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CAF overhauls communications function and makes five redundant

Fundraising | Tania Mason | 10 Jan 2012

Charities Aid Foundation has made five members of its communications team redundant following a review in which six existing roles were scrapped and six new ones created.

The organisation is now recruiting six new staff who will concentrate on campaigning and the generation of high-profile national and sector media coverage.

Among those to leave the organisation just before Christmas were head of PR Mandy Pursey, press officer Ruth Wharram and senior press officer James Ketchell.  CAF declined to reveal the names or positions of the other two redundant staff.

Pursey had been with CAF for four years, Ketchell since mid-2008, and Wharram for nearly two years.

Last June, the communications team was expanded with the addition of Paul Rees (pictured) as director of communications, replacing Mark Webster who had left a few months earlier to pursue a freelance career. Rees had previously been the National Housing Federation’s head of campaigns and communications.  Soon after joining CAF, he embarked on a two-month audit of the directorate’s structure.

Now the media team comprises Rees; Kate Sidwell, a part-time “press office consultant”; Pippa Grantham, Rees’ PA, and director of research Richard Harrison.

CAF said it is critical that it has the right mix of skills to run effective campaigns that promote the giving agenda with parliamentarians, other decision-makers and the wider public.

Paul Rees said: "The new structure for the communications directorate will enable CAF to run higher-profile campaigns to champion greater, and more effective, giving in the UK and globally. This is critical as many charities, in the current political and economic climate, are being increasingly expected to deliver more for less money – and face a challenging future.

"The driver of the changes is to ensure that we have the right structure to support the organisation’s objective to encourage greater giving. The changes are not about cost cutting. The overall number of posts in the directorate will remain the same."

He added: "We carried out a thorough review before proposing the restructure, and appreciate the changes will have created uncertainty for a number of valued colleagues.

"However, as is always the case, CAF offered comprehensive support to all those affected - including career counselling, time off to seek alternative employment, and the opportunity to apply before external candidates for any other positions within CAF which were at the same or lower grade than their existing positions."

One person whose post was made redundant has secured alternative employment within CAF at a comparable level.
 

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