Whitewater - news

How many times have you been in a bar busting for the loo or running home from the bus stop to get there in time?

I'm sure it's something we've all experienced: but when you put it into perspective, waiting for 2 or 3 people before you or having to run up the stairs and turn on the light, really isn't that bad.

Sadly, there are 2.5 billion people in the world don't have access to any loo – bet you didn't know that.
That's why our client WaterAid is raising awareness of this devastating fact and want people who do have loos (I'd say that's all of us) to take action and help WaterAid tackle and combat sanitation in some of the world's poorest countries.

World Toilet Day is today - Wednesday 19th November - download your posters and spread the word.

Lisa Munden

Finders' fee: £2,000

Following strong growth from existing clients and a string of new business wins, Whitewater is looking to recruit four new heads.

We're interested in talking to highly motivated and top calibre direct marketers with agency or charity backgrounds.

We can promise a working environment that is passionate, creative, fun and free of politics. We also offer competitive and imaginative remuneration packages. But most of all, we can promise that you'll be part of a dynamic team that is changing the face of charity direct marketing.

We urgently need to find:
One Account Director
One Group Account Director (10-12 months maternity cover contract)
One Senior Planner
One Digital Specialist - client facing

If you know the person we're looking for, put them in touch. We'll pay you a £2,000 finders' fee for helping us out. You just need to let us know, before any interviews take place, that they are your lead.

If you think it's you we need, we'll pay you the fee for finding yourself!

Either way, this could be the easiest £2,000 you ever make. A nice little earner to spend on your summer holiday, perhaps?

This offer, which is ongoing, is open to absolutely anyone. Our staff, suppliers, clients, friends, employees of competitors (!), mums and dads, our bank manager, the window cleaner… you name it. If you're reading this, it applies to you!

Paula Ryan

Animal Protection campaigners BUAV have appointed Whitewater following a two-way pitch to handle all donor acquisition and development.

The first piece of work - a dual cash/campaigning ask will be mailed in November. This follows a full data and communications audit carried out by Whitewater, the outputs of which clearly illustrated key strategic recommendations to increase the value of the database.

Michelle Thew, BUAV's Chief Executive said, "We have great faith that Whitewater will help us carry our fundraising forward. Their fresh creative approach and strategic knowledge impressed us and we are eagerly awaiting the results of our first campaign together."

Niamh Neville, Account Director at Whitewater, said, "We're delighted to work on this interesting cause which presents lots of creative challenges, but we love a challenge."

I've been told by our new MD that the most requently given piece of feedback given to him about our website is: 'It's great... but I wanted to find out how Whitewater got its name?!'

Well, as the longest-standing member of staff (more years than I care to remember) and daughter of one of the founders I am uniquely placed to respond.

The answer to the question is... well, it depends who you ask.

According to Sarah Hamilton Fairley (Whitewater's founder, first MD and now Chief Exec of charity Starthere), the name came from a promise she made to herself on an ill-advised rafting expedition in Nepal. Swept off the raft and hurtling downriver, preoccupied with the purifying tablets she felt she should be swallowing to compensate for the vast amounts of river water being ingested as her fellow rafters bobbed by, she swore that, should she come out of the ordeal alive, her brand new company would be named Whitewater.

But if you ask Richard Crofton (co-founder of Whitewater, also now at StartHere), the story is quite different. His version includes a hike up Mont Richard in the French Pyrenees, where he was greeted at the summit by a breath-taking view including glacier, snow, cloud, and spray from a waterfall casting rainbows. The ensemble of different forms of 'white water' were his inspiration for the name of the fledgling company.

Both stories are true and both inspired the naming of the company. Perhaps the most remarkable thing is that two such different stories resulted in the founders (neither of whom lack the courage of their convictions) being able to actually agree upon the name.

Whether Whitewater says to you, 'excitement, danger, thrills' or 'beauty, nature, peace', there's a story behind the name to fit.

