-is.html
[Accessed 22 Oct. 2015].
Nsai.ie, (2014). NSAI - Survey on Social Responsibility practices in Ireland.
Available at: http://www.nsai.ie/Social-Responsibility-Practices-Survey-
Ireland.aspx#Survey_of_CSR
[Accessed 26 Oct. 2015].
RGB Interactive, (n.d.). Small Business Philanthropy. [image] Available
at: http://www.rgbinteractive.com/about-us/small-business-
philanthropy.php
[Accessed 14 Apr. 2016]
Smallcharities.org.uk, (2015). Who We Are, Available at:
http://www.smallcharities.org.uk/who-we-are/
[Accessed 20 Nov. 2015].
32. 32
Unido.org, (2015). What is CSR?, Available at:
http://www.unido.org/en/what-we-do/trade/csr/what-is-csr.html
[Accessed 13 Oct. 2015].
Wheel.ie, (n.d.). About | The Wheel. Available at:
http://www.wheel.ie/about
[Accessed 26 Nov. 2015].
33. 33
Appendices
Research Objectives and Methodology
Throughout our research, we aimed to gain a concrete understanding of the
internal workings of The Carmichael Centre. We wanted to talk to the
charities within The Carmichael Centre and ask them to communicate the
key benefits The Carmichael Centre offers from their point of view and the
main reasons why it is vital to their survival. In order to gain a clear
understanding, we thought that face-to-face interviews with charities in The
Carmichael Centre would be the most valuable to us. When we visited the
Centre we were able to talk to seven different charities. Each interview
lasted between 10 and 20 minutes.
As well as gaining an understanding of The Carmichael Centre’s internal
workings, we also recognised the importance of gaining insights from a
corporate perspective as our main target for the marketing plan is
corporate Ireland. Once again we felt that face-to-face interviews would be
of most benefit to us. Ideally, we wanted to talk to employees within
organisations who are involved in the decision-making process regarding
CSR. Unfortunately, with year-end fast approaching, many companies
simply did not have the time to offer us an in-depth interview. However,
with some kind words and gentle persuasion, some organisations agreed to
answer some key questions for us through email. The email survey
consisted of 8 questions. Every company who agreed to take part managed
to answer them in great detail, as we politely requested. The companies
who took part included KBC, Woodies DIY, DeLoitte, The Credit Union, Evros
and more. We did manage to engage in two in-depth interviews as well; one
with a representative of Nestle’s PR agency and another with an expert in
CSR. We have highlighted our key insights from these methods of research
in our ‘Primary Research’ findings.
Finally, we wanted to get a further understanding the The Carmichael
Centre’s public awareness. In order to find this out, we took to the street of
Dublin [St. Stephens Green Area, Dawson St. and Grafton St. as well as
(1)
34. 34
Brunswick St. (where the Centre is located)] and managed to ask 111 people
questions relating to their knowledge and understanding of The Carmichael
Centre.
35. 35
Corporate Questions (Primary Research)
The charity we are creating a marketing plan for (Carmichael Centre) want
to target corporates specifically.
The Carmichael Centre offer facilities and services to charities so they can
run more efficiently and ultimately grow.... currently they are unable to
communicate an emotional selling point effectively to corporates or the
public. They are helping many charities grow so in effect sponsorship would
go towards helping 50 smaller charities (rather than just one).
1) What would entice “corporate’s name” to sponsor a charity?
2) Is there a process involved in choosing?
3) What does a charity have to offer in order for “corporate’s name” to
donate?
4) Would the company want to be considered supporters of the charity
publicly?
5) If a charity has low public awareness, is that an issue in a company’s
eyes?
6) “The Carmichael Centre offer facilities and services to charities so
they can run more efficiently and ultimately grow. Currently, they
are unable to communicate an emotional selling point effectively to
corporates or the public. They are helping many charities grow so in
(2)
36. 36
effect sponsorship would go towards helping 50 smaller charities
(rather than just one).”
Does that sound more appealing to “corporate’s name”?
7) Would “corporate’s name” rather sponsor a large charity for some
reason? If so what is the reason?
The purpose of me asking these questions is to find answers that will offer
me insights from a corporate perspective. If you could get back to me with
answers to these questions as soon as you find time to, then that would be
greatly appreciated! We must stress that we are merely looking for
information – not money.
