BBC Charity Appeals - Blue Peter Application Guidelines 2009/2010

Blue Peter Application Guidelines 2009/2010 – Deadline 27 March

The deadline for charities to apply for the 2009/10 Blue Peter Appeal has now passed. The 2009/10 Guidelines are still online as charities may find them useful as they are indicative of the type of information which will be required from charities wishing to apply for the 20010/11 Blue Peter Appeal. If you would like to be notified when the guidelines for the 2010/11 appeal become available email charityappeals@bbc.co.uk.

This page sets out the following:-

• What the Blue Peter Appeal aims to achieve in 2009/2010
• How the 2009/2010 Appeal should work
• What Blue Peter expects from our Appeal partner charity
• What prospective charities will need to do to submit a successful application

 This document is also available as a downloadable a pdf* (291kb)

• About Blue Peter
• What we are looking for in 2009/10: a summary

• Blue Peter Appeal principles
• Maximising the proceeds is not the main idea
• You can always help someone worse off than yourself
• We never directly ask for cash donations

• How the Appeal works
• Timelines
• Multi-media platforms
• On-air content
• Audiences
• Targets
• Third Parties and partnerships

• What we expect from our partners
• Audio-Visual Content
• Fundraising-related & Educational Content
• Press & PR
• Design & Branding
• Third Parties
• Fundraising Logistics
• Finances and reporting processes
• Other

• The application process
• Informal Meeting
• Written Proposal
• Live Pitch

• Your application
• The Need
• The Change
• Fundraising Mechanism
• Your Organisation

• Blue Peter Appeals since 1986

About Blue Peter

Blue Peter seeks to inform, entertain and empower children aged between 6 and 12 across the UK, with a rich variety of topical, relevant and adventurous factual content.

Our aim is to help children discover a world of possibilities, using a combination of challenge, friendship and extraordinary access to people, places and experiences beyond the reach of most children. By connecting our audience with the real world, we hope to give them a clearer sense of their place in it and the ways in which they can shape it – for themselves and for those around them.

At the heart of Blue Peter is a set of ideals that remains focused on empowering children to make a positive difference, and this is nowhere more evident than in the annual Blue Peter Appeal.

Since the first Appeal in 1962 when viewers were asked to send in toys for other children who would not receive any Christmas presents, we have aimed to use a simple concept to connect children with the idea that through Blue Peter, children can help other people. Through understanding someone else's need and seeing a simple way to help make a difference, the Blue Peter audience unites through the appeal to make a real and valuable contribution to society. That real and valuable contribution has changed literally millions of lives since 1962, both in the UK and around the world.

Blue Peter is and has always been a fully interactive brand – it's not just about the twice weekly television programme, and the Appeal is fantastic example of Blue Peter's 360 degree outlook and the high active participation rate of our audience.

What we are looking for in 2009/10: a summary

Our aim for the 2009/2010 appeal is to galvanise as many UK children as possible to positive action by raising their awareness of other people in the world who are less fortunate than them. We're looking for a powerful campaign that will make a dramatic impact on the lives of those less fortunate, as well as generating inspiring television and great online content.

We are looking for an appeal that is accessible enough for every child to play a meaningful part in it, and newsworthy enough to compel every child involved to spread the word. This ensures that the appeal leaves a legacy with our viewers, which is just as lasting as the money raised.

Last year, in order to mark our 50th anniversary, we worked with three charity partners, covering both UK and international need. This year, we are reverting to our usual approach, and are looking to work with one charity partner. (You may work with third parties to deliver the appeal, which can include other charities, but our relationship and our viewers' relationship will be with just one charity.)

In terms of appeal geography, we are happy to consider proposals which deal with either UK or international need, but not both.

In terms of the need, we are looking for propositions that are easy to grasp and easy to pass on. We want very tangible, focused outcomes, so that children can see in concrete terms what they are contributing to and how they are making a difference.

In terms of the fundraising mechanism, we are not looking to hold bring and buy sales (the mechanism used in 2008/2009). We are open to any creative idea which is inventive and flexible and which will be attractive and easy for children to grasp and get involved with. Ideas which involve recycling or redistributing unwanted household materials (where the collected materials are sent directly to those in need, rather than sold to provide cash) have proved enormously successful in the past, and are definitely ripe for consideration; but so too are other methods. The only stipulation is that we don't ask children directly for money.

