Monthly Highlights report
December 2021
Headlines
In a matter of weeks our plans for December had shifted beyond all recognition, as Omicron changed the landscape. Under challenging circumstances our amazing team �and volunteers were able to provide vital support and latest information.
Given the end of the year, within these monthly highlights we’re also taking the opportunity to highlight and reflect upon the amazing growth we have experienced as a charity since our May launch. Thanks to all those who have helped covid:aid make a crucial difference in 2021 – and put us in the position to do even more in 2022.
– Michael MacLennan, Chief Executive
Courses
Community Support
We launched the first free Courses on our Covid-19 Support Community, providing expert lessons on subjects such as fatigue and smell loss
100+
Advice & Info articles
We hit a huge milestone in the amount of Advice and Information we are providing on the website across a diverse range of subjects
1500%
6-month website growth
Over the course of six months we have grown our website audience way beyond expectation, with tens of thousands visiting us for support
#CovidLoss
Grief & Bereavement
We launched our #CovidLoss wall to recognise the losses experienced across the UK, and were a partner for National Grief Awareness Week
Strategic roadmap
Ingredients for change
Mission
covid:aid is the UK’s new national charity dedicated to supporting all those affected by COVID-19 across the country, building a community and providing a voice
Values
Showing the �way ahead
Positive
We collaborate and share with others
Open
Establish and maintain reputation
Trusted
Important to extend a friendly hand
Kind
Building a diverse community
Inclusive
Collaborative partnerships
Peer-to-peer community
Stories, advocacy campaigning
Advice and guidance to be trusted
Research and data to highlight needs
By year 2
Our vision
Every single adult, young person, and child in the UK will be able to easily find and access the vital support they need – and the spaces they require – to deal with the traumatic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic
covid:aid will identify and build relationship with key stakeholders – including people and organisations – and develop strategies to support progression along the collaboration continuum (Basically: we build up partnerships)
Confident
Community
Knowledgeable
Curious
Collaborative
The strategic goal for our fourth quarter
Where we want to be at the end of Q4 (January-March 2022): Reaching tens of thousands of people every month, we will be the UK’s national charity providing highly accessible, top-quality free support on the widest range of Covid-related issues – ensuring our growing audience is supported whenever and however needed.
We will continue to significantly expand the support services we deliver, growing and being guided by our community so we create the greatest possible positive impact. We will forge strong collaborative relationships with a diverse range of organisations which will benefit those hit hardest by the pandemic – including those communities disproportionately impacted – while securing our long-term viability as a leading national charity.
Support Community
Introducing Courses
In December we added the first two publicly available and free-to-access Courses on the Community Platform, related to prominent Long Covid symptoms:
We’re delighted that the feedback has already been so positive, and we’ll be adding to these over the next few months, always working with the highest-quality partners to deliver reliable and trustworthy support. If there is anything you would particularly like to us to produce a Course on, do let us know!
Support Community
Q&As, new Groups, resource packs
The monthly theme on the Support Community this month was around grief and loss, marking National Grief Awareness Week from December 2-10.
Community Manager Emma and our volunteers provided amazing support including through our first digital downloads, as well as other relevant and helpful content. We were also able to point people to our new professional online bereavement counselling support, while also hosting our weekly cuppas over Zoom for people to chat with others.
In January we are focussing on our #SelfCareResolution, providing a range of advice, information, and support so people can take the time to care for themselves after a challenging festive period.
Advice and Information
Marking another milestone
It feels like it was only a few months ago that we launched our Advice and Information section – mostly because it was! In that time we have managed to make it a hub for an extraordinary amount of advice and information on key topics such as Long Covid, vaccines, pregnancy, and much more. We now have more than 100 articles within this section.
Our Content Editor and Writer, Sheryl, has performed a remarkable job, working with volunteers and experts outwith the charity to ensure we reach a growing audience and providing them with trustworthy advice amidst a sea of unreliable misinformation. In January we’ll continue to grow this section, expanding our network of subject matter experts and releasing more conversations via our Covid Matters podcast.
Services
#CovidLoss digital wall
At the beginning of December we launched our #CovidLoss wall, which allows people to recognise the losses that they have experienced and have been experiencing during the ongoing pandemic.
