Extern appointed Barry Funston to work alongside Maurica Mackle to secure £1m in non-restrictive funding for the Charity in 2019.
Extern has 450 staff across 40 locations in Ireland and has suffered historically from a lack of external awareness given the nature of its work, meaning it is heavily reliant on public sector funding. The CEO was keen, alongside the Board to transition Extern into a relevant, key charity, and raise awareness of its works, and secure partnerships with non-restrictive funding to help the charity deliver its works, raise its profile, and look at how it could take its model further than Ireland. The purpose of the conference, and all communications delivery was to bring staff into one place, to engage, mix with other projects, learn about works being undertaken within the wider charity, and raise awareness internally, and externally of the huge successes Extern is achieving.
Works commences across a number of areas, and a proposed strategic direction was presented and approved by the Board in 2019. Immediately works commenced to deliver on the agreed objectives.
- Delivered a fundraising strategy for Extern
- Delivered over £1m in funding and support to Extern during this time
- Secured Ulster Rugby and Danske Bank as charity partners – with a value of circa £300,000 to Extern
- Secures unrestricted funding totalling circa £750,000 within 18 months.
- Assisted developing internal fundraising processes
Alongside Maurica Mackle undertook development of further brand light touch refresh for positioning and relevance, and on the direction of the CEO (since 2015), set about looking to engage with the NIO to raise awareness of Externs works across Ireland and its importance in the core areas of its delivery, namely – young people and families, homelessness, mental health, and addiction. A strategy to secure a Royal Visit was developed and in 2016 Maurica Mackle engaged with NIO and the Irish Government to sew the seed. Continued meetings updated and positioning of the charity to the NIO and Irish Government, alongside updates on the success and growth of Extern, meant that in early 2019 the first of two visits to Extern were secured, with young people being front and centre of the delivery. National and International media coverage of both visits to Fermanagh in 2019 and Kildare in 2020 have really made a significant impact on Extern’s profile, awareness, and desire for engagement, which underpinned the fundraising strategic approach to. Worked alongside Maurica Mackle, Mackle Communications to deliver 2 Royal Visits by HRH Duke & Duchess of Cambridge to Extern Northern Ireland and Extern Ireland (a first ever cross charity visit by a Principal).
Since then, ongoing communications remain in place with the Royal Household who have a huge interest in the works of the charity as a result of their visits secured by Mackle Communications for Extern.
