With our help, David Cameron used Age Concern centres as venues to communicate Conservative policies for the elderly
The challenge
Both organisations are merging into a new entity which requires major structural change. Our challenge was to ensure the charity is plugged into the key decision makers/influencers in government, understands the shifting political/economic environment, the pressures that government is under in delivering policy & where the charity can help provide solutions.
Our response
We advised Age Concern/Help the Aged that their public affairs strategy didn't require wholesale change. What it needed was reformatting, so that the organisation's messages resonated with Conservative political audiences. With a likely new party in power next year, it's not enough to simply demonstrate expertise. It needs to be turned into influence. We delivered a 'workshop' session for the entire Age Concern/Help the Aged policy team. It focused on understanding the principles of a change in government, giving them some tools/techniques to help shape the charity's policy goals to match individual party policy positions & help the charity become a 'trusted' adviser to a new government of a different colour.
Results
Age Concern/Help the Aged has successfully reinforced its position as the leading source of policy expertise around older people. It has recalibrated its evidence to really connect with Conservative audiences and the results have been significant. Engagement with shadow childrens and skills ministers, eager to embrace the charity's ideas/solutions & the key success, David Cameron's visit to Age Concern Birmingham to outline his plans to protect older people.
