More information
Description
The project aims to train the promoter in the areas of social marketing management, communication, and fundraising, for the consolidation of its organisation and future sustainability. They will implement their strategy of sustainability, image enhancement and growth; develop a plan to raise support and funds, which boosts the increase and diversity of effective partnerships to enable new projects; develop a communication plan that allows the increase of its notoriety, the improvement of its image, and the valorisation of its work; and also to value and promote the Afua project, emphasising the dimensions of its social intervention and the impacts on the community.
Summary of project results
There has been an increasing incidence of mental disorders, both internationally and nationally. In Portugal. The proportion of patients with anxiety disorders, depressive disorders and dementia has been increasing since 2011, and has worsened in the context of the pandemic, with the result that mental disorders ‘are the leading cause of disability and the third leading cause in terms of burden of disease’. According to the 2010 National Epidemiological Study of Mental Health, in the European context, Portugal is the country with the second highest annual prevalence of psychiatric disorders (22.9%). Compared to the other Southern European countries, it has the highest percentage of prevalence of mental illness.
Despite AFUA''s relevance, the communication and visibility of its hard work has not been in line with reality. The organisation’s recent diagnosis highlighted the gaps in communication management and support (and fundraising). These gaps arise due to AFUA’s lack of specific skills. Activities are carried out by professionals who, in an effort to be multi-skilled, try to fulfil the most basic needs.
AFUA is a leading organisation in the field of mental health, and over the years it has developed an activity of recognised value with dozens of beneficiaries and in various areas and forms of intervention. However, the association was at a stage where it would be in a position to start realising an idea for 2019: VilAfua, which would be a development with multiple functions, features and services that would bring together all of AFUA''s services, reinforcing its capacity for intervention. This project would be the result of a great deal of work over the years. But in order to materialise and be sustainable, it needed to gather a lot of support in view of the huge investment that was foreseeable.
Through this internal capacity building project, AFUA could make an important contribution to transforming perceptions and behaviours in society, organisations, schools and families on an ongoing basis and through a solid and continuous communication strategy. It could also have the essential internal resources to leverage its image and provide the necessary support.
The AFUA - Capacitar para o Futuro (Empowering for the Future) project ran from May 2023 to April 2024 and fulfilled its plan of activities set out in the application, embracing two major areas/components.
In the Marketing, Communication and Fundraising Component, 320hours of consultancy were carried out, involving 7 AFUA staff members (3 from the Board and 4 from the technical team) and 1 volunteer. These hours included reflection on AFUA''s strategy and its communicational expression; definition of communication objectives; definition of strategic guidelines; Training of employees and leaders in the areas of social marketing management, communication, brand management, support and fundraising; definition of the value proposition and communication axes.
As a result of this co-construction work, the following products were developed: AFUA''s Communication Plan and a guide to its implementation; a digital newsletter template; AFUA''s new website; a support and fundraising plan and a guide to its implementation; AFUA''s institutional brochure; a (specific) plan for publicising and attracting support for the creation of Vila AFUA; and a brochure for attracting support for the VilAFUA project.
To develop the website, 2 AFUA professionals and 1 volunteer were involved in designing the site''s structure and content.
Some of the initiatives defined in the communication plan were implemented during this period, namely: AFUA Market, for the sale of second-hand products.
Some of the initiatives defined in the communication plan were implemented during this period, namely: AFUA Market, for the sale of second-hand products, wich was an invaluable opportunity to promote environmental sustainability, raise funds and publicise AFUA; Implementation of the AFUA+ card to attract more members; PRI space for the Health and Wellbeing Space, this reformulation has made it possible to provide a space with specialised Mental Health Promotion services suited to the different stages of life. It favours the work of a multidisciplinary team, offering a wide range of health, well-being and training services.
In the Partnership Plan component, 120 hours of consultancy were carried out, involving 7 AFUA staff (3 from the Board of Directors and 4 from the technical team) and 1 volunteer. The consulting hours included a SWOT analysis and identification of the area and scope of partnerships required; definition of fundraising and support objectives; planning of fundraising and support actions; production of an action implementation guide; definition of the principles for evaluating the implementation of actions; co-construction of the Partnership Plan and respective instruments. As a result of this co-construction work, the AFUA Partnership Plan was developed.
The project enabled the organisation to build capacity in two major areas: communication, associated with social marketing and fundraising, and partnership development, with the active involvement of seven members of the organisation and 440 hours of external consultancy.
As a result of the project, a Marketing and Communication Plan, an AFUA Fundraising and Support Plan and a VilAFUA Fundraising and Support Plan, a Partnership Plan and institutional brochures were created to attract support for the VilAFUA Project. A new website for the Association and a video pitch for the project were also created.
The project and the products and activities carried out have made AFUA an organisation with
effective management procedures - the training of the team in the areas mentioned, as well as the development of practical tools to maximise communication, fundraising and mobilise partnerships fundraising and mobilising partnerships has helped to equip AFUA with both knowledge and tools that it did not previously have. The capacity-building process was essential to boost its development and future growth, reflected in improvements in providing its services to the community.