BASICS Strategy

Developing a national voice

Present: Paul Gates

To develop the national voice there is a need to identify first who our target audience is:

  • Is it everyone in the country?
  • Is it key stakeholders/partners?
  • Is it key stakeholders/partners and related organisations?
  • Is it something else?

In identifying the key stakeholders the following would be seen as the initial organisations we should have dialogue with: This is about developing relationships and nurturing them for our benefit.

  • FPHC
  • AACE/NDOG/NASMED/NARU
  • National Police Chiefs Council
  • National fire Chiefs Council
  • Air Ambulance Association
  • BASICS schemes
  • Coastguard/RNLI
  • Voluntary Aid societies SJA/BRCS
  • Military (Defence Medical Service)
  • Key national sponsors/partners
  • Key Companies (insurance/indemnity)
  • Key Suppliers
  • CCG’s where relevant

In developing the national voice there is a need to be strategic about the order we do things and therefore it is essential that we have a professionally developed PR/Comms strategy. This needs to lay out how we should do this, taking experience from professionals in the field. We need to do this right. Thoughts are this should incremental and phased so potentially growing from smaller to bigger organisations.

The PR/Comms strategy then needs to have a delivery plan which Trustees need to endorse and then potentially some external support for 6-12 months to ensure we make a sensible level of impact on the work.

Some things to consider introducing to support the national voice:

  • National Patron, needs to be well known/celebrity who has a link and will talk on our behalf
  • BASICS Ambassadors, these people have key links to organisations and can influence on our behalf .

It is essential that schemes support this model and ensures they have buy in, there will need to be a discussion about local vs national interest and about how we support the local work for schemes.

Need a campaign to hang our hat on as it were, citizen aid is a good example of this. We need to come up with one which we either partner with or do on our own, Responder Aid!!

Need to agree key messages and what we are saying: comes as part of strategy and comms plan.

Essential to this work is the linking in with the other work streams of Trustees to ensure we are telling the same right story and that it is joined up. We cannot afford to have silo working.

The other thing to consider in producing the strategy:

  • What are we wanting to influence?
  • What can we do for the people we are wanting to influence
  • What is our national voice saying and how is relevant to todays society.
  • Can we develop relationships that will allow us to be there

Key success factors in developing the national voice:

  • PR/comms strategy agreed with a delivery plan for next 12-18 months
  • Agreed campaign for BASICS
  • Patron
  • BASICS ambassadors
  • Key sponsor
  • Start having useful dialogue