Charities need to work hard in todays society. Particularly with the economic recession, it is hard to generate supporters and to keep the charity moving forward. There are so many charities today, all with important causes, yet it is impossible to support them all. The Joshua Tree are one charity who stand out to me as they have never given up even when the times are tough. They have used all the marketing tools to maximise upon their opportunities and build upon their brand image. Therefore this is a charity I would like to share with you all.
The Joshua Tree are a small, local charity based in Northwich, Cheshire who aim to build a holiday home and support centre for children with immuno-suppressed illnesses to visit with their families, for a free short break. Over the last few years the charity has grown from strength to strength and now are making real progress having just been granted planning permission for the fantastic house plans. The house has been designed carefully, they truly want to create a relaxing yet fun environment for the children to experience. All the space has been utilised to the maximum, even the loft space is going to be made into a childrens 'secret passage' to allow for a sense of adventure. I believe this charity is going to make a huge difference to so many families in the near future, offering valuable support during these hard times.
For me, this charity is my #1 as they are sticking strongly to their mission and maintaining consistent brand values which I think is a definate highlight to the charities success so far. The Joshua Tree are making use of both digital and traditional methods such as newsletters, website, social media and attending local events. They have not forgotten that traditional methods can make a huge impact which runs alongside the social media. Together these marketing tools are highly effective, particularly as we can see the charity develop and take on board further supporters who are dedicated to the cause. They never forget that face-to-face contact is important and so even when having busy weeks, try to attend as many events as they can.
The Joshua Tree have joined the world of social media with facebook and twitter accounts. How does this help them? Although it takes a lot of time to maintain, it is a crucial step to gaining awareness for the charity and to acquire new supporters. Furthermore I believe that by up-dating current supporters on a regular basis through these systems, it also benefits retention of supporters. Not to mention, it must be saving on valuable resources which is a huge benefit to any charity. Yet as the charity grows, this will allow for relationships and interaction between supporters and the charity, to develop. I believe this is crucial in todays society, for brands to be able to come down to a personal level and truly care about their supporters needs and influencing factors. Furthermore, it allows for perhaps some collaboration, whereby supporters can voice their opinions and generate discussions about the charity.
Furthermore, the concept of localism is becoming increasingly important for brands. Even though we have social media which appeals to the masses, it is crucial to maintain a sense of place. Even more so, a strong local strategy is suggested to be vital today. (See this article: http://www.marketingweek.co.uk/sectors/media/huffington-says-brands-need-to-develop-a-grass-roots-online-strategy/3027640.article). This is an aspect which I feel the joshua tree have achieved and are not forgetting their local supporters and environment.
I feel I should thank The Joshua Tree for letting me volunteer all those months ago. Without you guys I wouldn't have found my love for marketing and probably would be studying town planning right now! A big turn around!
If you want to find out more about The Joshua Tree you can find them on facebook, twitter @joshuatree2006 or check out their website at http://www.thejoshuatree.org.uk/.
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