New look for Family Fund puts families at our heart
Family Fund launches new website and brand.
Family Fund has launched its new website and brand following several months of development and consultation. The new brand, developed in-house and in conjunction with families, better reflects the diverse nature of the families the charity supports and the qualities that they value.
To mark the launch, we have produced a new video where some of the families we have helped talk about why they applied to Family Fund and how they have benefited from their grant. You can view the video at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3eLYatrKehg
Why did we do this?
The new brand does not just mean a new logo for Family Fund. It is about how we communicate our work and values and how we deliver our strategy. A review of our website in autumn 2014 highlighted that it was not mobile-responsive and that the navigation could be confusing for families when they were trying to find the important information they required. This review then led into a wider consideration of how well our current brand and communications were working and how effectively it was helping us reach new families and show our impact.
Cheryl Ward, Chief Executive of Family Fund, said “We decided to overhaul not just the way we looked, but also the way we talked about ourselves and how we could better bring families’ voices to the fore of our communications. They are our strongest advocates and can tell both other families and the general public about the practical difference our grant support and services make better than anyone else.”
“We supported 72,023 families last year. That’s a huge reach, but our profile remains very low in comparison to other charities amongst the public as a whole. We need to make the most of both the scale of our work, and the individual stories of families we support. Rebranding helps us create a look that is bold and memorable and a language that reflects our core values, but also acts as a catalyst for improving our general communications and highlighting the impact we can have.”
How did we do this?
Family Fund consulted with over 600 parents and carers about how they perceived Family Fund, why they had found it beneficial and what they valued about the grants and services provided. From there, the in-house communications team worked on developing a visual brand that would be eye-catching enough to attract attention and refining our messaging to reflect the qualities that families told us they valued: practical support when they need it, a commitment to help as much as we can, and listening and empathising with their circumstances to better understand their needs.
The new website is powered by Raising IT’s platform, which helps charities with limited budgets develop websites that can deliver a bigger impact. The new website will provide a better experience for users on mobile devices and help all users find the information they need more quickly and easily.
What it will mean for the future
Jim Paterson, Head of Communications, said “We need to be more visible to help us reach more families, to give us better opportunities to build partnerships to deliver new programmes that complement our existing grants and services, and to raise funds for our work. This rebrand is the beginning of that process and we will keep listening and developing our communications to ensure we are sharing our impact with the widest possible audience.”
Cheryl Ward said “We are a unique organisation, helping more families on low incomes raising disabled or seriously ill children across the UK than any other. This new brand will help us tell that message more effectively and ensure that families’ voices are represented at our heart.”
Notes for Editors
- The Family Fund is the country’s largest grant-giving charity supporting families on low incomes raising disabled or seriously ill children. It helps ease the additional pressures faced by low-income families raising a disabled child by giving them grants for a wide range of goods and services, including washing machines, dryers, fridges, clothing, bedding, sensory toys, computers, much- needed family breaks and more. Across the UK last year, the Fund supported 72,023 families with over £33 million in grants.
- Family Fund works hard to ensure that all funding received reaches as many families as possible across the UK. Last year, more than 94 pence in every £1 received went to a family in grants and services.
- Family Fund grant applications can be downloaded from the Family Fund website (http://www.familyfund.org.uk). Families can contact Family Fund using the online contact form or by telephoning: 01904 621115.
- The ‘Our Families’ video was produced by Motus TV (http://www.motus.tv/).
All press enquiries, contact Jim Paterson on 01904 571 094/07825 699192 or email comms@familyfund.org.uk.
Jim Paterson, Head of Communications
Family Fund, 4 Alpha Court, Monks Cross Drive, Huntington, York, YO32 9WN
Tel: 01904 571094/07825 699192 email: comms@familyfund.org.uk
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