We are looking for a compelling cause, an innovative fund-raising mechanism and an inspiring outcome which will encourage children to take a step to help others. Maximising proceeds has never been the main idea, and in recent years, with the change in the children's media market and a resultant impact on Blue Peter's viewing figures, this principle is as important as ever. We would like charities to apply because they wish to raise children's awareness of those less fortunate than themselves and because they wish to highlight a specific need, with all the benefits which that brings. The appeal target will be framed in terms of outcomes, rather than money, but the underlying financial equivalent will realistically be in five, not six, figures.

In terms of administration costs, there are fewer demands than previously on the successful charity (e.g. the BBC will provide the website). The successful charity should also aim to get as many of its costs covered either ‘in kind' or because of the benefit to third parties of getting involved. We would therefore like the successful charity to pass on 100% of the money raised to the project(s) featured on the programmes, and to meet all the project management costs of the appeal through their own central and PR funds.

There is more on all of these points in the rest of this document.

Blue Peter Appeal principles

There have always been three principles behind the Appeal:-

1. Maximising the proceeds is not the main idea

Changing hearts, minds and perceptions plays a large part in our Appeals. Through our Appeals we can give children access to the lives and experiences of other people beyond their own knowledge, which means that this knowledge is expanded, horizons are broadened and greater understanding is fostered.

The charities we work with come to appreciate that perhaps the longest-lasting impact of the Blue Peter Appeal lies not in the money raised but in the connection that we forge between our audience and those that the appeal aims to help. This point is never more valid than now, as the media landscape in the UK has changed dramatically over the last few years. Digital television, along with all of its many benefits, has meant the fragmentation of television audiences as more specialist channels compete for the commitment of the viewing public. With this is mind, and also the current economic climate, it is important for Blue Peter and our charity partner to set real and achievable Appeal targets. Money raised will inevitably be smaller than in the past, but the impact on the Blue Peter audience will be just as great.

2. You can always help someone worse off than yourself

We want to give children the opportunity to help others less fortunate than themselves – the concept of fairness resounds with our audience who respond well to a plea to help make the world a fairer place. And at the heart of this is the old maxim that ‘every little helps'.

The film content that we broadcast in our programmes and on our website delivers a robust educational message to many millions of children, and we have never pulled punches in our treatment of the causes for which we work.

As well as film, we also use interactive media to connect our online community more deeply to those they will help, allowing them to forge a fuller understanding of why people come to be in such need, and to learn what it will take to change things for the better.

It is worth noting that despite the effective nature of our Appeal media, we take great pains to avoid any suggestion of gloating at the misfortunes of those we are aiming to help, and we have never compromised our commitment to portray those in need as individuals and not objects of pity. The children of today are the decision-makers of tomorrow and the Blue Peter Appeal is often a child's first encounter with a sense of responsibility for the world beyond their home. If we can go some way to helping them become active and responsive citizens, we are doing our job!

3. We never directly ask for cash donations

We want our Appeal to be open to all. A well-off child isn't necessarily better-off when it comes to taking part in a Blue Peter Appeal – our view is that everyone can offer something significant and this is not measured by the amount of money they raise.

Blue Peter and our charity partner provide the framework, the mechanism for raising money, but all the hard work is done by viewers with ingenuity, ideas and energy. The primary objective is to ensure the maximum participation of our audience. The aim is to stimulate children, whatever their circumstances, and encourage them to participate, engage, question, and be active – to be good citizens, in essence. And behind every participating child, there is an engaged adult – Blue Peter is one of very few programmes for 6-12 year olds which encourages parental buy-in.

How the Appeal works

The easiest way to approach the Appeal is to see it as a campaign. After launch, it moves through several stages, lives across a range of media and pulls in different audiences to build a community that is united in a common goal – to take action and raise both funds and awareness.

Timelines

Using the 2008/2009 appeal as a guide, we can expect the 2009/2010 Appeal to launch on air and online near the beginning of the new Blue Peter season – around October/ November 2009. It is expected that there will be a special "launch" programme, followed by regular features on the programme until Christmas 2009, and on merit into January/February 2010. Beyond that point, there is unlikely to be any new content generated in either the linear broadcasts (i.e. TV) or online until the end of the Appeal. However, the fundraising will continue beyond February until the official end of the appeal in autumn 2010 and this will be covered from time to time on air and online.