Anna Bell

If fundraisers are looking for extraordinary inspiration, we should look no further than the Obama '08 campaign.

Obama's campaign has raised a truly staggering $600 million and counting, blitzing all previous records. In two years! And what's more, 90% of this has come from individual donors with the average donation around $86.

According to the LA Times, Obama's campaign 'built a cash juggernaut using the Internet'. But of course it's not just the technology wot did it. As John Baguely points out, Obama's inspirational leadership is the foundation.

It strikes me that Obama's fundraising reminds us that donating money is not an alternative to campaigning. It is campaigning. And it has put power back into the hands of ordinary Americans. So it's democratising as well.

Those donations have funded the kind of advertising blitzes which previously only big-money Republicans could deliver. Obama's campaign (win or lose) is an extraordinary case study in fundraising, led, as John Baguely says, by the most extraordinary fundraiser of them all, Senator Obama himself.

Image courtesy of Joe Crimmings Photography

Steve Andrews

This is the one time you should ignore your supporters. Because thanking them is probably the best investment you'll ever make. Particularly as now, more than ever, giving to charity is incredibly generous of people who are wondering if they'll be able to afford to pay for their groceries next month.

We recently wrote a thank-you letter for our client RSPCA. But it wasn't just any old thank-you letter. This letter thanked donors for everything they'd done for the charity during the previous 12 months. Every response to an appeal, every raffle ticket bought was acknowledged. And thanked.

There was no ask for money in this letter, yet the volume of 'white mail' it generated was far in excess of any RSPCA fundraising appeal (10 inches high and counting…). And none of these letters said "Don't waste money thanking me".

Many supporters wrote and phoned saying how they hate being asked by charities to give more all the time, then going on to say that because of the letter, they'll increase their gift. Another was prompted to leave a residuary gift in their Will.

Being the hardcore direct marketers we are, we wanted our client Sarah Vickery to test it so we could see how it affected the future 'performance' of the supporters who received it. Now Sarah understands DM as well as we do – but she said "No!" And do you know what? I think she was right, because Sarah recognised that there are some things that are so right to do that you don't test them – you just do it!

Nick Couldry

Save the Children have appointed Whitewater after a three-way pitch with a brief to reinvigorate their donor acquisition programme with a range of new creative and media tests.

The campaigns which launch in November will test a range of proposition across inserts, direct mail and doordrops.

Jenny Morris, Save the Children's Supporter Acquisition Manager, said, "Whitewater's creative work was incredibly powerful, and we were impressed with their thorough approach to the brief. We're very excited to be taking their ideas forward into live testing."

Niamh Neville, Account Director at Whitewater, said, "Save the Children is a great brand to work on. We were inspired by the brief, so we're thrilled to have won this pitch. We have high hopes for the autumn tests."

There is definitely something special about Whitewater. After starting last week and spending my first three days immersed in agency meetings, learning about our clients, I felt a real energy and commitment from everyone I spoke with. Then I realised: it's in the Whitewater DNA. It jumps out at you and hollers - don't think about being part of what we stand for unless you are passionate and believe you can make a difference. The doors are closed to non-believers.

I worked through the revolution that made the Internet a part of everyones lives and during that time had the pleasure of working with some really bright people on ground-breaking global campaigns.
And still I have been blown away by the quality of the Whitewater team and the care they take in every aspect of what they do. It might be obvious that we care – after all we work with charities and non-profits – yet the result is work of the highest quality. And does it generate results? It had better. We are primarily in the response business so numbers are what makes us tick.

I have been introduced to campaigns that are generating new donors with a positive ROI; new ways of thinking that are making this industry consider a different approach to marketing; and a TV ad which moved one experienced client to tears (and if I am honest, my eyes were a little moist when it finished).

And the Whitewater effect is having a real impact. One of our recent pitch wins was so impressed by our first campaign and the stops we pulled out to hit her deadlines that she sent us very personal thank-you card, while in another instance, chocolates were found on an Account Director's desk as acknowledgement for the hard work put in by everyone on their recent campaign launch. Two separate client thank-you's in the same week - brilliant.

