Ideas for communicating your close out
Are your Big Local area starting to think about how to communicate what’s next to your community, as you approach close out? We’ve collated some ideas to get you started.
Write a press release
If you’re looking to spread the news that your Big Local partnership is closing and/or becoming a new organisation, local press outlets can be a good channel through which to do this.
An easy way to get your story to several different news outlets is to write a press release – which could outline the news that your Big Local is closing, some of your proudest achievements and what’s next.
Have a read of the press release we wrote to celebrate the close of CELL Big Local to get more ideas of what to include and use our helpful guidance on how to write a press release for a template.
Communicate a change of organisation
For partnerships setting up new organisation and name when they close out, it’s important to look at our essential guidance on ‘Using the Big Local name and logo’. This states that you will need to get permission from Local Trust if you wish to continue using ‘Big Local’.
It’s important that you communicate your plans, including any changes to your name, structure, and contact details, with your community so they can continue to follow your journey.
Some ways to communicate this might be:
- Via your social media channels (especially if you are setting up new ones)
- As part of a press release to mark the end of your partnership (as above)
- At any final community engagement events (see below)
Creating a new website and/ or social media channels for your legacy organisation means there is a clear place to signpost members of the community to if they would like to keep up to date with your activities. Leaving enough time to promote these new channels on your Big Local channels means you lower the risk of losing followers when you shut down your Big Local channels.
Marking your achievements
There are several ways you could mark your achievements as a partnership before your close-out.
For example, CELL Big Local ran small events in each of the four villages comprising their Big Local area. Here, they shared the final edition of their community newsletter and put-up posters outlining their progress and achievements since starting their Big Local journey.
We also wrote a blog using video clips from one of their close out events, which draws out their biggest and proudest achievements since beginning their Big Local journey. This is something you could replicate on your own website.
Tell your Big Local story
As you begin thinking about closing your partnership and reflecting on your journey, there will likely be many stories you want to share. These can be told together to demonstrate the lasting change you’ve created in your community and leave a lasting impression on local residents and organisations.
We’ve created a toolkit, with our communications and media partner, which outlines some top tips for telling your Big Local story.
Download our Find your voice toolkit
Get communications support
If you’d like more hands-on support to master your communications as you approach close-out, there are up to 10 days of support available with our communications and media partners. To discuss this opportunity with us, leave your details below.
We will be updating this page as more Big Local areas close out. If you’d like to share with us how you are marking your milestone achievement of closing out, get in touch at communications@localtrust.org.uk