At the end of this Appeal, Blue Peter will make a film/series of films showing the achievements of the Appeal.

Before launch, if the partner charity wishes to produce (and fund) educational materials, these should be timed to land in schools for the beginning of the new school term in September 2009, to give teachers the chance of time-tabling their involvement.

Multi-media platforms

The Appeal section of the Blue Peter web-site is a vital tool in both awareness-raising and fundraising. Offering our audience a great online experience is key to a successful Blue Peter Appeal, so it is essential that proposals recognise the power of the internet for children. Blue Peter will fully fund the creation and maintenance of the Appeal section on the web-site.

On-air content

The TV content will include studio-based fundraising information and inspiration (being able to use celebrities as role-models to drive participation is particularly effective), as well as Appeal films which will focus on depicting ‘the need'. Production of these main Appeal films will take place from August 2009 onwards and will also feature on the website.

It is hard to overstate the importance of the ‘need' films and we will rely heavily on our partner charity for irresistible case studies and contributors to make them as powerful as they can be. It really is the case that there cannot be a compelling Appeal without compelling case studies. The production of all TV content will be fully funded by Blue Peter.

Supplementary films will also be made showing how the fundraising is going, and the charity's resources may be required to secure the requisite access.

Audiences

Blue Peter currently reaches an average audience of 700,000 for our TV broadcasts on BBC1, along with around 200,000 unique users visiting the web-site each week. The target audience is children aged 6-12, though children outside this range also get involved. Blue Peter also brings a parent audience by proxy, due to the high degree of trust in our brand. We also have an audience of education professionals (teachers, community leaders) who see the educational nature of some of our content as working well with their own curriculum-based objectives – particularly around Citizenship and PSHE.

Targets

Specific targets for fundraising will be agreed prior to the Appeal launch, but it is important to reiterate the first Appeal principle, that the sole objective of the Appeal is not to raise as much money as possible. Targets are an important incentive for the audience and offer individuals a measure of success, but Blue Peter will not relinquish its commitment to the educational nature of the Appeal in order to bolster response to reach a financial target.

Third Parties and partnerships

It is crucial to the success of a Blue Peter appeal that our charity appeal partner, where appropriate, finds third parties to work with. This can be for service delivery (eg collecting items), providing services, helping to promote the appeal, or similar. There may be occasions when it is editorially or functionally relevant to refer to these partners on air on Blue Peter. However it is a central principle that no impression should be given that there is any commercial sponsorship of the appeal.

What we expect from our charity partner

The Appeal relies on a very close relationship between Blue Peter and the incumbent charity's team. This requires the allocation of a dedicated account/project manager to act as liaison with the Deputy Editor, the main point of contact for Blue Peter in Appeal matters. This account manager should have authority to make decisions on behalf of the charity on Appeal matters.

Once the charity partner has been chosen, there will be a letter of agreement drafted, agreed and signed by all parties, accompanied by a document outlining agreed roles and responsibilities. This may be re-visited during the campaign but acts as a useful point of reference for both sides at the outset.

This is what we expect our partners to do:

Audio-Visual Content

• To work in an advisory capacity on all aspects of filming at the projects, and to provide full support for the duration of the partnership
• To source robust and compelling written case studies for the Appeal films and associated web content, and to assist the film makers in the telling of these stories accurately
• To assist programme makers with key messages
• To provide news from the Appeal, as well as information about where the money raised is going and the difference it will make
• To deliver celebrities (relevant to our audience) who endorse the charity's cause to give the appeal a higher profile

Fundraising-related & Educational Content

• To act in an advisory capacity on all aspects of producing fundraising-related content and provide full support for the duration of the partnership
• To source all factual material regarding the fundraising mechanism as required by Blue Peter's content production teams
• To set in place the mechanisms for collecting – for example, arranging collection points in shops and supplying shops with suitable collection containers, as well as arranging the collection and counting of items donated
• To set up appropriate banking arrangements if money is to be paid in, through e.g. banks, post offices, online
• To develop, produce and fund all of the printed fundraising content required by the Appeal campaign (for example fundraising packs)
• To develop, produce and fund printed educational content for teachers supporting it in schools (for example education packs) – however, please note that this is an optional requirement
• To advise on delivering the campaign in schools and youth groups, so as to maximise the impact of the Appeal both in terms of fundraising and formal education

