Martin House Hospice Care for Children & Young People

June 2015 – October 2017

Martin House provides family-led care and support for children and young people with life-limiting conditions. In this role, I supported the Manager of Marketing and Communications across income generation, brand and reputation management, service marketing and communications, and internal communications.

I assisted with the day to day management of the organisation’s website and social networks, sourcing and posting content and engaging with supporters as necessary. I measured the effectiveness of these channels on a regular basis. My role also included a large amount of copywriting and some design work, as I produced collateral to support fundraising and service campaigns, as well internal communications.

In all of my marketing roles I have needed to engage with diverse audiences using a variety of media. At Martin House, I project managed and produced copy for several supporter newsletters, including the 30^th anniversary celebratory edition, as well as helping to produce two professional videos and various photoshoots to promote the hospice’s work to supporters and care professionals and arranging the launch of the Martin House Research Centre in collaboration with the University of York.

I particularly enjoyed the challenge of improving internal communications (taking responsibility for the production and distribution of the internal newsletter and advising on the newly introduced staff intranet) and helping to update the processes for communicating with hospice families and professionals. Before I joined Martin House, the care team had had no marketing input and so it was important to build strong, trusting relationships to help achieve our shared goals. Although our success was not quantifiable, as such, I felt that I had worked hard to develop and maintain that relationship and that communications in print and online improved drastically as a result.

One of my favourite aspects of my work was conducting case studies and arranging photography and press releases. This gave me the chance to liaise with the media and further promote Martin House to the wider community, as well as gaining a valuable insight into the challenges faced by hospice families.