For the first time in quite a while, I cannot wait to get into work. I may have been part of the team for less than 72 hours, but I am already feeling the effect.

Mark Roper

We’ve just helped the Brooke to launch a new campaign which draws attention to the humanitarian side of their work. The HelpBoth campaign positions the Brooke as “The animal charity that helps people too” and highlights the dual impact the Brooke has in making a lasting difference to the working horses, donkeys and mules most in need across the world, along with the poverty stricken communities that depend on them.

The campaign is across inserts, press, online and outdoor media and we’ll give you more of an update on this later!

Part of the campaign was to develop a DVD that explains the Brooke’s work and how it benefits both animals and people. Send off for your copy and watch a preview at the www.helpboth.org website. Visit it now!

Alex Wordsworth

My flat mate saw an ad in the tube and told me about orange rockcorps - an initiative where if you put something in, you get something out. So I checked out the website www.orangerockcorps.co.uk and I was ever so pleasantly surprised... Do four hours of work to help others, and you get a free ticket to an awesome show! How brilliant! Now there's absolutely no excuse for youngsters not to get involved in activities which help make the world a better place.

It makes me so happy to know that there are more than a handful of people out there that want to do things for the better of mother nature and human kind.

So check out the site, get involved and help us save the world! HOORAH!

Saxon-Dale Sunderland

The search is over. Whitewater is pleased to announce the appointment of Mark Roper as the company’s new Managing Director.

Mark stood out from a strong field of candidates as a truly outstanding appointment.

A marketer with many years' Board level experience at MHA Carlson and Banner, Mark brings everything that Whitewater was looking for:

• An outstanding marketing practioner with deep experience in integrated marketing and a strong commercial background
• A heavy-weight agency leader and manager
• A nice guy that’ll fit in and protect our friendly culture

Mark joins Whitewater from Volume where he was Director of Planning.

Steve Andrews, Chairman of Whitewater, said, “We were privileged to meet many tremendous people but our decision, in the end, was an easy one. Mark was an outstanding candidate who we could see taking Whitewater to the next level.”

On accepting the position, Mark Roper said, “I am thrilled to be joining Whitewater and to be given the opportunity of working with such a wide range of charity brands. There is a history of excellence to build on with Whitewater and I relish the opportunity of bringing my experience to the team.”

Mark takes up his new position on October 1st.

This month the RSPCA is launching an urgent appeal in support of what has been described as ‘the Biggest Animal Rescue ever’.

The campaign raises awareness of the significant increase in the number of animals needing the RSPCA’s help since the Animal Welfare Act came into force in April 2007 and calls for much needed public donations. The integrated campaign, which includes a DRTV commercial, online campaign, press inserts, cold mail and door drop, has been developed in conjunction with Whitewater.

The new Animal Welfare Act, means the RSPCA can now act before an animal suffers. It has led to a dramatic increase in the workload of RSPCA Inspectors, Animal Collection Officers, Animal Centre staff and vets – as well as the need for more food, more care and more veterinary treatment at Animal Centres. The new campaign asks everyone who cares about animals to make a donation in support of the Biggest Animal Rescue, since the charity relies entirely on public support.

Speaking about the new laws, Tim Wass, Chief Officer Inspectorate, who is featured in the DRTV ad, said: “The Act is great news for animals, but means a great deal of work for the RSPCA. I need to make the public aware of the increase in animals who are now depending on us. I need to appeal for more funds so we can be there for all the animals that are counting on us.”

Nick Couldry, Creative Director at Whitewater said of the new commercial: “The RSPCA is totally committed to meeting the demands of the new Animal Welfare legislation. This appeal utilises integrated media to reach as many people as possible and draw attention to the challenge for Inspectors like Tim Wass who are on the front line of animal welfare.”