Press & PR

• PR for the Appeal is a responsibility shared between Blue Peter and the charity partner. The charity partner will therefore assist with the promotion of the campaign and the production of PR materials for this, in liaison with Blue Peter and BBC Children's Press & Publicity team, which will have final signoff of all PR items

Design & Branding

• To work together in consultation with Blue Peter to produce briefing documents for the campaign logo, which Blue Peter will pay for
• To ensure that Blue Peter's approval is obtained for any piece of material, copy or design produced to support the Appeal

Third Parties

• To be responsible for the sourcing and management of relevant third parties involved in the Appeal – for example banks, distribution houses, shops or other charities if necessary. Please note that all third parties must be compliant with BBC third party regulations, and they must satisfy BBC standards for Data Protection, or be prepared to implement them at no cost to the Appeal or to the BBC.
• Charities may also consider using third parties to deliver additional fundraising opportunities (eg a one-off book, charity single or similar). These can be mentioned at the pitching stage or developed subsequently.

Fundraising Logistics

The charity partner is expected to be responsible for the administration and management of fundraising aspects of the Appeal which are likely to include:-

• Liaising with schools and youth groups etc
• Dealing with individual enquiries, both directly and referred by Blue Peter

Finances and reporting processes

• To spend the funds appropriately (as agreed with Blue Peter before launch) and as soon as possible
• To continue to report back on spending of funds until all of the money has been spent (frequency and format tbc)
• To report to Blue Peter the progress of the appeal on a daily basis
• To complete the BBC Charity Appeal Advisory Committee's appeal evaluation
• To minimise administration costs. Please note that in a change to previous Blue Peter appeals, we must ensure that 100% of the money raised for the Appeal goes to the projects featured in the appeal. Therefore, administration costs for appeal project management incurred by the charity partner are not deductible from the amounts raised.

Other

• At the end of each Appeal each charity concerned submits its accounts to the BBC's Charity Appeals Advisory Committee. Blue Peter also submits a report on the overall impact of the Appeal to that Committee.

The application process

Once you've read this document, and assuming you wish to submit an application, there are three stages to the process before Blue Peter appoints its Appeal partner.

1. Informal Meeting

You are more than welcome to arrange an informal chat by phone with the Editor of Blue Peter.

This is optional and the function of this would be to find answers to any questions you may have regarding the process or the responsibilities of the charity partner during the appeal, or to get feedback on any radical or contentious suggestions you may be considering.

This may be arranged for any time from Monday 9 March 2009 until the submission deadline for the written proposal, which will be Friday 27 March 2009.

CONTACT:
Ruth McGarahan 020 8225 7270
PA to Tim Levell, Editor & Joe McCulloch, Deputy Editor
ruth.mcgarahan1@bbc.co.uk
Blue Peter
BBC Television Centre: Rm E111
London
W12 7RJ

2. Written Proposal

Every charity wishing to be considered as an Appeal partner must submit a written document detailing their proposal. Some suggestions for things you should think about including in your application are listed below, but beyond that the content and format are up to you.

CD ROMs with presentations or DVDs of relevant film content are always helpful. We're happy to have applications submitted as electronic documents (MS Word, PowerPoint, PDF etc). Hard copies are also welcome, but if you send in hard copies, please supply us with four copies.

The proposals are read and ‘long listed' by the Editor, the Deputy Editor and the Film Producer of Blue Peter.

This long-list of 10-15 is then considered by the Head of News, Factual & Entertainment for BBC Children's, an Editorial Policy Advisor for the BBC and the BBC's Charity Appeals Advisor – in liaison with Blue Peter's senior editorial team (as above) – to arrive at a short-list of no more than 5 possible candidates.

All applicants will be informed as to the decision early in April 2009. Unsuccessful applicants will be able to request top-line feedback.

3. Live Pitch

Short-listed charities will be invited to attend a live pitching session at Television Centre on one day (to be confirmed) during the week commencing Tuesday 14 April 2009. Each pitch will last no longer than 50 minutes, including questions.

The panel assessing will include the Editor, the Deputy Editor and the Film Producer of Blue Peter, together with the Head of News, Factual & Entertainment for BBC Children's, a senior advisor on Editorial Policy for the BBC and the Chair of the BBC's independent Charity Appeals Advisory Committee.

The content of your live pitch is at your discretion, though if it were a departure from the proposal outlined in your written application, that would jeopardise your success.

