TELLING YOUR STORY
CONTENTS 3. Telling your story 4. Background 5. Referencing 6.
Writing a Press Release
8. Example Press Release 10. Social Media 12. On Site Promotion 13. Events 14. End of Grant Project Video 16. The Future
2
TELLING YOUR STORY Congratulations on your Biffa Award grant!
have BIG impacts and we want to help you shout it from the rooftops!
You are now part of an exciting family of projects across the country that are using the Landfill Communities Fund to Build Communities and Transform Lives.
This guide is designed to help you celebrate in style by generating positive publicity for your project. By understanding and working with the media, great publicity will promote your project, recognise your achievements, and make the wider community aware of what’s available to them through your work.
On the surface grant funding can be quite soulless: a list of assets to acquire and resources to monitor. But we know that Biffa Award funding can make a real lasting change to people’s lives, and help transform environments for the benefit of everyone. The itemised detail of the grant application isn’t the narrative we want to help you present. We want you to tell the story of the people behind the grant funding, and the impacts that this will have on your community or the environment. A new boiler isn’t just an upgrade to a building’s plumbing; it means that a community centre is now usable in the winter months and can attract new users. All weather cricket facilities mean longer practice hours, resulting in better cricketers. Managing non-native species can mean rare butterflies returning for the first time in years. Small changes can
Whether or not you opt to write your own press releases, or request help from the Biffa Award team, the aim of this document is to help every Biffa Award project tell their story. The Biffa Award PR Team is available to answer any additional enquiries you may have and offer further support. Please contact the team either by email on media@wildlifetrusts.org or call us on 01636 670038.
3
BACKGROUND Background to Biffa Award The Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts has more than 20 years of experience in managing social and environmental grant programmes totalling over £250 million and proven successes working with and empowering people to make significant environmental and societal impacts across the UK. In 1997 Biffa Group Ltd decided to donate landfill tax credits to The Wildlife Trusts to administer under the fund name Biffa Award. Landfill Communities Fund The Landfill Communities Fund (LCF) is an innovative tax credit scheme enabling landfill operators to contribute money to organisations enrolled with ENTRUST as Environmental Bodies. These organisations can then use this funding for a wide range of community and environmental projects in the vicinity of landfill sites. Since its inception in 1996, over £1.4 billion has been spent on more than 51,000 projects across the UK. To date, Biffa Award has awarded grants totalling more than £156 million to thousands of worthwhile projects across the country. Projects across the UK
4
REFERENCING Referencing Biffa Award Biffa Award projects make up a broad spectrum of community activity across the country, from fixing sprinkler systems in a bowls clubs, to bringing beavers back to Britain for the first time in 400 years. The one thing that unites these differing projects is the desire to effect positive change through Biffa Award as a brand. This variety is something to be celebrated but makes it doubly important therefore, that you reference Biffa Award correctly at all times.
As a funder we should always be referred to as Biffa Award. Please do not refer to us as BIFFA Award, Biffaward, BIFFA or Biffa, as all of these are incorrect. We are really proud of all of our projects and the wider Biffa Award family and we hope you are too!
Incorrect referencing causes a lot of problems with public awareness, which is vital for the continuation of the scheme, so it’s really important to get this right! Please send any press releases/posters etc to the PR team for approval before they go to print. Referencing the Landfill Communities Fund (LCF) Biffa Award is able to provide grants to projects as part of the Landfill Communities Fund. To ensure that this life changing fund can continue we need to raise its profile. Please add in the Landfill Communities Fund logo alongside the Biffa Award logo wherever possible. This will help to ensure we can go on supporting projects for years to come.
5
WRITING A PRE Getting started
Structuring your press release.
A press release is essential for generating press interest in your project. Before you start writing try and think what the ‘story’ is behind the project. Facts and figures are important but they won’t inspire readers to engage with you. Think about people and the impact this funding will have on them personally after completion. That is where the interest is, and will help to create a story people want to read.
1. Email subject line Explain what it is you are presenting to the press. Then think of an attention grabbing subject line, be explicit, you need to get the message of your press release across.
