Supporting Charities and Community Interest Companies

Introduction

Working with charities and Community Interest Companies requires more than marketing expertise. It demands a genuine understanding of how these organisations operate, the pressures they face, and the unique ways they measure success.

NAMA brings this understanding through direct third sector experience, currently serving as Trustee and Director of a charity and having previously held Director and Non-Executive Director positions with CICs, combined with over a decade of marketing experience. This positions the support offered – from year-long community engagement projects to grant writing and impact reporting – firmly within the realities these organisations navigate daily.

The Challenge

Third sector organisations face a distinctive set of challenges. A local charity doing excellent community work struggled to communicate their impact effectively. They weren’t visible enough locally despite serving real needs. Potential service users didn’t know support existed. Stakeholders understood the organisation was there but not how to collaborate. Supporters wanted involvement beyond financial donations but lacked clear pathways.

This pattern repeats across the sector. Many charities and CICs lack dedicated marketing leadership or teams, relying instead on overstretched staff or volunteers who understand the mission deeply but may not have communications expertise. Limited budgets mean every pound spent on communications must deliver measurable value, yet strategic thinking often gets squeezed out by operational demands.

The result is reactive rather than strategic communications, missed funding opportunities through unclear impact articulation, and community engagement that doesn’t translate into sustained support or behaviour change

Our Approach

Work with third sector organisations draws on an insider understanding of governance pressures, resource constraints, and accountability requirements. Experience at board level reveals what trustees and leadership teams actually grapple with, informing support that addresses real challenges rather than applying generic marketing frameworks.

Every engagement begins with understanding the organisation’s mission, community context, and resource realities. For the charity needing stronger community connections, this meant a year-long engagement project focused on building genuine relationships rather than transactional communications. For others, it might mean grant writing to unlock new funding streams, impact reporting to strengthen funder relationships, or strategic communications guidance that works within tight budgets.

The approach prioritises building organisational capability alongside delivering immediate outcomes. Staff gain confidence and skills to maintain momentum independently. Systems and strategies fit what organisations can realistically sustain beyond initial support periods.

Areas of Support

Community Engagement Projects

Community engagement and communications projects build sustained connections between organisations and the communities they serve. This includes developing engagement strategies that align with organisational capacity, creating accessible communications materials, and establishing feedback mechanisms that inform service delivery whilst demonstrating responsiveness to community needs.

Grant Writing

Crafting compelling funding applications that articulate impact, demonstrate need, and align with funder priorities. This involves translating complex social outcomes into clear narratives whilst meeting specific application requirements and deadlines.

Impact Reporting

Developing reports that satisfy funder requirements whilst telling compelling stories about organisational difference. This includes identifying appropriate metrics, gathering evidence, and presenting outcomes in formats that work for multiple stakeholder groups, from grant-makers to community members.

Strategic Communications Support

Ongoing guidance tailored to charity and CIC contexts, from messaging frameworks through to stakeholder engagement strategies that work within resource constraints. This draws on understanding what’s realistic for organisations to implement and maintain.

Outsourced Marketing Departments

Providing flexible marketing support that functions as an external marketing team, scaling up or down based on organisational needs and capacity. This gives charities and CICs access to strategic marketing leadership and hands-on delivery without the overhead of permanent staff.

The Impact

This sector-informed approach creates meaningful outcomes. The charity running the year-long engagement project saw increased awareness among target groups, clearer pathways for community involvement, and stronger stakeholder relationships. More importantly, they built internal capability to maintain engagement independently.

The combination of hands-on delivery and capability building means organisations gain both immediate results and long-term sustainability. Clear messaging about impact demonstrates accountability and builds stakeholder trust. Evidence-based reporting shows funders their investment creates genuine change.

This sector-informed approach creates meaningful outcomes for third sector organisations. Community engagement projects build increased awareness among target groups, clearer pathways for involvement beyond financial donations, and stronger stakeholder relationships. Organisations develop internal capability to maintain engagement efforts independently, ensuring sustainability beyond initial support periods.

Grant writing support opens funding streams that might otherwise remain inaccessible, securing resources that enable programme delivery and organisational growth. Impact reporting strengthens relationships with existing funders whilst building credibility with potential supporters, demonstrating accountability through evidence-based outcomes.

Strategic communications guidance helps charities and CICs articulate their value effectively to diverse audiences. Clear messaging about impact makes stronger cases for continued support. The combination of hands-on delivery and capability building means organisations gain both immediate results and long-term sustainability in their communications approach.

Why it Works

This approach succeeds because marketing expertise combines with authentic third sector experience. Having navigated governance responsibilities, funding pressures, and stakeholder accountability requirements provides insight that purely commercial marketing backgrounds cannot offer. This isn’t theoretical understanding but practical knowledge gained from sitting in trustee meetings, reviewing funding applications, and making strategic decisions within resource constraints.

Working across multiple organisations creates transferable insights. Challenges one CIC faces often mirror issues elsewhere. Successful engagement approaches adapt across different community contexts. This breadth of experience, spanning community engagement projects, grant writing, impact reporting, and governance roles, informs every piece of work.

Third sector organisations need advisors who understand success isn’t measured purely in commercial terms, but in lives changed, communities strengthened, and social challenges addressed. Combining marketing capabilities with a genuine commitment to social impact creates authentic partnerships rooted in shared values rather than transactional client relationships.

Working with someone who understands both marketing strategy and the unique realities of third sector organisations means getting support that genuinely serves your mission. Ready to explore how strategic communications can amplify your social impact?