1. The National Federation of ALMOs (NFA) is the trade body representing 47 arm’s length management organisations (ALMOs) across England.

Since 2006, Acceleris has provided the following services:

• PR & communications – The NFA has a strong voice in the national, local government and housing trade press as a result of regular and proactive engagement with the media
• Events (NFA Awards / parliamentary receptions) – Acceleris created the NFA Awards to honour the achievements of ALMOs and their tenants
• Rebrand – Acceleris created a new and professional brand identity to reflect the organisation’s national importance
• Publications – Production of Annual Review / Best Practice Guide
• Media training
• Sponsorship – Acceleris has raised over £250,000 in sponsorship to support the NFA’s work.

As a result the NFA has achieved cross party support in Westminster and is recognised as the national voice of ALMOs.

2. South Essex Homes (SEH) manages 6,000 council homes in Southend-on-Sea. The organisation contacted Acceleris to help improve its communication with tenants and to develop a more positive media profile.

Acceleris was appointed to develop and implement a full service PR and communications strategy which included:

• Increasing positive coverage of the organisation’s people and projects in regional and trade media through a programme of news and feature articlesI
• Initiating social media communications with local partners and residents
• Redesigning and producing a regular tenant newsletter
• Managing the visit of senior government fire & rescue advisor Sir Ken Knight and producing a fire safety video
• Providing consultancy services to help the organisation diversify and market its services.

As a result of the campaign, the organisation now has a much greater profile in the local and trade media. Coverage highlights included articles in key targets such as BBC Radio Essex, BBC Look East, the Southend Echo, Inside Housing and the Guardian.

Acceleris was also engaged to give SEH a presence on social media platforms. The agency team set up a Twitter profile for SEH and posted regular news and information updates to this and its Facebook page. As a result, social media is now a primary means of communicating with tenants and the organisation’s Twitter profile has more than 1,000 followers.

Acceleris completed a cost-effective redesign and editorial refresh for tenant magazine ‘Insight’.

The magazine encouraged tenants and other stakeholders to take an interest in the local area, shared breaking news, and enabled SEH to present essential information in an appealing and accessible way.

In the first issue, Acceleris introduced a number of new features, competitions and articles and secured a celebrity interview withOlympic swimmer Mark Foster. Subsequent editions included interviews with West End star Lee Mead and Countdown co-host, Rachael Riley.

Acceleris also provided consultancy advice to help SEH identify potential new revenue streams for its housing services. By diversifying into new markets it is hoped that the not-for-profit organisation will be able to generate additional income to invest in the local community.