Be punchy and concise, it is for journalists to write witty prose, you just need to provide them with the facts. Timing There are several key times to promote your project: when you initially receive funding, if you have a large opening event attended by anyone of interest or if there are any notable ‘firsts’ e.g. cricket club win regional title thanks to new practice nets. If you have an opportunity such as an opening, a visit from a celebrity or politician be sure to mention this on your press release as journalists may wish to attend. Use the words PHOTO CALL or PHOTO OPPORTUNITY and state clearly where and when this is happening. If you’re unsure which is the best route to take, feel free to give our PR team a call.
6
e.g. Museum reopens after major redevelopment project PHOTO OPPORTUNITY: Joe Bloggs MP to attend Cricket Club opening event 2. Outline the story This should be a short summary of the story; often this is a far as journalists will read so it’s important to make it count! Try to get as many of the five w’s in as possible (who, what, why, where and when) as this will help you to be concise. 3. Referencing Remember to reference Biffa Award as the funder using the following sentence; Biffa Award, a multi million pound fund that helps to build communities and transform lives through awarding grants to communities and environmental projects across the UK. 4. Quotes Quotes should help add colour and a personal touch to the story, not provide large amounts of explanatory detail. Try to include quotes that add a human or emotional dimension to the press release.
ESS RELEASE “Without doubt, our community will be revitalised. If communities pull together, they can make a real difference to the areas where they live.”
give a mobile phone number and email and make sure you are available to take requests a few days following the press release being sent out.
“This funding has enabled our club to achieve a major ambition, the new facilities have improved our capacity to run youth summer camps and inspire the cricketers of the future.”
7. Notes to Editors We ask that you include our ‘Notes to editors’ section on the end of your press releases. Which will provide more background information should that be required. This will be emailed to you by the media team when you recieve your formal offer.
When you send your press release to the Biffa Award team for approval we will supply you with a quote from us as a funder. 5. Images Include a photo if possible as this will greatly increase your chances of getting printed. You don’t need to be too literal with this, the project may have funded a boiler but that doesn’t make for an engaging photo. Try to include a picture that is dynamic and interesting, showing people using your site as this is much more likely to grab the readers’ attention.
Once you’ve finished writing your draft please send it to media@wildlifetrusts. org to get it signed off by our media team. We suggest you send this to local papers/radio stations. There will be a contact section with reporters email addresses on the websites of most publications. If you need any assistance the media team can proived you with a list of press contacts for your area.
6. Contacts Your press release should always finish with contact details, should journalists want to request more information. Try to
7
EXAMPLE PRESS RELEASE Press contacts email
To: lois_lane@thedailyplanet.com, rskeeter@dailyprophet.co.uk Subject: Community and wildlife to benefit as Chalgrave Heritage trail pond gets restoration grant
For immediate release
Catchy email subject line
State when the release can be made public
DATE
Community and wildlife to benefit as Greendale village pond gets restoration grant
Title
Image with caption, naming any people in the photo
(Overgrown Greendale pond; before restoration work has started)
Outline the story (5 Ws)
Greendale Parish Council, has secured a £5,000 grant from Biffa Award; a multi-million pound fund that helps to build communities and transform lives through awarding grants to community and environmental projects across the UK, as part of the Landfill Communities Fund. Further info The project, which was awarded funding under Biffa Award’s Recreation theme, will aim to restore the much loved local pond in Greendale, which is part of the Pencaster scenic footpath. By dredging the pond’s silt and removing invasive weeds and reeds, the project will improve the recreational space for the local community and restore a haven for wildlife. At the moment the pond is completely silted up and there is little surface area of water, so it cannot be used by wildlife and is an eyesore rather than a feature of the village. The community would like to see it restored and the return of water birds and amphibians. In addition to the clearance works, the project will also cut back the overgrown areas surrounding the pond and paint the bench and railings at the
8
site. Volunteers have worked hard in the past to maintain the area, but the work currently required will need heavy duty vehicles and equipment. 2 x Quotes from project leaders/beneficiaries
Mrs Goggins, Parish Councillor and Project Leader said:
“This grant will enable us to restore the pond to its former glory so that it can be enjoyed by the local community and wildlife will return.” Pat Clifton, Volunteer and local postman said: “It will be wonderful to be able to sit by the pond and walk my dog around the area. I’m looking forward to the ducks and coots returning, as well as the frogs and newts.” Gillian French, Head of Grants, Biffa Award said:
Ask us for a quote!