The use of audio-visual presentation content is encouraged – we work in sound and pictures, so it's easier for us to relate to ideas with rich presentation. Technology will be available for presentation including a projector, DVD player, laptop and audio monitors.

The panel will deliberate immediately after the live pitches and will aim to come to a decision on the same day, but the charities chosen to be our partner for the Appeal will be informed by Monday 20 April 2009 at the latest. The unsuccessful short-listed candidates will also be informed on that Monday.

Your application

There is no set way to apply for this role or to pitch to us, but the best advice is to be brief and to-the-point!

Prepare a short and accessible document which sets out each aspect of your proposed Appeal. Your application will be considered against the following criteria:-

The Need:

• Must be relevant to children and prompt an emotional response in them
• Must be newsworthy
• Must work televisually and capture the imagination on-screen
• Should be significantly distinct from beneficiaries of recent Blue Peter Appeals (see list below)

The Change:

• Our audience must be able to see what difference they will make through the Appeal – the project's outcome should be highly tangible and should lend itself to being represented effectively on television
• Change to people's lives must be demonstrable, even if the project provides physical support/relief/development
• Children should feel empowered by making even a tiny contribution – remember that ‘every little helps'
• The Blue Peter audience must have a good degree of ownership of this change – i.e. if the money goes into a massive scheme, the benefit to our audience is reduced
• 100% of the money raised must go to the people who need help – it can't go on administration, computer systems or PR advisers

Fundraising Mechanism:

• The 2009/2010 Appeal mechanism should not be Bring & Buy sales, as this was the mechanism for the 2008/2009 Appeal. We are always keen to hear inventive yet effective means of fundraising, so we look forward to hearing your ideas

Your Organisation:

• You should be prepared for your organisation's approach to best practice and financial well-being to receive some scrutiny, in terms of capacity and sustainability, and also that of any third parties you may seek to work with.

We can't save the world on Blue Peter. Sometimes people think we can and they write heartbreaking proposals that we could never deliver on. What we can do is make a difference. We can have a lasting impact on hearts and minds.

Blue Peter Appeals since 1986

Blue Peter Appeals since 1986

Year	Appeal	Format	Charity
2008	MISSION NUTRITION	Bring & Buy sales	ContinYou, The Federation of City Farms & Community Gardens, Save The Children
2007	Disc Drive	CDs, DVDs & Games discs	BARNARD'S work with Young Carers
2006	Shoe Biz	Shoes	UNICEF
2005	Treasure Trail	Shoes	ChildLine
2004	Welcome Home	Used clothing	Red Cross: Angola – reuniting families
2003	Get Together	Bring & Buy Sales	Mencap
2002	Water Works	Bring & Buy Sales	WaterAid: Tanzania & Uganda
2001	Wheel Help	Bring & Buy Sales	Help the Aged: mobility
2000	Stamp Aid	Stamps	Health Unlimited in Peruvian Andes
1999	New Life	Bring & Buy Sales	BLISS: incubators & neo-natal
1998	New Future	Aluminium	Oxfam: Schools in Mozambique
1997	Cystic Fibrosis	Bring & Buy Sales	CF Trust
1996	GBP B&B Sale	Bring & Buy Sales	LEPRA Leprosy: Brazil & India
1995	Paperchain	Junk mail	Whizzkids: wheelchairs
1994	Well Water	Bring & Buy Sales	Wateraid: India, Pakistan & Bangladesh
1993	Pieces of Eight	Jewellery, badges, postcards, watches, medals	RNLI
1992	I-Care	Bring & Buy Sales	River Blindness in Africa - IVERMECTIN
1991	Golden Age	Aluminium Cans	Help the Aged
1990	GBP B&B Sale	Bring & Buy Sales	Romanian Orphanage Trust - Peintrii Copii Nostri
1989	Babylife	Aluminium cans	BLISS: Hospitals across UK
1988	GBP B&B Sale	Bring & Buy Sales	Kampuchea
1987	Rags	Old clothes, wool & cotton	Riding for the Disabled Association
1987	SOS T-Shirt Appeal	T-shirts	Mozambique
1986	Sightsaver	Bring & Buy Sales	Commonwealth Africa

If you have any queries relating to these figures, please contact Ruth McGarahan on 020 8225 7270

 This document is also available as a downloadable a pdf (291kb)