In an ideal world, rolling over year-end money is the preferred option. But we know that is not always possible. Perhaps you rolled over last year and still have some budget remaining? Perhaps the pandemic put you into saving mode, not knowing what will happen. Perhaps you were awarded extra funds this year for your department or project? Whatever the reason, if you happen to be in this place, we have five ways to put that year-end extra budget to good use.
1. Research
Commissioning research is our number one recommendation. If you are planning to start a new project next year [or improve one already underway], or begin a marketing or communications campaign, undertaking research will help you make evidence-based decisions and increase your success rate. Our research team are on hand to help you with the methodology and importantly they can help uncover the insights required to help your next project thrive.
2. Evaluation
Commissioning an evaluation of a service, programme or campaign will help you to understand whether to continue funding this initiative in the next financial year. Understanding if what you are doing is adding value is so important. It can also help you to secure future funding as demonstrating impact is the number one ask of investors, commissioners and funders today. We work with a number of clients to understand their social return on investment. We are experts in social value so we can review your programme, project and campaign and provide recommendations.
3. Training
Personal and professional development is something we strongly believe in. The right training and skills is a worthwhile investment for you and your team. If you are in the business of changemaking then we can help with this. We can train you and your team in social marketing and behaviour change, behavioural insights, using social media for change, marketing planning, behavioural frameworks like the COM-B model and social return on investment to name a few. Get in touch with our team to discuss your requirements and we can help you create a training programme bespoke to your needs.
4. UX/UI
Are you planning a big website change in the next financial year? We would recommend spending some year-end budget on UX/UI design which will improve the user experience and customer satisfaction that ultimately helps increase the number of users on your website. If you need some help, just talk to our creative team who can help with all aspects: Information Architecture, Interaction Design, Usability, Wireframing and Visual Design.
5. Design and storytelling
Over the last year, you have very likely worked your socks off and done a lot of tremendous work in a very difficult period. It's important to capture the story of the last year and what you and your team have done. Why not create an annual report, an infographic or commission a short video that looks back over the last year, but also talks about the plans for the future. We have copywriters and creators at the ready who can help tell your story and help you demonstrate your impact.
For an informal, non-obligatory chat about how we can help you, please talk to Jo who will connect you for a virtual tea with one of our changemakers.
*We are a preferred supplier to the public sector and we can be commissioned via NHS Commercial Solutions to undertake work on your behalf. Please ask us about this framework.
