My job during the day (as a copywriter), and what I get up to in the evenings (scribbling poetry) aren't too different. Both involve long hours in front of a computer screen, mugs of coffee, much head scratching and the odd cry of 'Yes!' And whenever a piece of writing comes together, there is an amazing sense of satisfaction.

The best copy is like poetry when it grabs our attention and doesn't let go. When it moves us. Shakes us up. When it sparks our synapses, becomes part of our brain chemistry. When we learn to look at something in a fresh and enlivening way, so by the time we've finished reading, we're not quite the same.

Here's a poem that I think does that brilliantly.

Chris Nield

Posted by Whitewater Team at 05:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

This article makes depressing reading for anyone still labouring under the illusion that the print industry is making great strides towards putting their eco-house in order.

But it does make the point that clients are driving change, so on a more positive note, take a look at this new site launched by the print buyer for Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth. Among a wealth of information designed to guide buyers wanting to reduce their impact on the environment, the site also lists suppliers with FSC and ISO14001 accreditation. Invaluable if you want your greens to print really green.

Heather Collins

Posted by Whitewater Team at 11:01 AM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Kentish Town doesn't have a huge range of shopping choices, but that has never deterred me. In a way I'm grateful - if our offices were in the West End, I'd almost certainly be broke all the time. But one thing Kentish Town does offer is plenty of charity shops.

The great thing about charity shops is that you never know what you're going to find - and when you do find something, it's hardly ever what you were looking for. I quite like the idea of my shopping experience being left to fate. With Spring already here, it would seem NW5's residents have had a good old clearout and distributed their weird and wonderful unwanted items to the various stores down our road. I might be what you would call a big-spender: on average I think I spend over £70 a month between four stores - run by PDSA, Help the Aged (did you read that they can now claim Gift Aid on donated items?), Oxfam and The Hornsey Trust.

Among my most recent purchases is a set of Jungian tarot cards. Only £2, a bargain - surely everybody should have a deck of tarot cards?? Give me a month or so and I'll be reading them like a whizz... Also an old desk globe - essential for planning my next holiday.

But I think my favourite item yet has to be the gift I received on Tuesday. As I was doing my weekly rounds (stock changes often, and you have to visit regularly if you want to find the gems), I came across an enormous papier-mâché sunshine, hanging on the wall. The Manager insisted I take it: he said it reminded him of my smile, and that it should be with me. I couldn't help but blush, but a smile crept over my face. It is a rather odd piece of art, and it was a real feat getting it home, but it is already hung in my room, and every time I look at it now, I can't help but smile as I recall how it came to be mine.

That sunshine reminds me every day how easy it is to spread goodwill from one person to the next, and how long lasting the affects can be! Charity shopping makes your money go further. It supports the causes you care about. And my goodness, you can find some treasures that money just can't buy.

Meghan McRae

Posted by Whitewater Team at 01:52 PM | Permalink

I'd like to introduce you to our latest part-time member of staff. Meet Bentley. He works here occasionally, and his role is an important one: to enchant us, to pop from desk to desk while he checks out what we're up to (and whether we have inadvertently put anything edible in the bin under our desk), to lie in such a way that you have to step over him to move around the office, and generally to make us laugh.

We've all recently learned not to prepare a yummy lunch and turn our back, leaving it on the kitchen counter. A verbal warning was given, but no formal disciplinary action was taken - this time.

Bee Clarke

Posted by Whitewater Team at 09:22 AM | Permalink

We’ve just announced, through this ad in Professional Fundraising magazine, a new programme of free seminars here at our offices. They are open to fundraisers from any department at any charity - Chief Execs and Finance Directors will find them useful too.

The first two seminar subjects are:

1) "Dorothy Donor is dying. Wake up to the Baby Boomers."
For more about the enormous importance of this subject, see this ad.

2) "There once was an ugly duckling"
This is about in memoriam and tribute fundraising, which you can find out more about here.

To get details of dates, times and how to find us, email maria@whitewater.biz.

We'll be adding to the list of seminar subjects soon. To make sure you're in the loop, register for email updates.

Steve Andrews

Posted by Whitewater Team at 01:52 PM | Permalink

Remarkable fact number one: The Baby Boomers, people born between 1946 and 1964, own 70% of the UK's wealth.

Remarkable prediction number one: In 20 years' time, they could own 85 - 90% of all disposable income in the UK...

Originally published in Professional Fundraising magazine: to read this ad in full download the pdf.

Posted by Whitewater Team at 01:45 PM | Permalink

Just thought I'd pop in and let you know the results of our monthly prize draws!

We've had two draws so far. Our first winner was Natasha Hopkins, who requested £100 be donated on her behalf to St Margaret's Hospice Somerset, and our winner in March was Leyla Butter, who asked for her £100 to go to the Newcastle Dog & Cat Shelter.

