We believe that everyone has a part to play in supporting the success of small charities, who are so often the ones making the most impact in the community.
Each year at Crush, we choose a small yet formidable third sector organisation to work with on a pro-bono project, be it in brand, design, marketing or digital development.
This year, upon hearing about the incredible work they do, we decided to lend our creative skills to The Clothing Bank, a grassroots clothing charity based in Yorkshire.
As a small not-for-profit organisation, it’s becoming incredibly and increasingly difficult for a charity such as The Clothing Bank to survive. In developing their brand, designing and developing a new website and creating social media campaigns, the Crush team aims to support the charity to reach a wider community of both those in need, and those who could help them to succeed for many years to come.
“Underfunded and overlooked”
“Constrained by a sector that rewards the big players and seems to ignore the little guys”, small charities have been facing a growing lack of support – and funding – in recent years.
This was the consensus in this year’s report by The Centre of Social Justice Foundation, (part of CSJ) an organisation that works to bring grassroots charities to the attention of Westminster policy and investment.
Marking the “the perilous state of Britain’s grassroots charities”, the report showcased how the UK’s disparity between large charities and small, grassroots charities has been growing at such a rate that it seems almost impossible to imagine how they’re even managing to stay afloat.
“Grassroots organisations are routinely overlooked for both private and public funding. Leaving the vast majority of charitable income to go straight to the charities at the very top.”
– ‘Underfunded and Overlooked’, CSJF, May 2024
High inflation and interest rates combined with “increasing operational costs and a record demand for services” are also expected to strike a further blow to the charity sector, most likely hitting the smallest, the hardest.
As a design agency, we believe we have a part to play here at Crush. So often, money is at the centre of everything – not just in business, but across lifestyle and culture, too. This environment means that, for charities such as The Clothing Bank, almost all windows of opportunity are closed when it comes to not only design, digital marketing and branding support, but also legal and funding support.
Pro-bono branding, design and digital
The partnership between The Clothing Bank and Crush is one that actually began on chance, when our Founder, Natalie, saw a Facebook post from the charity asking for donations.
Having delivered many pro-bono projects for local charities before, the post piqued Natalie’s interest.
“Founded following a report that showed 20% of the UK population were living in poverty, The Clothing Bank collects everyday essential clothing for young adults, families and the elderly in need.
A small team, this charity has managed to provide clothing to an astounding 20,000+ people since their 2020 founding. Run by Sally Parkinson and Susan Bell who have both experienced poverty themselves, Crush was, and still is, simply taken aback by the integrity, care and absolute compassion that this charity runs with.”
– Natalie Burkinshaw, Founder and Creative Director of Crush
We knew that we could help The Clothing Bank to succeed, but it was also important that this success would be accessible to them as a small, grassroots charity with little funds to offer but to the communities they support.
So, as a 100% pro-bono project, the Crush team designed and developed an entirely new WordPress website for the charity. With a coherent UX strategy, accessible copywriting and thoughtful design, the website was at the core of the project; connecting the charity to an online platform that could reach anyone and everyone in need, and those who may be able to donate, volunteer or sponsor.
Having already had a logo designed, we offered our design development expertise to further evolve The Clothing Bank’s brand as a charity of professionalism, community spirit and empowerment, creating bespoke illustrations and pulling together a consistent colour palette.
The new website has only just launched, but early signs are that it will have a hugely positive impact on supporting the charity to achieve their mission of tackling clothing poverty in the UK.
The site is designed to act as an information hub, explaining the work that the charity does and why you should give them your support. An ongoing content strategy, too, includes articles gradually being added to the site, targeting different audience segments such as UK clothing companies with vast amounts of clothing waste – unwanted and undonated.
“We are so thankful for Crush providing our new website. Hopefully, this will make it easier to navigate around the page to find where to drop donations and get support if needed. It is already proving successful and has had lots of positive feedback.”
– Sally Parkinson and Susan Bell, Founders, The Clothing Bank