“This pond regeneration project is an excellent example of how the Landfill Communities Fund can help improve local spaces for wildlife and the community.” For further information please contact:
Contact details for more information
Mrs Goggins, Clerk, Greendale Parish Council: email@email.com Catherine Boggild, Communications Officer, Biffa Award: 01636 670062, media@wildlifetrusts.org Notes for Editors
Notes for Editors (standard text to include in all press releases)
Biffa Award Since 1997, Biffa Award has awarded grants totalling more than £156 million to thousands of worthwhile community and environmental projects across the UK. The programme administers money donated by Biffa Group Ltd through the Landfill Communities Fund. www.biffa-award.org Landfill Communities Fund The Landfill Communities Fund (LCF) is an innovative tax credit scheme enabling operators (LOs) to contribute money to organisations enrolled with ENTRUST as Environmental Bodies (EBs). EBs use this funding for a wide range of community and environmental projects in the vicinity of landfill sites. LOs are able to claim a credit (currently 4.2%) against their landfill tax liability for 90% of the contributions they make. Since its inception in 1996, over £1.4 billion has been spent on more than 51,000 projects across the UK. For further information please visit www.entrust.org.uk or see HMRC’s general guide to landfill tax. Supported by Funders’ logos
9
SOCIAL Keeping in touch We love to hear updates from our projects and social media is the fastest and easiest way to stay up-to-date, hear news from other projects and become part of the Biffa Award family. The two channels we use the most are Twitter and Facebook. Please follow us @BiffaAward or like us on facebook.com/BiffaAward to keep in touch with any news. Social media should be something you think about from the beginning of your project and continue to bear in mind as it project develops. The media team at Biffa Award will do our best to assist you along the way if you keep us in the loop with activity by sending us updates. When you break ground on your project, recruit volunteers or receive the first delivery of building materials, show us on social media. You’re excited about your projects’ progress, and so are we!
in any posts @BiffaAward and we will happily retweet and share to help bring your news to a wider audience. Hashtags Biffa Award is part of the Landfill Communities Fund and to help publicise this we would appreciate it if you could include #TheLCF on social media where possible. This will help to connect your project not just with the Biffa Award family but the wider LCF community. Social media novices Social media is a fantastic tool for making the wider community aware of your project’s progress. Whether you’re trying to publicise an event, get volunteers involved or simply share news social media will help you achieve this. If you’re a novice don’t fret, the media team are on hand to help should you have any questions.
If your organisation is not on social media Why not try tweeting your local MP or but you have any news worth sharing, council members, to show them the great feel free to email any photos us at work being done nearby? Please tag us media@wildlifetrusts.org and we can tweet on your behalf.
10
L MEDIA The Trucks on Tour Challenge #TrucksOnTour is a social media campaign we having been running for the last few years. Our aim is to get a photo of one of our Biffa Award foam trucks on site at as many of our projects as possible, and we need your help. If you would like to take, part email the media team and we will post you a truck. Take a photo of the truck in a setting which illustrates your Biffa Award project. Take inspiration from those (pictured below) or get even more creative. Share the image on your social media channels tagging @BiffaAward and including #TrucksOnTour when your post. Our trucks have been to some incredible places, where will yours go?
11
ON SITE PROMOTION Plaques and funder’s boards All projects are required to acknowledge Biffa Award’s support on site at the project. You can do this by displaying the Biffa Award plaque (details of how to order one contained in BOM75 Publicity form) or by creating your own funders or interpretation board. If you are creating your own permanent onsite signage you must ensure that Biffa Award is correctly referenced, so please send any designs to the PR team first for approval before going to print. If applicable, during the construction stage of your project you can also request to receive a flexible banner to tie on fencing or hang up, which should be returned to Biffa Award upon completion of the project and replaced with a plaque.