We hope that both winners are also enjoying their £50 Amazon vouchers!

The next draw is on 30th April, and on the last working day of each month - £100 to the charity of your choice and a £50 voucher could be yours. But you've got to be in it to win it! Subscribe!!

Maria Bavio

Posted by Whitewater Team at 12:34 PM | Permalink | TrackBacks (0)

Have you noticed how, these days, we compete to be the person with the most legitimate claims to tiredness? Maybe it's worst among new parents, because I've definitely noticed it more since having a baby. Mothers at playgroup talk of numbing tiredness after six hours of (interrupted) sleep. Then the stakes are raised: "Six hours?! I only got five!" "Five hours is a luxury! I get four hours - and that's on a good night!"

This is a game I can never win. Thankfully my daughter takes after me and loves her sleep - but that’s not the point. The point is that anything that upsets what is 'normal' for you will of course have an impact on how you function. If you're used to eight hours sleep, being forced to get by on six will make you suffer. A bad cold and a sore throat makes you feel ill and unable to function; it doesn't matter that it's not penumonia.

Happiness, or rather the lack of it, is another example. I’m not a big Robbie Williams fan but I never understood the line, peddled in some of the papers, that he's essentially a big crybaby. The argument seems to be that someone with all that money, fame and privilege has no business being emotionally troubled. Whoever knew that bipolar disorder was so disciplined in checking people's bank balance before settling on a life to disrupt?

The Mental Health Foundation knows a thing or two about happiness. Founded in 1949, they provide information, carry out research, campaign and work to improve services for anyone in the UK affected by mental health problems. Their primary aims are to help people survive and recover from mental health problems – and find ways to prevent it in the first place.

They know all too well the scale of the problem and the fact that anyone can suffer at any time from mental illness – whether or not you or I think they 'should'!

The Mental Health Foundation is also one of our newest clients. We've been working on a press campaign, linked to Mental Health Action Week which starts this Sunday (the 8th) and runs until 14th April. This year the week celebrates the value of friendship, and MHF are offering a free booklet to the friends and family of people coping with depression and other mental illness. (Download your copy here.) We’re helping them spread the word.

I’m adding to this my own, one-woman campaign: the next time someone tells you they're tired, ill or depressed, don’t start a private assessment of whether they are justified. Take them at their word. Listen, and try to be sympathetic.

Helen Hamilton

Posted by Whitewater Team at 01:00 PM | Permalink

If our furry friends could speak they would be bending our ears right now - the laws about how people treat their pets has changed. The Animal Welfare Act came into force on 28th March in Wales and on 6th April in England, and it gives more protection to our pets than they've ever had before. For the first time, owners are legally obliged to care for their pets properly, saving thousands of animals from serious abuse and neglect. Most owners won't need to change the way they care for their pets but it will mean that people who persist in neglecting their pets will finally be forced to change their behaviour - or face legal consequences.

Our lovely client, the RSPCA, have been instrumental in driving this law through parliament, and they're always there to give advice to anyone who might be unsure about the care their pet needs. They've put together a set of 'care cards', which give basic information what to feed different types of pets, the kind of housing they need, when to consult a vet - and many other great tips.

We've been working closely with the RSPCA to get the message out about this new law - not just to current supporters, but to a wider audience through cold mailings and doordrops. What's more, we've got plans in the pipeline to help widen the knowledge about the new law even further - to make sure that all animal owners learn about their new responsibilities.

It's such a pleasure to see a hard-won success to this long and difficult campaign. We're privileged to have played a small part in making this a better country for animals.

Juliet Fennemore

Posted by Whitewater Team at 10:08 AM | Permalink

Finders' fee: £2,000

Following strong growth from existing clients and a string of new business wins, Whitewater is looking for talented staff across most of our departments.

We're interested in talking to highly motivated and top calibre direct marketers with agency or charity backgrounds.

We can promise a working environment that is passionate, creative, fun and free of politics. We also offer competitive and imaginative remuneration packages. But most of all, we can promise that you'll be part of a dynamic team that is changing the face of charity direct marketing.

We urgently need to find:
Account Directors
Senior Account Managers
Account Managers
Account Execs
Another Planner
A proof-reader

If you know the person we're looking for, put them in touch. We'll pay you a £2,000 finders' fee for helping us out. You just need to let us know, before any interviews take place, that they are your lead.

If you think it's you we need, we'll pay you the fee for finding yourself!

Either way, this could be the easiest £2,000 you ever make. A nice little earner to spend on your summer holiday, perhaps?

This offer, which is ongoing, is open to absolutely anyone. Our staff, suppliers, clients, friends, employees of competitors (!), mums and dads, our bank manager, the window cleaner… you name it. If you're reading this, it applies to you!

Paula Ryan

Posted by Brad Bell at 09:47 AM | Permalink