Turning off the dark

SOLARBUDDY IS an Australian charity with a goal to gift six million solar lights to children living in energy poverty by 2030, allowing them to study after dark, improve their education and help break the cycle of poverty. To achieve this ambitious goal, it was imperative for SolarBuddy to raise awareness of not only their goal, but of energy poverty itself.

SolarBuddy’s 2030 vision: 6m solar lights gifted to children living in energy poverty

A bright spot in a dark time

2020 has created significant difficulties in the not-for-profit space. In a year of record-breaking bushfires, let alone the pandemic, potential donors focused on local issues and disaster response. This has posed a challenge for charities like SolarBuddy, who are focused on international and long-standing issues. A highly competitive market, a lack of donor trust in charities, plus a reduction in individual donations due to COVID-19 threatened SolarBuddy’s ability to achieve its important goal.

To overcome these challenges and help SolarBuddy expand into global markets, we were engaged to create the not-for-profit’s marketing capability strategy. Co-designed with key SolarBuddy stakeholders, the strategy articulated a proposition, capability framework and a roadmap of initiatives for 2020 and beyond.

A strategy to guide and support growth

Over the four-week engagement, we provided SolarBuddy with four key outcomes. First, we helped them articulate their value, refining their goals, purpose and vision to help them communicate what they stood for, and why.

Second, we focused their effort on refining their target audiences, and developing a donation-generation funnel and prioritisation framework that will help SolarBuddy put their energy where it will make the most difference.

Third, we invested in their people, providing a capability and upskilling approach to help SolarBuddy with the development of core skills in key areas, helping them upskill for growth.

And finally, we provided a pathway to scale, defining a high level future operating model that allows SolarBuddy to go from local to global, growing its donor base and power to change lives.

Creativity through co-design

The SolarBuddy team are highly dedicated and passionate, with an innovation mindset embedded at the core of their organisation. It was paramount SolarBuddy could hear their voice reflected in the outcomes of this engagement to build support and create a sense of ownership over their new marketing strategy. To achieve this, we collaborated closely with key stakeholders in a series of hybrid co-design workshops throughout the engagement.

These workshops included brainstorming key opportunities to creatively engage with SolarBuddy’s key donor segments, as well as ideation of SolarBuddy’s purpose statement underpinned by core principles. Through this process we created consistent language and messaging that both inspired and aligned their staff and stakeholders alike. We also helped SolarBuddy articulate a second goal, to educate six million people globally about Energy Poverty by 2030, which works hand in hand with the first goal to gift six million solar lights to children living in Energy Poverty by 2030.

Shining a light on the path forward

The new strategy resonated with SolarBuddy’s needs, and exceeded its expectations. In the words of SolarBuddy CEO and founder Simon Doble: “To say your team and the outcomes of your work have gone beyond my expectations is an understatement. I never doubted the standard of work, but I guess I may (from previous low bono experiences) have doubted the enthusiasm and drive to ‘blow our minds’ and blow our minds you did!

Your outcomes have mirrored our passions and encouraged us to focus on strategic outcomes to propel us forward.

Thank you.”