Meet the speaker… Deborah Hale MBE
We’ve got an amazing line-up of speakers for the 7th TBE South West Charity Conference & Expo on Thursday 5th June at Bath Racecourse.
Headlining is Deborah Hale MBE. Deborah was responsible for the largest public engagement campaign since Dunkirk – the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Torch Relays. It was for this work she was awarded her MBE.
From London 2012, she moved to Facebook as Marketing Director for Europe, Middle East and Africa. Now an independent consultant, she has worked with numerous commercial and Not-For- Profit organisations including the Design Council, BBC Children in Need, and the Global Goals campaign. Locally she is a trustee for Voices for Life.
Ahead of the day we met Deborah to find out more about her work and what she’s going to be sharing on the day.
What can people expect from your keynote?
They can expect to learn four simple, but powerful building blocks towards making great campaigns and I will use the Torch Relay as an example.
How do you build trust with diverse stakeholders?
You listen. The first thing is to get them to buy into your vision. But to do this, you must have a respect and knowledge of their perspective, their point of view, what will work for them in terms of becoming part of it.
What challenges do organisations typically face when engaging communities, and how can they overcome them?
It think the main thing is finding the right fit. Something that you can commit to long term. So you need to do your research and create partnerships with outcomes that serve everybody. When a brand becomes woven into the heart of its community, where you both reflect, respect and amplify each others values, that’s when you know you have build something meaningful.
How do you build trust with diverse stakeholders, especially in large-scale initiatives like the London 2012 Torch Relay?
It takes time – it took us two years to build the route for the Relay and the most important piece of that was inclusion. It was not some fancy London agency bringing the Relay to a community; it was a community event that they would host and we would visit. The Olympics gave them a reason to create these wonderful community initiatives. But it was always about them, it was their moment (the Olympics came later). The Torchbearers were their own, they were from the community that they ran in and they had stories that resonated. We gave them the reason and some practical tips, some branding, and then we let go (super important) and trusted them with it.
How do you balance authenticity with commercial objectives in large-scale engagement projects?
Great question. It’s so important that your partners and sponsors also feel valued, recognised and ultimately are able to deliver real results for their brands. Again, this is where all that up-front listening is crucial. In many projects I have worked on, we have carved out unique space for each brand to become involved and actually contracted them to it. Space that they can own and ‘play in’. We give them a ‘unique voice’ which enables them to unite their brand with the charity or cause in a way that they can activate from, but where the community also feels deeply connected.
How can businesses and non-profits effectively collaborate to amplify their community impact?
There are so many ways that business and non-profits can come together to benefit both parties and communities. And it should be more than just purpose washing. First and foremost, they must align on their shared goals and impact areas, agree on where they can pool resources and build strong relationships. This might include engaging in joint events, leveraging social media and offering volunteer opportunities.
What are the key ingredients for building a campaign that truly mobilises communities and drives lasting change?
Powerful compelling vision. Clear and measurable end goals – it’s got to be deliverable. Communication – you can’t engage if you can’t communicate. You need an involved, motivated and fully functioning team.
Your career has been diverse. In what post did you learn the most?
I have learned powerful lessons from all the roles I have taken – sometimes its taken me a long time to learn them, but its interesting how you can reach back to something and let it guide you in a present situation. The Relay stretched me in every way, it was such a complex role and there was such a lot riding on it. I recently helped a group of octogenarians save a community centre and I learned a ton of stuff from them. And of course, you also learn from your mistakes – and I have made plenty of those.
With digital platforms shaping modern activism, how can organisations leverage technology to build more meaningful engagement?
I have always been excited about the power of technology to drive positive change. What we have now is the ability to connect with individuals and groups who share our own concerns and passions. Used wisely social media does not only spread information, it can build communities. The key here is to be clear about the change you want to see, know who you need to create that change, and engage and target them effectively.
In your opinion, what are the most pressing challenges facing Not-For-Profits today?
The thing I hear over and over again is financial sustainability. And that is a real challenge because if you are always chasing the money, then you are not focused on growth. Meaningful, long term committed partnerships allow you to focus on building the future togethe, not just prop yourself up.
Tell us more about your work now. Who are your clients?
I have a small consultancy that specialises in developing marketing campaigns that make change happen and we work within the culture, tech and non profit space. I’m currently working with the Design Council on something called Design for Planet, which will culminate in a global event at the Barbican in September and that is a gathering together of the global design industry around designing with the planet in mind. The important legacy there is that one million designers will be unskilled in green design skills, so let’s see. And I have just started working with a fascinating start up hat uses AI to supercharge the availability of clinical trials so that everyone has access free access to the most innovative healthcare solutions. I’ve also had the privilege of working with Voices for Life, which is the most amazing charity here in Bath working with schools and the community to provide music and wellbeing opportunities for children.
What trends or innovations are on the horizon that excite you then most?
I think that business is increasingly seeing the value of building strong brand communities where customers feel a sense of belonging and connection.
Digital tools and data analytics are increasing at pace to enable us to target, connect and measure effectiveness. And AI offers innovations we haven’t yet grappled with, but in the end, we are human. And humans need to connect with humans. And we should not lose sight of that.
The 7th TBE South West Charity Conference & Expo is taking place on Thursday 5th June at Bath Racecourse from 8:30am-4pm. Deborah Hale MBE’s keynote is taking place at 2pm. The session is free to attend but booking is essential. To find out more and to book, click here.
