Voluntary Sector: Charities plan 2011 activity

Two major charities are holding informal meetings with agencies as they consider how to spruce up their 2011 campaigns.

The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and Save The Children have both been taking part in talks with consultancies about how to boost their fundraising next year.

The WWF is looking ahead to its 50th anniversary in 2011, and is planning to step up promotional activities to 'help the public understand and connect with WWF's work'.

WWF head of press and media relations Benjamin Ward said: 'Earth Hour will again take place in March, and we will be launching new campaigns, as well as continuing with existing projects.

'It is also an important year for conservation and the environment more widely, with the UN Year of Forests aiming to galvanise public understanding of the crucial role that forests play in our lives.'

Ward said the WWF brand would be a big part of its comms during the coming year. He admitted that the WWF has been talking informally to agencies but that no formal tender has been issued.

'Editorial is one of the most important and cost-effective channels we have to reach the public and our challenge is to tell great stories that help people connect with what we are trying to do,' said Ward.

Save The Children would not reveal anything about its campaigning plans for 2011. The charity recently appointed Justin Forsyth as chief executive. Forsyth, the former director of strategic comms in Downing Street, also worked at Oxfam for 15 years and helped to set up the Make Poverty History campaign.

In August, Save The Children took three of the UK's best-known 'mummy bloggers' to Bangladesh to highlight the number of child deaths from illnesses including malaria.