We need a content strategy and we want to co-create it with your support. This document provides background, context and forms a brief for you to respond to.
Who we are
We are Guy's & St Thomas' Foundation, an independent foundation. We invest in a healthier society, backing people and ideas to drive more equitable health. Through our NHS charity work, we support incredible NHS staff and exceptional healthcare. We do this by backing people, innovation and inspiration across Guy’s, St Thomas’, and Evelina London hospitals.
This brief is for a content strategy for our three, unique charity brands.
Together we can do amazing things
From small moments of intense compassion to big leaps in innovation, we are the charity that helps fuel the incredible moments at Evelina London.
Care never stands still. And neither do we
We support the incredible NHS staff and exceptional healthcare provided by Guy’s and St Thomas’. Together, we're striving to be one step ahead of patients, staff and communities.
Supporting advances in cancer care that enhance lives
We help Guy's Cancer provide the very latest in personalised care, however long it takes. Transforming cancer care, one person at a time.
Where we’re at
Our three charity brands are relatively young, having launched in 2022. Since then, we have evolved and developed our approach to digital, marketing and fundraising and the content we create as part of our work.
We’re in a good place but we know that through a strategic approach to content, both in terms of core strategy but also content operations and governance, we can bring our brands to life to reach and engage our audience and develop our community, nurturing committed giving along the way.
- Three great brands, websites and some excellent content foundations
- Brand guidelines, with tone of voice, some persona work
- Lots of great stories about the work we fund
- Big ambitions to produce content that meets both the needs of our charities and our audiences to create a supporter experience that drives reach, action, conversion and engagement.
Swot analysis
This cursory analysis is included to help you get a quick summary of where we're at in our content journey.
Strengths
Strong unique brands and platforms
Shared understanding of the importance of content
Loads of great stories we can tell
Overarching strategy and key enablers identified
Weaknesses
Produced on ad hoc basis
Produced in silos
Often not based on real user needs
Multiple content thirsty channels
Opportunities
Underpin the brands with relevant content, strengthening them in the process
Outline reasons to convince donors to support
Wow people with the impact we have
Lean into what makes each brand unique
Threats
Lack of regular content impacting search engine performance.
Our content doesn't resonate or cut through with our audience.
Audience not clear on what we do or where the money goes so not getting as much reach or interaction as we would like.
What we're looking for
We're looking for a strategic partner to work with us collaboratively to create a content strategy for our three brands.
We believe this work is divided into two themes; one looking at the actual strategy behind the content we create and why, the other relating to how we go about creating it. Listed below are some of the thing we anticipate being part of this project but it is by no means an exhaustive list.
Content strategy
Research, discovery and development of core strategy, content model and content principles
- Content ecosystem mapped and understood (As is vs ideal state)
- Stakeholder interviews to understand content needs
- User/supporter interviews / research to understand why they care and how we can meet their content needs
- Core strategy codeveloped
- Content principles developed
- A specific look at our regular stewardship comms (email newsletter / print newsletter) as a pilot for how we can implement content strategy.
- A basis for channel specific strategies to be developed.
Content operations
- Shared understanding of why we produce content, how much we need, the content types we have and how we can create a production pipeline for this content.
- Operationalising and democratisation of content production through defined process and documentation.
- Create a content culture that is creative and anchored in user needs so that we can drive reach, action, conversion and engagement
- Content maturity framework
- Content playbook
- Online style guide
- Use of new tools
What's the challenge?
We want our supporters, potential supporters and hospital staff to understand who we are, what we do and feel connected. We understand that we need to ensure we're producing the right content in the right way and at the right time. In some ways this is no different to any other non profit, however we see a unique opportunity to develop a strategic approach for our three brands that really leverages our position as NHS hospital charities. The below list presents a number of things we see as our key challenges in approaching this project:
- Engaging supporters in a crowded space
- Growing the supporter base
- Being distinctive, brave and passionate
- Becoming truly audience led
- Develop a shared cross brand content operations, with brand specific content strategy and tactics.
- Embedding diversity equity and inclusion principles
- Understanding how we talk about fundraising / and our projects and impact
- Connecting the dots between offline and web, social and email content
- Getting different teams to align
- Developing shared understanding of what great content looks like for our audience
- Developing clear process for creating great content and addressing lack of definition on who does what
- Creating a great culture of creative and strategic content
- Aligning to our overarching strategy and strategic enablers
- Tell the story of our impact, digital maturity, brand engagement
We want our content strategy to be…
- Aspirational​: something to aim for, not a description of what we're doing already.
- Flexible​: able to deal with content and context of all sorts.
