What’s your name and position within the organisation?
Hi, I’m Katie Beney. I’ve been Senior Corporate Manager at the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) for nearly two years. For the first time in its 194 year history, the RNLI is making some of its assets available to commercial partners and we’re currently marketing a lead partnership opportunity with RNLI Lifeguards.
Why has the RNLI decided to explore to sponsorship? What “bigger picture” does this relationship seek to meet?
There are two main reasons why the RNLI decided to explore sponsorship:
1. We were the first charity to move to an opted-in database in 2017. This resulted in a substantial reduction in our supporter base and a shortfall of £31m in raised income was identified over a five-year period. To mitigate this loss of income, sponsorship was identified as a significant opportunity to generate commercial funds and maximise RNLI assets.
2. To enable us to reach a wider audience with our safety messaging to ensure UK beachgoers know how to keep themselves safe in and around water.
What’s your rights holder USP?
This is an exclusive opportunity for a brand to help make a difference in communities across the UK. It’s the only national lifeguard service in the UK, covering 249 UK beaches with over 17 million visitors each year.
We’re often referred to as the fourth emergency service.
The lead partner will have its brand featured across all RNLI lifeguarding assets and benefit from media exposure, face-to-face interaction, experiences for employee and customer engagement, access to RNLI school programmes, and compelling content. Plus, the partner will benefit from aligning with a recognised and trusted lifesaving organisation with a wide supporter base and rich heritage – we’re often referred to as the fourth emergency service.
What challenges have you encountered, and how have they been overcome?
The key challenge we’ve faced has been getting brands to see this as a commercial platform rather than a charity partnership.
The key challenge we’ve faced has been getting brands to see this as a commercial platform rather than a charity partnership. Yes, we are a charity, but lifeguards has been packaged as a traditional sponsorship property and can sit alongside/ compliment a brand’s existing charity partnerships.
Recently, we decided to relaunch the proposition with a new set of materials, including a short film and a clear call to action – Be the Brand Behind Every Life Saved. Visit: www.rnli.org/BeTheBrand to see the materials we’ve produced. Working through a formal tender process we hope we will reach more potential businesses than we can through arranging one-to-one introductory meetings. The structured time frame will also give us the best possible chance of having a partner in place for the 2019 season.
Is there anything else you’d like to add?
Having put a couple of my team on the ESA Diploma and attended a few events, it’s great to officially be a member. I look forward to meeting you all at events in the near future.
You can contact Katie at: Katie_Beney@rnli.org.uk