This month the RSPCA is launching an urgent appeal in support of what has been described as ‘the Biggest Animal Rescue ever’.

The campaign raises awareness of the significant increase in the number of animals needing the RSPCA’s help since the Animal Welfare Act came into force in April 2007 and calls for much needed public donations. The integrated campaign, which includes a DRTV commercial, online campaign, press inserts, cold mail and door drop, has been developed in conjunction with Whitewater.

The new Animal Welfare Act, means the RSPCA can now act before an animal suffers. It has led to a dramatic increase in the workload of RSPCA Inspectors, Animal Collection Officers, Animal Centre staff and vets – as well as the need for more food, more care and more veterinary treatment at Animal Centres. The new campaign asks everyone who cares about animals to make a donation in support of the Biggest Animal Rescue, since the charity relies entirely on public support.

Speaking about the new laws, Tim Wass, Chief Officer Inspectorate, who is featured in the DRTV ad, said: “The Act is great news for animals, but means a great deal of work for the RSPCA. I need to make the public aware of the increase in animals who are now depending on us. I need to appeal for more funds so we can be there for all the animals that are counting on us.”

Nick Couldry, Creative Director at Whitewater said of the new commercial: “The RSPCA is totally committed to meeting the demands of the new Animal Welfare legislation. This appeal utilises integrated media to reach as many people as possible and draw attention to the challenge for Inspectors like Tim Wass who are on the front line of animal welfare.”

I enjoyed hearing this story on Radio 5 this morning.

It was another reminder of why I love my job.

Last Summer, Nick, our Creative Director, read a story in The Times about how the National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE) were not approving a drug which could prevent a common form of blindness: wet macular degeneration. RNIB were campaigning against this position.

Whitewater knows how powerful a campaign ask can be to drive fundraising results. So Nick mocked up a pack and we sent it over to RNIB.

They loved it. They used it. Donors loved it. Fundraising targets were smashed and it resulted in the biggest ever petition to NICE. NICE changed their mind, as reported by the BBC today. And thousands of people will have their sight saved. Thanks to RNIB, their donors and Whitewater's Creative Director.

That's work worth getting up for in the morning.

Steve Andrews

What are they doing back home?

A charity campaign created last year for The Haven Night Shelter in Cape Town, South Africa, was instrumental in bringing the hardships of the homeless people in the city out into the open. Haven Night Shelters are situated all over the Cape Peninsula and do fantastic work not only getting people off the streets, but also in trying to get kids who have run away from home reunited with their families. The essence of the campaign is in highlighting the extreme differences between the have and have-nots of South Africa using media, which would normally be noticed by people looking for new homes.

The ads, which were placed all over Cape Town, were made to look as if they had been placed by estate agents advertising various properties. Headlines included “Sensational City Living” and “Location! Location! Location!” typical of normal property ads. The only difference was that the visuals did not match the regular lingo used by estate agents. Instead of showing multi-million rand houses, the images are of benches, bush shelters and the underneath of bridges. Press ads ran in newspaper property sections, flyers were dropped into peoples’ post boxes and “On Show” signs were placed at similar locations to the ones shown in the press ads and flyers.

A clever and unique way of bringing a needy cause out into the limelight.

Michael-John Van Vuuren

In case you aren’t aware, it was my birthday recently. But don’t worry if you missed it, there will be others. I had a special birthday card that I want to tell you about.

It was from Dave. You won’t know Dave, because I don’t know Dave. He works for a website that I visited once. I didn’t buy anything and I don’t even recall leaving my details. Certainly not my date of birth. Did he search for me on Facebook or Myspace? Am I being stalked??

But, I am impressed. It’s not often you receive a handwritten, personalised birthday card through the mail, signed by someone you don’t know, who works for a company from which you have never made a purchase.

Such personalisation is very hard working. Let’s all consider Dave for a moment and think about how much he want’s my business. It costs money to send a birthday card and it costs money to sign it with ink. Does he act on blind intuition, or does he know something I don’t?