- Inclusive​: something that brings in a range of contributors, that everyone will get behind.
- Graspable​: something that’s straightforward to understand. Everyone involved should be able to comprehend what you’re trying to do and why.
- Memorable​: something that everyone can remember, without too much difficulty. Nobody should need to refer to a PDF.
- Motivational​: something that enthuses and energises people. It shouldn’t be a dull, corporate mission statement.
The approach we want to take
We want to bring your expertise to this project, so will resist being overly prescriptive regarding the approach but the project should cover the below.
Who
We want our content strategy to be centred on audience needs and support the content requirements of stakeholders so that we can create content our audience cares about.
Why
We want to anchor our strategy in our 4 year strategy, vision, mission and strategic themes so that all content we produce has a "why" behind it and it supports our goals.
What
We want to development a core strategy that connects the dots between channels so that we can create content that can be repurposed across channels
How
We want to operationalise our approach to content by implementing a standardised methodology for how we create, manage, publish and promote our content.
Project phases
Again, we want to bring your expertise to this project, but we anticipate the project will likely include most, if not all of the following, with the exact programme of activity to be determined in partnership.
Discovery
Ecosystem mapping
Content audit
Competitor analysis
Stakeholder interviews
Desk research
Content principles
Development
Workshops/ Brainstorms
Strategy defined
Tactics and actions
Implementing
Content strategy in practice pilot: Regular email stewardship comms.
Content playbook / documentation guidance
Embedding
Content strategy socialisation
Playback sessions
Content reviews
Our internal governance approach
We want this project to be highly collaborative and we want our content strategy to be cocreated. To do this we would like to work with a project squad and a steering group. The squad will be responsible for the day to day work on the project, representing their teams needs and objectives. The steering group will be there for oversight and guidance to ensure our content strategy is fit for purpose and aligns to strategy.
Project squad
To act as the core team representing various content stakeholder areas of the organisation across digital, marketing, funding, fundraising and Trust communications.
- Email Marketing Lead
- Social Media Manager
- Digital Product and content manager
- Brand and content manager
- Marketing Manager
- Individual Giving Manager
- Supporter experience manager
- Trust Funding Manager
- Trust Comms Manager
Other colleagues to be invited to workshops as appropriate.
Steering group
- Digital Director
- Marketing and communications Director
- Fundraising Director
- Head of Marketing
- Head of Digital
- Head of Supporter Experience
- Head of Individual Giving and Legacies
- Head of Events, Community and Innovation
Project comms
- Regular update blogs to all staff
- Show and tell at anchor day
- Content strategy playback session
- Content skills session
- Content community of practice
What's the opportunity
There is a huge opportunity for us to develop our approach to content, moving from content being around a set of short term goals and individual project aims to a strategic continuous operation aligned to business and user needs.
What will this project deliver?
Strategic clarity: By elevating content and content expertise to a more strategic place within the organisation, we will be able to focus on the stuff that will help achieve its aims. Our content strategy will align with our existing strategic projects and enablers to ensure content is a key business asset driving our reach, action, conversion and engagement.
A memorable and exceptional supporter experience: By embedding into a strategy our brands voices to the point where they are distinctive, brave, passionate and recognisable, users and supporters will feel more connected and will be moved to take action. Translating that voice into words and pictures will ensure our channels reach their potential.
Positive and effective relationships: By creating a shared and embedded understanding of what content is and the role it plays at the Charity, will will maximise the value of its content expertise and staff will be empowered to do great work.
Smooth and efficient internal processes: By nurturing a holistic, strategic, sustainable approach to content across the organisation, effort will be effectively concentrated where it can have the most impact. By making sure that content is adaptable across different channels, time and money will be saved.
What are the practical steps to get there?
We need to design a content strategy process that from start to finish (and beyond) brings the organisation with it. The process of creating a strong content strategy is often as important as the concrete outputs. We’ll use an agency framework to build a robust process that gets the right people on board.
What this project will deliver
This table outlines the project across its phases alongside the objectives of each phase. This isn't definitive and is very much up for being shaped by the input of our strategy partner.
Content strategy project timeline
This is an approximation of what our content strategy project could look like. However, we will want to give the freedom to our agency partner to structure the project based on their expertise and understanding of what we need and how best to achieve it.
Q1
- Introduce project
- Write and issue brief
- Appoint agency
- Establish squad
Q2
- Kick off meeting
- Stakeholder interviews
- Desk research
- Competitor analysis
- Content ecosystem mapping
- User interviews
Q3
- Core strategy development
- Content principles development
- Content strategy playbook / assets
- Content strategy in action: stewardship email comms.
