Making a difference beyond the bottom line

For most of us working in healthcare communications, the best buzz is when the work has clearly reached those who are most in need of support. For those of us running agencies, it is also very nice when the payment for that work comes in, particularly in tough financial times.

If we can make a difference while still receiving a financial reward, why should we consider pro bono? Yet the growing trend across the industry to invest time and expertise in working pro bono suggests that the benefits are wider than just ‘doing good’.

Pro bono means for the public good, with or for no charge. It is not volunteering, or partnership, but a very specific donation of time and expertise to a project.

While data is needed, anecdotal evidence suggests that more agencies are committing to offering services pro bono and looking for organisations who need their expertise.

Something I was conscious of when making a commitment to offer services pro bono each year was meritocracy of benefit – organisations representing underserved communities are often not well networked in our close-knit world of health communications. This is where the Passion Partnership comes in. Jennie Talman founded the organisation in 2023 to match, mentor and build a pro bono community and has so far facilitated over 20 partnerships.

Jennie says, “I founded Passion Partnership to elevate the conversation about pro bono [work] with the goal of making it a routine practice, as it is in the legal profession. The only way this will happen is when agency leaders factor a pro bono commitment into their business plans. If anticipated, pro bono [work] can be delivered with no dent in the agency profitability.”

Matt James, CEO at WellChild, comments not just on the benefits of the work being done, but also how these benefits last beyond the life of the agreement, “As a charity, every budget decision must stand up to scrutiny to meet our charitable objectives.

This can make PR and marketing spend difficult to justify, despite its significant impact potential. Not all charities can afford ongoing PR investment, often seen as a luxury, which is why pro bono support can be transformative. Our experience shows that the added resources, expertise and objective insight provided by pro bono PR can not only elevate our communications around a specific issue or moment, but also set us on a stronger path forward – even after the support ends.”

In terms of benefit to agencies, Jennie is seeing these come to life through the partnerships that are facilitated, saying, “Agency benefits include improving employee engagement and professional development as well as providing opportunities to flex creative muscle in a safe space. In all our partnerships, agencies and teams report that they are inspired and energised by their pro bono work – it brings them together as a team, enhancing self-esteem and professional confidence.”

My experience of doing pro bono work over the last two years is that the best approach is to build the relationship with the pro bono client in the same way you would any other. Be clear on your objectives, how you’re going to measure the work and how your client is going to be assessed internally on the project. Having a scope of work is key.  The client needs to understand exactly what they’re getting, as they will likely need to report the equivalent value in their Annual Report. As an agency or team leader, you need to manage resources and track the investment. It is important that both parties know what the end of the project looks like. Get to know the client as you would any other relationship. The mindset of ‘they’re getting it for free, so they get a second-rate service’ will lead to substandard work and means the work can be seen as a chore to get to once everything else is done and is therefore a waste of everyone’s time.

As we increasingly recognise the responsibility that pharma and its partners have to tackle health inequality, and understand more about the growing motivation of our people, pro bono work is set to become a standard offering of successful health communications agencies. Even in the toughest of financial times we can still afford to invest hours and expertise in the people who most need the support.