The launch was marked with an evocative and moving video in which poet David Gilbert narrated the specially composed ‘Words For Loss (For Those Who Have Died Through Covid)’. We have received a variety of stories, and will be continuing to keep this and our complementary #CovidHeroes wall updated throughout 2022.
Other Services
Online bereavement counselling
In time for December we launched our online bereavement counselling service for those in need of support.
My Long COVID Needs
We are on the Working Group for the My Long COVID Needs Long Covid assessment tool, which is being led by the British Lung Foundation and funded through the NHS. It launched in a beta version, and we will continue to be involved as the tool is tested and strengthened.
Get Help section
The Get Help section continued to be one of our most popular, and we now provide more than 80 links to the best sources of support across a range of Covid-related issues.
Partnerships
Partnerships and open collaborations continues to be at the core for the charity. As mentioned, we were a partner for National Grief Awareness Week, which is organised by The Good Grief Trust.
We also began to establish some new partnerships which we will be speaking more about during the first months of 2022. We joined the Long Covid Alliance, will be hosting an event with Cruse Bereavement Support on our Support Community in January, and will be exploring co-bidding on funding applications with some other great charities, groups, and organisations.
Analytics: website
October exceeded all expectations, November exceeded all expectations, and December… Did exactly the same, with 58% growth – meaning we had more than 15,000 visitors for the first time. This is a 1500% increase from six months ago!
We do expect a slowing in growth during January, a traditionally quiet period for charities, and will be focussing on retaining visitors and directing them to the best support.
Website audience analytics
December 2021 overview
Analytics: social media
728 (682 prev.)
315 (269)
608 (568)
231 (229)
In December we continued to grow our audience across channels, with our #CovidLoss and grief posts those which resonated the most.
In 2022 we plan to re-focus on growing communities across different platforms, so we can reach people who need our support wherever they may be. We will also begin exploring some other potential channels and platforms such as TikTok so we can reach new audiences.
Digital performance: website & SEO/search
Uprise Up assistance around SEO/Search
Digital impact agency Uprise Up wrapped up their amazing work for us around search, website impact, and other related issues. They provided a variety of support across 2021 which has helped position us at the very top of Google across a variety of search terms such as ‘Covid charity’, and without them we wouldn’t have reached the size of audience that have – and been able to provide such a level of support.
Special thanks go out to John, Jasmine, Matt, Ben, and all those who have been so brilliant – all of us at covid:aid are enormously grateful, and are wishing you the best for 2022.
Tuckshop website work
Our web team Rob and James have been absolutely tremendous throughout 2021 and during December, delivering the #CovidLoss wall and continuing to improve the website so that it is at the very top in terms of accessibility and ease of access. We enter 2022 with a first-class website packed with breadth and depth, and this wouldn’t have been possible without them.
Fundraising & Finance
Fundraising
December was our biggest month for fundraising to date, and we couldn’t be more grateful to those who are raising money on our behalf in a variety of ways – including Yarm School pupils (see opposite). Thank you so much!
Finance
This is never the most exciting part of the monthly highlights, but it is the most important. Through increased income and extremely prudent financial management, we are in the great position of being able to invest further in staff and services during January – now advertising for an Operations Manager to sit at the core of the charity and supercharge our growth.
January goals
December was immensely challenging for the UK, and the ways in which our team pivoted to provide specific advice and support showed exactly why covid:aid is a charity needs to be here for the long term – and which has been built to do so.
As 2022 begins we will continue to ensure that we are sustainable, growing, and able to do even more. Please let us know if you want to support or get involved.
– Michael MacLennan, �Founder & Chief Executive
Self-care
Promoting recuperation
We will be promoting a #SelfCareResolution, so people can take time for themselves after a stressful festive season
More support
New Courses, Q&As
We will be adding to our support throughout January, finding out from our Community what works – and what more we can do
Team growth
Operations Manager
We are hiring for a new position which will sit at the heart of the charity, strengthening us at a crucial time
Collaboration
More partnerships
We can do more by working in alliance with other groups and organisations – we will step up our partnerships and collaborations
Thanks for all your support so far – everything achieved and mentioned in this Monthly Review couldn’t happen without you. There is so much more we want to do. Please donate and support us however you can.
Email michael@covidaidcharity.org with any questions, thoughts, and suggestions.
Find previous monthly summaries online.
Where you can find covid:aid: