CharityComms has launched a wellbeing guide following concerns about social media abuse and the stressful nature of charity communications.
It has partnered up with expert charity communicator Kirsty Marrins and tech for good specialists Lightful to create the guide.
The guide states that “as a charity communication professional, you are dealing with challenging situations every day".
It adds: “Over time, the effect of hearing and seeing emotionally distressing or even abusive messages, will take its toll.”
Guide author Kirsty Marrins said: “The scale of what communications professionals deal with is vast, and it’s important to recognise the daily, ‘business as usual’ situations that communications professionals consistently face, that could be impacting on their mental health. Just because it’s not about them personally, doesn’t mean that it’s not internalised and won’t impact their wellbeing.”
The guide is made up of eight core sections which offer practical advice and examples of good practice. It includes case studies from Alzheimer’s Society, Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity, Sarcoma UK and Time to Change, as well as advice from counsellor Helen Breakwell and resilience expert Hannah Massarella.
The guide is designed to support those working in charity communications to help both themselves and others. It covers social media, building personal resilience, workplace culture, supporting colleagues and many other topics.
'As a sector we have a duty of care to staff'
Vinay Nair, CEO and co-founder of Lightful, said: "Social media offers an amazing opportunity to get to know our supporters and to have meaningful conversations with them. But we also know that there is a lot of negativity on social media, and it’s important that we know how to deal with it, and to address it head-on."
Adeela Warley, CEO of CharityComms, said: “The rewards of doing cause-related comms can be great but that doesn’t mean it comes without its challenges. As a sector we have a duty of care to staff who are often the first point of contact for anyone engaging in the vast range of amazing causes we represent.
“The incredible job that charity communicators do should never be underestimated and investing in their wellbeing at work should be a priority.”
The guide also offers links to other wellbeing resources and reading recommendations.
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