Three into one does go

People often come into social care aiming to make a difference. But those who choose the voluntary sector as their vehicle often get distracted by "engine trouble" - caused, usually, by lack of funding - and take their eyes off the route.

So managers and directors, rather than managing and directing, spend an inordinate amount of time fundraising. However, fundraising becomes easier the better or higher profile a charity has. And one of the best ways to raise your profile is through

effective campaigning - which, of course, also helps to change things for the better.

To increase their profile more effectively, three small charities that work with a similar client group have hit upon a useful idea.

Respond, Voice UK and the Ann Craft Trust all work with people with learning difficulties who have been or are at risk of abuse. They also share a policy and campaigns officer, Rebecca Seden, in a post funded with money from Lloyds TSB Foundation and the Department of Health.

"The three charities were like a lot of small organisations that could do campaigning work, basically, only when they could fit it around fundraising," says Seden. "It's hard to think strategically when you're doing other things. Now campaigns are planned and objectives set that can be followed through."

Raising the profile, however, will not be easy. "When learning difficulties are mentioned in government priorities, they always seem to be about number five in a list of 10, so we're very concerned about that. Disabilities generally have now been lumped in with older people - a huge field that is easy to get lost in. So contact and influence with MPs and ministers is very important to us," she says.

Seden's background is in political campaigning, but it has been a steep learning curve. "I haven't worked with or known any people with learning difficulties before, but I have learned so much - not least about the injustices that, unfortunately, a lot of them face daily."

Indeed, one of the main campaigns is improving the lot of people with learning difficulties within the criminal justice system. "Historically, they have been treated as unreliable, incompetent witnesses and have thus been denied justice," she says.

Recently the Home Office published research on rape and conviction that highlighted the lack of justice for women who have been raped, especially those with learning difficulties.

It's my job to pick up on that sort of thing," says Seden. "I spotted it and we were able to put a press release out and stir up some interest. We can react immediately while things are newsworthy. If I wasn't here it might well have been something lost within the hustle and bustle of running a charity."

Another aspect of the job is responding to government consultations. "It's good that we have three organisations tabling a single response; it helps strengthen the message. I think that government likes a united front; it's safer for them if everyone is saying the same thing," says Seden, who can also act as one point of contact.

Kathryn Stone, director of Voice UK, believes the united front is crucial. "It is important for us to have a campaigns officer who can draw together a consistent and co-ordinated approach and response to different issues that come up," she says.

Richard Curen, director of Respond, agrees: "This unique partnership benefits all of us equally. We're similar in our outlooks and with what we feel needs to change in society and the law. Sometimes funders make us feel we are in competition, but this way of working can only bring us closer together."

Seden believes that together the three organisations can make a real difference. "It's not that people aren't interested in the work we do; it's more a case that they just don't think about it," she says.

"So talking to people and highlighting issues enables it to get on their radar. And to do that we need to be proactive and not just reactive. If you rely on being reactive, you can't always push a campaign in the way you want it to run."

Lessons Learned

• Be clear about the expectations of each organisation, ensuring each one has an equal say.
• Spend time at each organisation - get to know them well. "If you're based at one organisation it's easy to get to know that one well and not the others - particularly if the other partners are in different parts of the country," says Seden.
• While each organisation will have their uniqueness, presenting a united front is a powerful tool. You have more clout, people will listen, and as you build credibility they will also begin to listen out for you; they will seek what you have to say.