A multitude of press mentions helped charitable initiative become a success
AN INDEPENDENT Scottish housebuilder captivated key media with its local community fund designed to help five deserving Musselburgh causes.
As part of its initiative to engage with the local community, Dundas set-up a £5000 community fund which gave local organisations the chance of receiving a £1000 share of the total.
It was kick-started with positive communication with the Musselburgh Community Council, a vital step for the success of this campaign and through effective engagement, we were able to form a well-rounded campaign worthy of public attention.
By keeping the community council informed along every step of the way and involving them in the decision-making process, we were able to ensure maximum benefits for Musselburgh and the surrounding area, while also shining a positive light on the work Dundas is doing for the community.
Our strategy resulted in a series of press releases working alongside a focused digital campaign[CF1] . The media relations generated a host of coverage across print and online, culminating in:
- 60 items of coverage
- 599,393 opportunities to see
- Key Features in the East Lothian Courier, The Edinburgh Reporter, The Scotsman, Scottish Business News and Scottish Housing News
The multiple stories guaranteed that the fund took centre stage in the local media so that it would reach a wave of potential applicants.
£5k community fund announcement
Dundas approached Holyrood PR to help publicise this incredible opportunity for the local community. Our expert team crafted a media release highlighting the commitment Dundas is making to invest in Musselburgh urging organisations to apply, and contacted the community council to ask for their involvement and expertise. They were pleased to hear that the developer was to be providing £5000 to the local community and our PR experts were delighted that they were on board.
Read the original release:
Community fund application deadline extension
To ensure that as many worthy causes as possible were made aware of the chance of securing funding from Dundas, our PR team got to work drafting an announcement piece to extended the application deadline. Key messages around current affairs such as the cost-of-living crisis added an extra element as to how securing funding could be a lifeline for these organisations. The team updated the community council on the decision to extend.
Read the original release:
Application boom
Following our extension release, the fund received a boost in applicants, including mental health charities, child development projects and festival planning initiatives.
This influx of applications is incredibly promising for Musselburgh and showcases how Dundas does more than just build houses but invests in creating vibrant communities.
The media heavily invested in this story and Dundas saw a boom in applications, with four times as many as applicants than before the extension.
Read the original release:
The winner announcements
The number of applications after the deadline extension made choosing the recipients a difficult decision. Our PR team liaised with the community council as to which applicants to choose. The council was happy with the choices and agreed that they are all worthy applicants.
Hollies Community Hub, Blue Triangle Housing Association, First Step Community Project, Changes East Lothian and DadsWork were the five successful applicants, with each providing vital services to the local community. After obtaining quotes from each of the five recipients and arranging photography for all the winners, a release was issued to press and social media posts were created and scheduled.
Each cause was thrilled to be receiving £1,000 from Dundas, noting how it would help them in achieving their aims. This injection of funds into such worthy causes will have an inspiring impact on the local community, which our expert PR team have successfully publicised.
We updated the community council throughout the process and they were subsequently in touch to say that they were really pleased with the outcome and to wish us the very best with the progression of the project.
Our skills in media relations in community engagement, played a huge role in the success of this campaign, which increased the positive awareness of Dundas in Musselburgh and beyond.
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