37. 37
Brand Audit
The areas that were analysed for the brand audit are as follows:
Website
Social Media
Communication systems
Welcome pack
Print media
Print Media/Website/Social Media/ Welcome Pack all had
formatting and content inconsistencies such as logo placement,
spelling errors, general text-formatting errors etc.
The website is not user friendly, it is difficult to navigate through
the site and even more difficult to find the information that the
user is looking for.
The amount of different contact points is unnecessary and
confusing. It would be advisable to use one point of contact for
inquiries. This point of contact could be a built in inquiry page on
the website for example.
In many cases throughout the website there is too much content
and many pages contain formatting issues, a good example is the
catering page. The ‘Contact Us’ section isn’t centred and is pushed
to the right side of the page which looks displeasing. Unfortunately,
(3)
38. 38
such cases appear regularly throughout the website’s vast amount
of pages.
The homepage title “Carmichael Centre | Building Stronger
Charities and Not for Profits Nationwide” is too long. This 78-
character title will be cropped to 64 characters by search engines. In
order to boost search engine optimization it is of critical importance
to ensure page titles remain within this range. It is also advisable to
have a clear description for all images and pages on the website.
The Donate page isn’t user friendly as there is too much
information needed which the user must provide, discouraging
them from donating. The current Realex donation model presently
used by The Carmichael Centre isn’t as safe as other available
options. It is recommended to use a cheaper, simpler and safer
plugin such as Stripe.
The number of resident charities still remains unclear. The home
page states that there are 45 charities however, the donate page
mentions 47 charities while the welcome pack mentions only 39
charities.
There is an abundance of PDF forms on the website.
39. 39
The training & consultancy forms have formatting issues. The
various forms on the website also have different point of contacts
which is confusing.
The ‘Contact Us’ page needs to be simplified. A name and email
address is the only relevant information that is needed; ‘address’
and ‘company role’ seem unnecessary.
The ‘Contact Us’ page shows maps of Carmichael House and
Coleraine House, however there is no map details or postal code for
Richmond suite on Morning Star Avenue. In order to make this page
simpler for the user, it is advisable that there is one map, which
consists of the 3 building locations stating which building to contact
for certain issues.
The ‘Corporate Services’ page has various indexing and formatting
issues. All content has been centre aligned while other pages align
from the left.
The ‘Associate Member’ page has too much content with more
points of contacts.
The slogan ‘Carmichael Centre for Voluntary Groups’ stays
consistent throughout the website, however at the bottom of the
‘Associate Membership’ form a lower-case ‘v’ is used.
40. 40
The logo placement on the ‘Mentor Programme’ page is centred
while other forms had the logo on the left.
Profile photos vary across all Social Media platforms which adds to
the general confusing message the brand is currently
communicating. The Facebook logo showcases the various resident
charities in the centre. Twitter logo contains the actual logo of the
Carmichael Centre but the user name is @CCVoluntaryOrgs. The
twitter logo over lapses the background banner. It is advisable that
all social media platforms should keep a consistent logo and
username to avoid confusion.
The LinkedIn page says founded in 1988 but mentions since 1990 the
Centre has grown.
The YouTube page lacks content and professionalism.
The video views on YouTube range between only 8 and 300. In order
to boost YouTube views it is recommended to use more key-words
and tags. Google analytics is useful tool which tells users which
techniques are and aren’t working.
It is advisable that any future videos that are created should also be
promoted through the homepage of the website and also Social
Media.
41. 41
All videos and valuable content should be shared on Social Media by
members where possible.
Over the past few years the Carmichael Centre have welcomed
highly influential people such as the President of Ireland to their
charity. Such occasions should be filmed professionally so they can
be used on their website and social media to boost brand awareness
and traffic.
The ‘Welcome Pack’ consists of different taglines on each page.
“Building stronger charities nationwide”
“Turning people’s passion into change”
“Building stronger charities and not for profits nationwide”
Only one business card needed
42. 42
Carmichael Centre Questions (Public Questions)
Yes No
1) Have you ever heard of the Carmichael Centre ?
2) If yes, what do the Carmichael Centre do?
3) How did you hear about the Carmichael Centre?
(4)
53. 53
Website Designer
Prepared for Eoin Carroll
By Alan Duffy, UI, UX and web designer
Proposal to design and develop the website of the
Carmichael Centre
www.carmichaelcentre.ie
11
th
March 2016
(13)
54. 54
About
Nevada is the trading name for my web design and development business. I have created
websites for many clients over the years across a wide spectrum of industries, and when
necessary pool resources with with graphic designers and other web designers and
developers on projects.