Q4
- Embedding workshops
- Content skills session
- Digital maturity survey
Our OKRs
At the Foundation we use OKRs to spotlight key activity. We have an OKR on impact storytelling that also relates to our organisational content strategy and capability. This project be a key aspect of the delivery of this. In addition, we already have work under way to improve our content operations through ways of working, planning. Building off this work will be a key part of how we further develop our content strategy and operations.
12 month objective
We have built our capability to capture and share impact stories about the work of our three charities, so that we raise our brand profile, support income growth and engage key audiences to improve understanding of the impact of our work across multiple channels
Key result 1
We have developed and delivered a 12 month communication and content plan per charity brand
Key result 2
We have delivered a multi-channel content strategy for our x 3 NHS Charities
Strategic alignment
We want our content strategy to support our 4 year strategy which centres impact for the patients of Guy's and St Thomas'. Each charity has core themes, which we expect to form the basis of our core strategy.
Key for this project, however are the strategic enablers and how they intersect with our content requirements:
- Accelerating our digital maturity
- Gold standard supporter experience
- Effective and inspiring communications and engagement across all channels (Storytelling for impact)
- Embedding our DEI principles in our work
Current 4 year strategy (24/25 is year 2)
Digital maturity
We have a digital maturity framework that is concerned with accelerating our digital maturity across 7 themes, one of which is content. Each theme has a vision, current score and target score. This year we want to shift our content score from 1.75 to 5. This content strategy project is key to delivering this progress, and any approach needs to consider the vision statement and the 5 "soon" and "next" goals.
You can read more about our digital maturity framework here:
RACE framework
Our content strategy should consider our content from the perspective of our audience, channels and KPIs through the RACE framework. This will allow us to ensure we're creating content that maps to the supporter journey from cold to warm.
More about the RACE framework here:
Storytelling for impact
In order to address a pressing need for content we have already begun looking at how we can operationalise our content pipeline with the marketing and communications team working closely with the Trust funding team in order to identify stories. We're making good progress but this project will be about putting a longer term strategic wrapper around this process and build on existing work.
DEI
DEI is a golden thread that runs through all of our work. This partnership and project needs to embed our principles through out. We're looking for a partner who is committed to what we want to achieve but can also help us embed our principles within our content strategy itself.
- We are committed to driving and embedding Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in everything we do - at work and in our work.
- We create safe, brave, spaces where we challenge ourselves, and each other, to learn, reflect and celebrate our differences.
- We centre the needs of minoritised groups, working together to focus on areas of greatest inequity.
- We make our work accessible to all, removing any barriers to interaction and engagement.
- We will embrace the discomfort of change and are not afraid to do things differently. 5.
Key considerations
This is a list of things we want to consider as part of this project that we anticipate discussion around as we move forward. It's not exhaustive, and functions as a "how might we" style braindump. We anticipate that kickoff could capture further considerations from across the org.
Content strategy
How can we align content to our strategic pillars
How can we make sure we’re creating the right types of content for our audience
How can we consider the needs of our staff audience?
How can we consider the role of email / newsletters as part of our approach
How can we embed SEO best practice into our content work
How might we consider AI as part of our content approach
How can we develop our tone of voice?
How can we understand the amount of content we need and how frequently we publish it
How can we understand our content ecosystem?
How can we adopt a create once, publish everywhere approach.
How can we be human centred in our approach and give power and voice to our audience?
How can we trailblaze in the charity content space to set us apart from others?
Content operations
How can we leverage technology to improve our content operations (GatherContent or similar tools)
How might we create a content playbook that supports staff with content creation
What is the role of content design within our content operations?
How can we ensure our content is always readable and accessible to all.
How can we make content production as frictionless as possible?
What we need from your response
A short presentation that includes:
- Your experience and skills that make you a suitable partner with reference to previous work.
- A demonstration of understanding about who we are, where we're at on our content journey, our values and the impact we want to have.
- How you would approach delivering a content strategy for our three brands.
- Demonstration of your personal commitment to DEI and how you share our DEI principles.
- A costed menu-based set of activities that will allow for us to create an optimal content strategy programme.
- A phased timeline based on your recommended approach and aligning to our financial year. (April-March).
- If possible, examples of content strategies you have previously produced
- Any other pertinent information that would be useful for us to consider.
Next steps
Issue brief
ASAP
Prepare response
Now to 28 June
Pitches
From second week of July
Appoint
By mid July
Kickoff
By end of July
Questions
If you have any questions about this brief, please feel free to contact mike.burn@gsttcharity.org.uk
Guy's & St Thomas' charities' content strategy