Let's face it, most people who volunteer are passionate about helping people - but for some influencing social change is also important. Volunteering for a campaigning organisation allows volunteers to help make things happen for large charities. Find out what the grass roots activists get up to here.

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Thursday May 25, 2006

A bit of glitz and glam

Tuesday morning, nothing too exciting, reading the papers...suddenly interrupted by the opportunity to accompany our head of campaigns on a trip to Milbank and an interview at the ITV TV studio.

As it turned out, not terribly scintillating. It was a pre-recorded interview conducted over the phone, so not a roving camera or egotistical presenter in sight. Still, the studios were more than a might swanky, from the glamorous leggy receptionist to the 2 inch thin computer screens being grunted at by red faced men.  And let's face it, you've got to be pretty unimaginative not to get a bit excited about being driven down Whitehall in a Merc!

What it really made me think about is the branding and marketing of charities and their increasing prevalence in the media. State of the art recording studios, kitsch star studded balls, PR masterminded campaign launches are all a million miles away from the people and the issues charities campaign for. I didn't expect Shelter to have a brand manager and a celebrities liaison officer. But we need them.

Shelter is an organisation which runs over 50 Housing Aid Centres nationwide, where specialist advisers offer free housing advice to over 170,000 people a year. We also tackle the root causes of Britain's housing crisis by campaigning for new laws, policies and solutions. 

Clearly, the housing officers manning the phones and the policy officers influencing government are the foundation on which the organisation lies. But the people who can promote us on TV or get Davina McCall to mention us in OK are pretty integral too.

Want to find out more about Shelter? Click on www.shelter.org.uk for all the latest news, reports and campaigns

Posted by Rachael ( 2:01 PM )
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