Communication Point works with organisations based in the UK and internationally. From presenting a project to funders to campaigning on climate change, HIV and AIDS or trade justice, we have the strategies and services for you.

 

Writing and Editing

My personal commitment to action: At a high level summit in The Netherlands in March 2010, almost 40 religious leaders signed a personal commitment to take more action to overcome HIV-related stigma and discrimination. Communication Point staff wrote the text of the commitment overnight following input from a subcommittee of religious leaders, which was further refined the following day and signed. We then later drafted the text for the brochure, as well as the website www.HIVcommitment.net, opening the personal commitment for more signatures and supporting signers in their commitment.

 

Justice, not Greed
Communication Point has been editing several books for the World Council of Churches, which is not just about spelling and grammar, but ensuring accuracy and consistency as well as securing permissions to reprint images and information that may be under copyright protection.

Annual Report 2011, Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance
Annual reports are great opportunities to profile your organisation’s achievements. Taking information from reports and interviews of staff and beneficiaries, we have written text and overseen the design of many annual reports, including those for the Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance since 2004. The EAA’s 2011 annual report was prepared as a poster, providing a great message that works the whole year round.

 

Exploring Solutions: How to Talk about HIV Prevention in the Church
Talk about a challenge – how can an organisation working with many different Christian traditions provide a helpful guide for church members to talk about sex, drugs, violence, stigma and HIV prevention in a safe, respectful and accurate way? The initial drafts helped to lay down the framework for the guide, but in the end, Communication Point rewrote many of the sections due to our knowledge of the HIV pandemic and the response of many churches and Christian organisations.

 

From Harare to Porto Alegre 1998-2006
The World Council of Churches needed a comprehensive, but readable, review of its work between assemblies. Communication Point interviewed staff and sifted through reams of reports to write the text.

 

 

Media Relations

2012 International AIDS Conference
IACs are held every two years and draw over 20,000 people engaged in all aspects of the response to HIV and AIDS. Since 2004, Communication Point has coordinated an Ecumenical Media Team reporting on faith-based participation and engagement on the HIV pandemic, and advised on exhibitions and banners. AIDS 2012 was held in Washington, D.C.  and we organized press conferences and assembled a team that provided professional photography, excellent media releases and feature stories, and an up-to-date and comprehensive website. We also provided signage and display material.

World AIDS Day
Communication Point worked with the World AIDS Campaign to coordinate its international media strategy for World AIDS Day in 2006, 2007 and 2008. This involved coordinating a list of media contacts, developing media fact sheets and media guides for campaigners, developing a list of key spokespeople, writing press releases, working with national campaigners to best reach the media outlets in their countries, helping to set up an international press conference by phone, and responding to media enquiries. A sample of our work is the World AIDS Day Media Toolkit

UN Review on AIDS 2008
When United Nations member states gathered in New York in June 2008 to review their progress in tackling the HIV pandemic, so were over 1,000 civil society representatives. Communication Point was part of a small media team writing press releases to highlight key issues and coordinating messages and contacts between the many civil society organisations and media based at the United Nations.

 

Exhibitions and Events

“Prescription for Life”: Exhibit at the United Nations, New York – November 2009
Communication Point organized an exhibition highlighting the need to help children living with HIV. Using our network of professional associates, the text was written in Canada. The banners were designed by local Cumbrian firm Designworks using photographs largely from a photographer based in Oregon, USA. The design was finalized after a public relations consultant and project manager we contracted in New York photographed the space and sent the technical specifications we requested. The banner files were sent electronically and printed in Connecticut, set up by our associates, who also then handled media relations and helped with the launch. We never set foot in New York for this successful project – which saved the client money and the environment some unnecessary carbon emissions.

 

Strategic Communication

Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance’s Tenth Anniversary – December 2010
One of our latest efforts for the Alliance was helping them celebrate their Tenth Anniversary. We suggested a package of events, prepared press releases and developed a historical background with photos.

High Level Summit of Religious Leaders on the Response to HIV – March 2010
Tapping into Communication Point’s experience and expertise in organization and ecumenical relationships, director Sara Speicher was asked to convene the steering committee planning this first-ever high level international religious summit on HIV. Working with Cordaid in The Netherlands and the Ecumenical Advocacy Alliance in Switzerland, Sara was involved in all parts of the planning, from facilitating meetings in person and via conference call, drafting invitation letters, writing background documentation and funding requests, interviewing potential facilitators, and developing the media strategy. She also wrote the report, worked with the videographer in the preparation of a DVD of videos and finalized all the documentation for distribution to participants.

 

Training and Mentoring

International AIDS Conference 2008 For the Ecumenical Media Team covering the IAC 2008 in Mexico City, Communication Point encouraged organizations to send young communicators who could work alongside seasoned professionals and improve their reporting and gain experience covering large conferences. Each was paired with a professional who walked through assignments with them.

In various organizations, we’ve worked with staff in improving their presentations, developing appropriate visual aids, and gaining confidence in giving interviews to media.