If you received a signed (with real ink!), personalised card recognising your donation, would you make another gift in the future? My guess is yes.

Paul Bailey

I saw an article in Brand Republic a while ago, that may raise some interesting debate.

The article discussed how widgets may replace email as a marketing tool in 5 years time and are going to be for online marketing what SMS was for mobile - a disruptive technology that will change the way we do things.

The case put forward was that email is about telling and that showing is a more powerful form of expression. The smarter the widgets, the more we could do with them. If widgets were put on a mobile phone, the story widens and the audience becomes more broad. They won't be just useful to teenagers anymore but will be used by almost everyone.

it would be great to know other people's thoughts regarding this?

Kate Whitehead

The annual G8 Summit has come round so quickly this year - especially with the food crisis, climate change and the imminent credit crunch recently hitting the headlines. This year the leaders of the 8 richest countries met in Japan's Northern island of Hokkaido. And for the first time, on the request of President George W Bush, the G8 leaders also held an enlarged Meeting of Major Economies with Australia, Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Mexico, South Korea and South Africa - perhaps a way to share the responsibility?

Key pledges made were...

Steps against Zimbabwe and a joint G8 statement was read out condemning the way last month's national elections had proceeded. But why did the statement stop short of sanctions? Apparently Russia believe that sanctions are not an effective tool and promoted negotiations as way of resolving the crisis. Surely this is going to be difficult if intimidation and violence continue to be used against opposition supporters. Plus Mugabe and opposition leader Tsvangarai are not prepared to speak to each other.

A commitment to halve greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. The host, Japan hailed the summit a success based on this pledge, but what baseline has been set for this? And surely much more is needed much sooner - are there no medium-term objectives?

Moves to boost nuclear power to tackle climate change. However, Germany rightly pointed out the risks in the development of nuclear power. And why were further pledges not made to the development of alternative energy sources like wind and solar?

Increase aid to Africa and help meet the UN's Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). These include halving global hunger and getting every child into primary school by 2015. But the leaders have been critised by pressure groups for not spelling out exactly how these commitments will be met.

They asked nations with sufficient food stocks to release some of them to help others cope with soaring food prices. But what caused the food crisis in the first place? The leaders failed to tackle this.

In a nutshell, I found this year's G8 Summit disappointing. The leaders did talk about the sticky global issues, but I felt that this was all 'hot air' as they did not really address the causes of these issues and how the pledges are going to be met. It will be interesting to see how things pan out over the next few months with leaders meeting again in September and December to discuss the Millenium Development Goals - I am sure that they are aware that the world will be watching them.

Pritha Bardhan

The other weekend, along with several thousand other Devonites, I took part in CRUK’s Race for Life in Exeter — a breath-takingly picturesque 5k run, ruthlessly marshalled by wayward sheep. I think it’s fair to say I was doing this for selfish reasons; a beautiful day, the memory of one cream tea too many.

Very surprisingly then — even more so than the fact of crossing the finish — I experienced something completely unexpected: I found myself absolutely overcome with emotion. All around me in a sea of pink, women were gathering in celebration of someone they loved, proudly bearing back panels with photos of their mums, dads, aunties, husbands. As I stood blinking with tears at the start line, a woman of my age smiled at me and quietly touched my arm. I was about to confess, shamefacedly, that really I was fine, that this wasn’t about me — that, amazingly, no-one really close to me had been affected by cancer. Then I caught sight of her banner. She had recently lost her own young daughter to leukaemia. Feeling even more humbled, there was an extra kick of determination in my step when the starting gun sounded.

It really got me thinking about how as fundraisers we can all learn from the power of charity events. More than any other activity, they can totally knock for six that prevailing thought - all too common in a world of many fundraising asks - that ‘this isn’t about me’. Personal experience of a cause doesn’t have to be a prerequisite to getting involved but it sure as heck rubs off.

You can find out more about CRUK’s event at http://www.raceforlife.org/

Kate Reeves