APOLLO FACT OF THE DAY: MARK THOMPSON TO STEP DOWN AS DIRECTOR GENERAL OF THE BBC IN AUTUMN

NGOs

We understand that getting media coverage for an NGO can be difficult. Good news stories can be difficult to place - "Millions of refugees starve" will always be more compelling than "New partnership creates first bank accounts for Ugandan village". There is the risk of "compassion fatigue" in the media, especially as the NGO world has become hugely crowded with a chorus of voices clamouring for attention around the same issues - whether aid, the environment, and human rights. It's important that NGO stories stand out above the others - and that requires creativity. We can help you at whatever stage of development you are at - whether you are an experienced and high profile NGO who needs communications assistance at busy times; or whether you have been too focused on delivering your goals to worry about communications before.

We will work with an NGO to identify the kind of reports, case studies and statistics that will resonate. Our experience tells us there is always lots of research to tap into - the key is how to package it and then when and where to deploy it. We will find media friendly partners to join your campaigns, use cultural reference points as news hooks for your stories and tap into the latest media tools from YouTube to blogging to help you cut through. But most importantly, we will try to position you as a thought leader in your field. Perhaps an opinion article from your Chief Executive in a publication read by a Minister or your funders would help you put your case? Or a news piece in a sunday newspaper about an upcoming conference would create a useful "buzz" around it? Or have your people on the ground just come back from a remote or war-torn part of the world with an interesting story to tell? We will put you in touch with the journalists that would be interesting in hearing your story.

We can also help you navigate a news media interested in sensationalism and soundbites to deliver your messages in ways that will still help you. We're also not always interested in creating the biggest bang, though attention can be good. We're more interested in solidifying your brand in the mind of the public and opinion formers who make the decisions that you want to influence.

Apollo has worked with a range of NGOs including the Commonwealth Business Council set up by Tony Blair in 1997 at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting. We have also worked with Carbon Leapfrog that channels free services from top businesses including international law firms and high street banks into activities that deliver carbon reductions and charity Shantimicrofinance that provides small loans to Indian slum entrepreneurs.