Overview
Gravesend Churches Housing Association (GCHA), established in 1964m needed a communications professional after their previous freelancer departed.
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As a small housing association, GCHA required a comprehensive approach to resident communications, covering multiple channels from email to SMS.
I stepped in to support their ongoing communication needs, ensuring that residents stay informed and engaged through various channels.
Leanne Donald-Whitney, Director of Operations, GCHA
Rachel has been a reliable and responsive partner for GCHA, always available to handle urgent and time-sensitive communications, even outside of regular hours. Her flexibility and understanding of our regulatory requirements have been crucial in helping us meet deadlines while improving resident engagement across our communication channels. She’s played a key role in ensuring our communications are clear and compliant.
Challenges
GCHA faced several challenges in maintaining consistent and effective communication with its residents across multiple channels, while also needing to prepare for a significant milestone—their 60th anniversary. Additionally, they lacked a cohesive communications strategy to engage residents and support their overall goals.
01.
Inconsistent comms channels
GCHA struggled with fragmented communications to residents across email, direct mail, and SMS, leading to missed opportunities for timely engagement.
02.
Low resident engagement
The association faced difficulties in encouraging residents to actively engage with important updates, particularly through email, which had lower sign-up rates compared to desired benchmarks.
03.
Raising the profile of GCHA
As a small housing association, GCHA needed to enhance its visibility and reputation both online and within its community to attract new residents and staff.
04.
Regulatory compliance through comms
GCHA needed to ensure that communications, such as policy updates and annual reports, were clear, consistent, and aligned with regulatory commitments to maintain transparency and accountability with residents.
05.
60th anniversary campaign
GCHA’s milestone anniversary required a well-executed communication strategy to both celebrate the association’s history and engage residents, without overwhelming internal resources.
Solutions & strategic approach
Streamlined communication channels
To address the inconsistency in communications, we implemented a cohesive, multi-channel strategy. This included conducting a full website audit and content updates, launching a highly effective SMS alert system, and ensuring that email, direct mail, and social media communications were aligned.
The SMS campaign, supported by a sign-up and awareness drive, became the preferred communication method for residents.
Boosted resident engagement
We revamped GCHA’s resident communications by crafting engaging email newsletters, informative SMS alerts, and interactive content on the website.
By shifting the focus to SMS, which saw higher sign-ups than email, and integrating engaging content across channels, we significantly improved the flow of communication and responsiveness from residents.
Raising GCHA's profile
I revamped GCHA’s resident communications by crafting engaging email newsletters, informative SMS alerts, and interactive content on the website.
By shifting the focus to SMS, which saw higher sign-ups than email, and integrating engaging content across channels, we significantly improved the flow of communication and responsiveness from residents.
Ensuring regulatory compliance
I played a key role in developing and updating GCHA’s annual reports, policy documents, and communications to ensure they met regulatory standards.
By delivering clear, concise, and compliant messaging through direct mail, email, and online platforms, I ensured that residents were kept fully informed and that GCHA’s communications adhered to all regulatory requirements.
60th anniversary campaign
For GCHA’s 60th anniversary, I spearheaded a comprehensive communications plan, which included an interactive timeline on the website, blog content featuring key moments in GCHA’s history, and a resident story campaign.
The in-person celebration was supported by digital communications and branded event materials, such as invitations, roller banners, and a photo backdrop.
Results
The solutions implemented led to improved communication consistency, higher resident engagement, enhanced visibility for GCHA, better regulatory compliance, and a successful 60th anniversary campaign that strengthened the association’s connection with its community.
Improved communication consistency
Higher resident engagement
Enhanced profile & visibility
Compliance & transparency
Successful 60th anniversary campaign
By streamlining communications across email, SMS, direct mail, and social media, GCHA now delivers more cohesive and timely updates to residents, reducing confusion and enhancing overall resident satisfaction.
The launch of the SMS alert system led to a significant increase in resident engagement, with more residents opting in for SMS updates than email. This ensured more residents received timely, relevant information, helping improve responsiveness and participation.
The social media strategy and employer brand campaigns helped raise GCHA’s profile, improving online engagement and recruitment efforts. The 60th anniversary campaign further solidified GCHA’s presence in the community, celebrating its history while increasing awareness of its ongoing services.
The updated annual reports, policy documents, and resident communications ensured that GCHA met its regulatory commitments. Clear and consistent messaging across platforms reinforced transparency and kept residents informed of important updates.
The 60th anniversary celebrations were a great success, driving engagement through blog content, interactive features on the website, and a well-received in-person event. The campaign not only honoured GCHA’s legacy but also strengthened its connection with residents and stakeholders.