The power of people...
THE POWER OF PEOPLE AT THE GSK IMPACT AWARDS
It happens every year but it always takes me by surprise. There’s a lump in my throat, my emotions are close to the surface and I’m not the only one taken unawares. In a room of senior leaders across business and the third sector, everyone is feeling the same thing.
Such is the enduring power of the GSK IMPACT Awards, delivered in partnership with The King’s Fund for charities who have shown excellence in healthcare.
Along with my co-founder Lynn Chambers, I’ve had the pleasure of working with GSK and The King’s Fund on the GSK IMPACT Awards since 2011. It’s been a privilege and has in many ways been transformational for Toucan as a company and for me personally.
SO, WHAT I HAVE LEARNED...
1. SUCCESSFUL PARTNERSHIPS ARE ALL ABOUT COMMUNICATION, CLARITY AND COLLABORATION
The GSK IMPACT Awards programme was created by the rare partnership of GSK and The King’s Fund. A global pharmaceutical and an independent charity working to improve health and care in England. It’s even more unusual considering it has sustained for 27 years and is now GSK’s flagship charitable programme in the UK. Highly prized in the third sector, this award has a huge cachet. Those judging are themselves incredibly influential and include the Chair of GSK and CEO of The King’s Fund along with decision makers at NHS England and The National Lottery Community Fund.
Over the years, I’ve seen the excellent communication and collaboration between GSK and The King’s Fund and been hugely impressed by the way they’ve worked together so effectively to grow and develop the programme which supports and promotes the winning charities, not only with a cash sum, but also bespoke leadership training, media assets and pro bono activities.
Our role at Toucan has always felt like an extension of this partnership, part of the larger team and also protectors and ambassadors of the brand. Our film team is the first direct contact the winners have on their journey to the awards night and so clear communication between ourselves, GSK, The King’s Fund and the individual charity winners has been essential to ensure we can deliver over thirty films in a short time frame and produce powerful, emotional, storytelling content as the centerpiece of the event and live broadcast.
2. INNOVATION AT THE FOREFRONT
Together with our client, we’ve constantly thought about how the event can be better. How can we reach more people? How can we make sure that the story is clear and everyone understands? Over the years we’ve introduced new films and formats, we’ve made them shorter and more shareable for social media, and we’ve focused on storytelling because it’s such a powerful way to share information. A winner from last year, tapped me on the shoulder to tell me how their film had literally been the clincher for winning a substantial new stream of funding. She makes a good point when she says “Who doesn’t have a minute and half to watch a film?”
3. KNOW YOUR STUFF
Winning this award packs a punch for a charity because they have to be at the top of their game to get through 500 entries. I’m proud to have been part of that shortlisting process and observed the brilliant, balanced discussion and decision making that takes place at the judging. Rigor and attention to detail is at the heart of the GSK IMPACT awards. In the company of excellent leaders, we’ve always gone above and beyond to understand the complexities, sensitivities and safety concerns of making films with charities working with vulnerable people. We gained trust because we too paid attention to detail, made sure we knew our stuff and that approach has been the template for every client we’ve worked with since.
4. HOW IT CHANGED ME AS A PERSON
Over the years I’ve interviewed hundreds of extraordinary people as part of this project. I’ve filmed in a prison, a safe house and stood on a beach in Cornwall as a choir of young parents from the winning charity sang together in friendship and support and I kept my fingers crossed that the sea didn’t come in and the camera drone didn’t ditch in the sea. I’ve learned that with just a little targeted help, human beings can move from desperate circumstances to being fulfilled and thriving. I’m grateful for every conversation I’ve had and it’s changed my whole perspective on life.
5. TOUCAN THROUGH AND THROUGH
Going back to the beginning, one of the first winners we worked with, Jennifer Fear of Step Forward said “What was different about your approach was you immediately felt at home here and part of the team. You weren’t coming in from outside telling us what to do, you were helping us tell our own story”. Thirteen years later, that approach holds true. Our role as strategic storytellers is to find a way to tell stories that are both disarmingly authentic and have a powerful strategic purpose, for our clients GSK & The King’s Fund and the charities themselves.
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