Mind the Gap

If your interests include maths and social justice (and as a charity direct marketer they should) then you'll probably find this site quite the most incredible thing you have seen in years.

James

Giving Words

As WJR (currently waist-deep in donations) have discovered, when you ask for more than money, you get more of everything.

If it's nice, do it twice...

Get Packing

This week marks the end of a very special campaign in North London - Operation Winter Survival. A campaign that has seen thousands of people donate warm clothes, toiletries and children's toys to communities across Eastern Europe.

We went to help out. That's Mark folding a lovely pair of trousers. The day was great fun. People laughed, mainly at me. I got the bag of big (actually they were huge) bras – oh the joy.

All day, volunteers arrived at an enormous warehouse stacked to the ceiling with donated goods. Each bag carefully opened, sorted and neatly packed ready for dispatch.

It was earlier this summer that WJR asked us to develop this campaign, and to turn an event that generated a lot of bin bags full of 'unwanted' goods into a campaign that delivered good quality warm clothes and crucially new supporters.

The trick was plenty of plain speaking (if it's too old and worn for you, it's probably to old and worn for us), lots of engagement opportunities (we asked people to send messages of support) and a commitment to capture details of all participants both on and off-line.

It struck me a while ago that my relationship with the charities I support has become confined to a passive world of Internet banking, where the only 'warm glow' I get is from the reflection of my First Direct home page, telling me yet another month has gone by, another round of regular gifts quietly leaving my account.

But today was different. I, like thousands of other people, had become actively involved. And of course this level of engagement is reaping rewards far beyond the mountain of donated goods.

It's of no surprise that cash gifts and registrations this year are already more than double than ever before.

We're proud of this one. And WJR are still looking for unwanted jumpers. Deadline date 8th November.

I'm sure you've seen it but...

Didn't we have a blog?

I think James was hinting at something when he shouted this across the office this morning. But we have been a tad busy recently – doing planning and a mountain of creative for one mighty big campaign.

Yesterday saw the launch of Action for Children's appeal to get the nation to take action for the 1.5 million children who wake up every day to experience neglect.

Over the past few months we've met the staff on the front line who work with these kids and heard stories that tear your heart out – like Katie who was spat on at school because she didn't get a bath at home and 5 year old Ellie who stole sugar from the local cafe because she was so hungry.

We've also had the pleasure of working with Baby creative (who do AFC's brand work) our new neighbours DTV (who made the Davina ad) and media masters JAA (who persuaded Channel Four to create a break in the news yesterday to air this three minute masterwork).

And the pace shows no sign of slacking – hence this rather brief post.

Normal service will be resumed when James has time. Thank you for your patience.

Tim

We Are One

It was a year ago to the day that we sat in Tim's back bedroom and registered our company. Some highlights since then...

• The whole Brisbane adventure with Pareto. So near and yet so far.
• Getting our first teeny tiny office – thanks Justin and Steve.
• Hiring Louise and Rebecca. Salary bill looking scary.
• Working with Richard Young again.
  
• Winning the VSO account (more on this later).
• Registering for VAT but forgetting to add it to invoices – sorry Andrea.
• Hiring Emma, our Finance Director. No more VAT cock-ups.
• Winning WWF's Earth Hour (we danced all the way back to the station).
• Getting our second, much bigger office. Overheads Climbing.
• Poaching Mark (sorry Scope).
  
• Hitting the streets with Centrepoint (thanks Roger & Jenny)
• Packing boxes for World Jewish Relief.
• Hanging out with the good people at various Action for Children projects.
• Richard Young the younger being sent to us by the gods of design.
  
• The whole Arctic Monkeys & Oxfam thing.
• Losing the VSO account. Doh.
  
• Poaching Sinead (sorry Bluefrog).
• Filling our client list mug rack.
• This afternoon's celebrations.
  

Thank you to everyone who believed.

James & Tim
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