12
EVENTS Events
Inviting MPs
The best part of our job in the Biffa Award team, is getting out of the office and visiting projects. We strongly recommend organising an event to mark completion of your project or a major project milestone. Inviting the media to such an event can help generate great publicity for your project. The team try to attend as many events as possible, so please give us lots of notice and we will do out best to attend.
In a climate of Government cuts we want to make sure that Biffa Award and the LCF can contiune supporting projects for years to come. In order to protect the scheme, we need as many decision makers as possible to be aware of the impacts of funding on communities. A great way to do this is to invite your local MP to events and openings. If you have an MP attending one of your events or would like advice on how to invite them please contact our media team.
For all Partnership projects, we ask that you also invite the Biffa Award Board to any official opening events, giving reasonable notice. You can do this by getting in touch with our PR team, who can pass on the invitation to the Board.
Please keep us posted when planning your celebrations!
13
END OF GRANT P As part of your final payment we require then also be celebrated as our ‘Project you to create a short video of your project Video of the Week’ on our website, (under 3 mins). Facebook and Twitter. The project videos work in two ways: To assess the completion of the project ensuring Biffa Award funder signage is in place and to use online to tell your story to the wider Biffa Award community. We would like to use these videos to demonstrate the incredible work you are doing and help inspire others to do the same. As we are planning to use these videos for promotion we need to ensure that the fund is correctly referenced as Biffa Award. I’m afraid we will not be able to accept any videos that refer to the grant funder incorrectly as ‘Biffa’, so to ensure there is no delay in your final grant payment, please make sure that you correctly reference us as Biffa Award throughout. Videos can be made on a smart phone or digital camera, and most computers will have basic, user-friendly editing software installed as standard. We need to see a video from all projects to ensure work has been completed. The best videos will
14
Your video must include the following information in order that your final claim can be authorised for payment; 1. A brief overview of your organisation and why you applied for funding. 2. Explain what was funded and show us how the space is now used. 3. What are your plans for the future? 4. Referencing Biffa Award correctly as the funder throughout. 5. Include the sentence ‘This project was funded with the help of Biffa Award, as part of the Landfill Communities Fund’
PROJECT VIDEO The videos don’t have to be Spielberg masterpieces, although we do encourage you to be creative and have fun with it! If you need any creative inspiration, check out our Youtube playlist to see example videos we have received from projects so far.
If you need any assistance, or have any questions about creating the film feel free to call the PR team on 01636 670038 or email us media@wildlifetrusts.org and we will be happy to help you. Do check out our Youtube playlist youtube.com/biffaward for inspiration.
Send your completed masterpiece via We look forward to viewing the results! Email, DropBox or WeTransfer to your Grants Officer. I regret we will not be able to accept videos via Vimeo or YouTube, as we require the file itself for future promotion. It is your responsibility to ensure you have permission to film from all the people in the video and have signed parental consent for any children featured. You must ensure your organisation has the rights to all images etc, and that no music or images are breaching copyright. If there are any particular reasons why you do not wish us to publish the video online, please discuss these with your Grants Officer who will be sensitive to any reasonable requests.
15
THE FUTURE Stay in touch We know that the work doesn’t stop when projects receive a grant, or when the money has been spent. Biffa Award funding leads projects on to bigger and better things and helps open the door for new investment. So if Biffa Award funding was the catalyst to energise other community efforts or pursuits in your area, let us know! 77% of communities have reported greater cohesion in the five years following receipt of their grant and 3.2 million people have visited Biffa Award funded cultural facilities. In these difficult economic times it is important to shout about the benefits of the Landfill Communities Fund. Information on the impacts of our projects is vital for generating support, and so we welcome any information you can give us on the legacy of your project. If you have any questions or would like some assistance please feel free to contact: media@wildlifetrusts.org or visit www.biffa-award.org/news/telling-your-story for all the information.