Bright One Donates 1,500 Hours of Communications Expertise in First Year

Bright One held its first-ever Annual General Meeting (AGM) on Monday 30 November, celebrating the impact it has made in its first year of life. Bright One also presented its first Annual Report, now publicly available at www.bit.ly/AnnualReport2009

Bright One measured its economic impact by calculating the amount of resource that charitable organisations have been able to access thanks to its services. A remarkable total of over 1,500 hours of communications work was donated by Bright One’s volunteers this year. This equals an astonishing £180,000 worth of expertise that smaller charities have been able to enjoy, boosting their PR and communications activities.

Since its inception in September 2008 with a handful of passionate PR professionals, Bright One has grown to attract over 30 volunteers and nine clients. Over the last twelve months, Bright One has helped charitable organisations, such as Refugee Week, The Pixel Project and What’s Up Information, to access high quality communications expertise that they would have not otherwise been able to afford.

Bright One is also committed to continue to make a significant social impact through its own volunteers and the benefits they enjoy with volunteering. Not only do they get to give something back to the community, but they also learn new skills, receive coaching, add to their professional and personal experience, have the opportunity to network with other communications professionals and gain access to jobs in the industry.

In a recent survey, 85% of Bright One volunteers said that volunteering for Bright One had improved their communications skills and expertise, 100% said that it had improved their network and contacts within the communications industry and 100% said that it had increased their understanding of the third sector.

Ben Matthews, Founder of Bright One, said:

“Looking back at what we’ve achieved this year, I’m immensely proud of the contribution to society we have collectively made, and the changes we have helped to make in people’s lives. But we’re not going to rest on our laurels. There’s a long way to go and lots of organisations need our help.”

Ben’s remarkable efforts have been formally recognised by the Future 100 Awards, where he has been included as one of the Future 100 Young Social Entrepreneurs of the Year 2009 among young people aged 18-35 who are demonstrating entrepreneurial flair and innovation.