For my full portfolio please visit this link: http://www.nevada.ie/portfolio/
Click here for an example of my design process:
https://projects.invisionapp.com/boards/C415XAITGRZBD/
Alan Duffy
Nevada
120 Wainsfort Road
Terenure
Dublin 6W
D6W AW84
VAT No. IE 7912953H
create@nevada.ie
www.nevada.ie
Phone +353 1 4736504
Mobile +353 86 803 1082
MY EXPERTISE IS IN
User Experience Design
User Interface Design
WordPress Content Management System
Search Engine Optimisation
Page Speed
Responsive Web Design
Contents
Project Fee
Process Maintenance and Support
Responsive Design Project Plan
Content Management System
Nevada, 120 Wainsfort Road, Terenure, Dublin 6W, D6W AW84, Ireland.
55. 55
Project
SUGGESTIONS
Donate
• Use donate plugin rather than customised form through Realex as this is a
cheaper more secure option. I would recommend using Stripe.
WEBSITE REQUIREMENTS
Specific Requirements
• Online library
• Donate facility
• Events calendar
• News
• Social media
• Mentor profiles
General Requirements
• Make mobile compatible
• Build in SEO
• Fast downloading
• Train staff on how to update site easily
Process
• Kickoff meeting
• Stakeholder interviews
• Content and site audits
• Market/competitive research
• Analysis and recommendations
• Project design (See below)
• Deliver project
Nevada, 120 Wainsfort Road, Terenure, Dublin 6W, D6W AW84, Ireland.
Tel +353 1 4736504 Email create@nevada.ie Web www.nevada.ie VAT No. IE
56. 56
Project Design
1. Information Architecture
2. Site Map
3. Wireframes
4. Hi-fidelity visuals
5. Create website theme and individual templates and link up with CMS
Responsive Design
'Responsive' design means your web site will respond to the size of the screen it is
viewed on, so elements like images, menu items and even video will change shape
and proportion to suit the device.
Content Management System
WORDPRESS
WordPress is the most popular CMS on the internet. It is also open source so any
company can work on it and there are no licensing issues. It has many plugins and
is very easy to use with some training.
You can maintain all aspects of the site using this system including the menus,
pages, galleries, secure areas, news and just about anything you can think of.
Features
• Search engine friendly URLs.
• Ability to easily upload content, videos, documents and images of various
formats.
• Manage navigation, pages, news items etc.
Hosting
You would need Linux hosting that supports PHP/MySQL to run WordPress. This
can be easily arranged with any host.
57. 57
Fee excl. VAT
€ 2,800
VAT @ 23%
* Fee does not include domains, hosting or populating the site. I will initially upload
some pages, images and documents for example purposes. Quote valid for 6
months.
INVOICE SCHEDULE
Commence Project 40%
After Design Approval 40%
Completion of Development and Training 20%
FEE INCLUDES
• User-centered design process from Wire Frames and High-Fidelity
visuals to finished web site
• WordPress theme and various templates
• Browser testing on Internet Explorer, Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge
• Training on WordPress for up to two hours and basic support thereafter on
email or by phone
• Search Engine Optimisation and Registration
• Responsive design for mobile devices
• Basic after-sales support
Nevada, 120 Wainsfort Road, Terenure, Dublin 6W, D6W AW84, Ireland.
58. 58
Maintenance and Support
AD HOC MAINTENANCE
€55 per hour (excluding VAT)
Ongoing labour costs after site goes live are simply charged out at €55 per hour plus VAT unless
you prefer a retainer or another billing agreement.
Time is billed every 15 minutes. Bugs fixed free of charge.
Project plan
Timescale 5-6 weeks.
Research Analyse business requirements, customer needs and
competitors.
Low-Fidelity Wire Frames Provide initial wire frames sketches of website and
templates.
High-Fidelity Designs Create high-fidelity designs from wire frames.
Revisions Chosen design is refined until finalised.
Development Design is converted into a theme and linked up with
WordPress.
Training Staff trained.
Go live Put site live once it is populated and tested.
Should you have any questions or concerns please do not hesitate to phone me on +353 1
4736504 / +353 86 8031082, or e-mail me at alan@nevada.ie
Alan Duffy
NEVADA
Nevada, 120 Wainsfort Road, Terenure, Dublin 6W, D6W AW84, Ireland.
Tel +353 1 4736504 Email create@nevada.ie Web www.nevada.ie VAT No. IE 7912953H
