Marketing strategy

Turn your priorities into a marketing plan.

Draft a plan with an audience, proposed actions, owners and a budget. The six-stage method links choices to evidence, helping your team decide where to focus its time and funding efforts. People review and approve the plan. Charitas delivery is in development; workspace availability is confirmed separately.

Start here Explore the six stages

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This page explains the six-stage method. Charitas delivery is in development, and availability must be confirmed for your workspace.

Six-stage method

Work through the six stages

Follow one fictional volunteer-recruitment plan from the brief to proposed actions and costs. Open each stage to see the evidence, choice and review involved.

Merefield Community Pantry. Recruit eight new weekly packing volunteers over twelve weeks.Follow the fictional example through all six stages. Actions and spending need human review.

Six-stage method

Alignment

Agree the purpose of the strategy and the brief for the work.

Input: Recruit eight weekly packing volunteers over twelve weeks, with four coordinator hours per week.
Decision: Limit the brief to volunteer recruitment; exclude a donation campaign.

Output

Draft brief

Goal: Eight new weekly packing volunteers.
Scope: Volunteer recruitment only; no donation campaign.
Capacity: Four coordinator hours per week.

Evidence and assumptions

The challenge and capacity are fictional inputs. The weekly limit needs review.

Human review

Coordinator reviews the recruitment scope and proposed four-hour weekly limit.

See the proposed plan

Six-stage method

Analysis

Gather and assess the evidence behind your current situation.

Input: A fictional four-week enquiry log and two social posts.
Decision: Check whether uncertainty about the role may deter applicants before choosing outreach.

Output

Evidence and open question

Enquiry log: Twelve enquiries, three intro-session attendees, zero confirmed starters.
Post review: Two posts omit shift hours and role details.
Proposed check: Ask five enquirers what stopped them.

Evidence and assumptions

The log and posts are fictional. Role uncertainty is a hypothesis; the causal link is unverified.

Human review

Review the counts; keep the role-uncertainty explanation provisional.

See the proposed plan

Six-stage method

Objectives

Set out the outcomes the strategy should work towards.

Input: Example baseline: zero confirmed starters in the previous four weeks.
Decision: Set a twelve-week recruitment target; count confirmed starters after an intro session.

Output

Proposed objective

Target: Eight confirmed new weekly packing volunteers by week twelve.
Measure: Confirmed starters after an intro session, not enquiries.
Baseline: Zero confirmed starters in the previous four weeks.

Evidence and assumptions

This is a target for the fictional plan. No recruitment result is claimed.

Human review

Coordinator reviews the proposed target against the four-hour weekly capacity.

See the proposed plan

Six-stage method

Strategy

Make clear choices about where to focus your effort.

Input: The proposed objective and unverified role-uncertainty hypothesis.
Decision: Focus on local residents available on weekday mornings and explain shift hours and packing tasks.

Output

Proposed audience and approach

Audience: Local residents available on weekday mornings.
Message: Explain shift hours and packing tasks.
Channels: A role page and local library/community noticeboards.

Evidence and assumptions

Audience availability and permission to use noticeboards are assumptions to check.

Human review

Coordinator reviews the audience and approach before outreach.

See the proposed plan

Six-stage method

Programmes

Turn those choices into proposed programmes and actions.

Input: The audience choice, role-detail hypothesis and proposed four-hour weekly capacity.
Decision: Prepare the role page, then local outreach and two intro sessions.

Output

Proposed programme

Week 1: Prepare clear role-page details.
Week 2: Prepare local outreach.
Weeks 3 and 6: Run two volunteer intro sessions.

Evidence and assumptions

Programme choices depend on the analysis and audience choice. Four staff hours per week is a proposed limit.

Human review

Coordinator checks the programme against the audience and proposed capacity before confirming actions.

See the proposed plan

Six-stage method

Operating plan

Bring actions, budgets, results and review into the working plan.

Input: The proposed programme, action owners and draft costs.
Decision: Assign actions and review points; seek approval before spending.

Output

Draft operating plan

Sequence: Week 1: role details; week 2: notices; weeks 3 and 6: intro sessions.
Budget: £100 proposed cash budget, excluding staff time; not approved.
Review: Weekly counts; continue or revise at week six.

Evidence and assumptions

Draft costs: £0 cash for role details, £60 printing and £40 materials. No results recorded yet.

Human review

Coordinator reviews actions and capacity; budget holder must approve spending. A designated person confirms exact changes before they are saved.

See the proposed plan

Illustrative strategy

Proposed operating plan

Draft actions for the fictional pantry. Costs exclude staff time; spending is unapproved.

Publish reviewed packing-role details
Owner
Volunteer coordinator
When
Week 1
Proposed cash cost
£0 cash
Review
Check hours, duties and enquiry route before publication
Place local volunteer notices
Owner
Outreach lead
When
Week 2
Proposed cash cost
£60 printing
Review
Confirm permission; record enquiry source weekly
Run two volunteer intro sessions
Owner
Pantry lead
When
Weeks 3 and 6
Proposed cash cost
£40 materials
Review
Record attendance and confirmed starters after each session

£100 proposed cash budget, excluding staff time; not approved

Weekly enquiry, attendance and confirmed-starter counts; week-six decision to continue or revise the approach. No results recorded yet.

Coordinator reviews actions and capacity; budget holder must approve spending. No automated publication or delivery implied. A designated person confirms exact changes before they are saved.

Questions, answered.

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Before you start

A PLACE TO START

Give your next plan a starting point.

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Marketing for organisations that do good

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Turn your priorities into a marketing plan.

Work through the six stages

Alignment

Draft brief

Evidence and assumptions

Human review

Proposed operating plan

Publish reviewed packing-role details

Place local volunteer notices

Run two volunteer intro sessions

Questions, answered.

Before you start

What can the method help prepare?

Who approves changes?

Where should we begin?

Give your next plan a starting point.

Marketing for organisations that do good