Volunteer Day Diaries

This year, thanks to SHARP, I was given the opportunity to work with a life-changing charity for my annual Volunteer Day. A charity with a BIG task and humble goal: to help people in need of a new safe home.

Through our rebranding work with One Community, I was introduced to DASH – a local charity supporting people seeking asylum in the UK. I connected with Kate, the CEO, and was invited to join them at their office on a rainy Monday. In the welcoming confines of the Quaker Meeting House, I spent the morning chatting with Kate and the DASH team, digging into the work they do, why they do it, who they help and how, and what makes them the charity they are. As I listened, the scale of their impact became clear, along with their distinctive offering and the task at hand: transform a regional charity into a power-house brand. After a lively team lunch, where we shared stories of home, we wrapped up for the day, hugged it out, and I headed off. Head full, I began crafting their brand strategy, communications strategy and website copy. Over the next few weeks, Kate and I shaped the final strategy and copy ahead of the annual board strategy day. On the first of October, I stood up and shared our thinking with the trustees. It was a thrilling session. We spent close to two hours changing perceptions from viewing DASH as a small-time support base to a challenging, specialist brand and exploring an exciting new way forward for them. The work created will now be used to shape their new brand and lead them boldly into the future.

I believe that no human is illegal, and thanks to SHARP and DASH, I have had the chance to use my skills for good and help my brothers and sisters in need in some small way. Watch this space to see DASH flourish into the bold, powerful brand it is.

Grace McMahon

Copywriter