Connecting a purpose-driven organisation with the financial sector.
The Work - Media Relations, Digital Content, Strategic Communications
The Client - First Nations Foundation
The Brief
With 48%* of Indigenous Australians living in financial stress, First Nations Foundation believes that partnering with the right organisations can achieve financial prosperity for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
Reverb Media was first appointed in 2018 by First Nations Foundation to raise the profile of the not-for-profit, connect the foundation with financial services organisations, and promote its digital education programs for First Nations community. The remit involved supporting the CEO to build relationships with industry and maximising the impact of the organisation through PR.
In January 2020, Phil Usher started as CEO of the not-for-profit, which runs culturally appropriate financial literacy programs and community engagement projects that reflect the financial priorities identified by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and their communities.
Turning crisis into success
At the time of our appointment, First Nations Foundation’s main source of revenue was their annual roadshow, the Big Super Day Out. Held across 21 locations in Australia, the event connected First Nations people in urban, regional, and remote communities with the superannuation they weren’t aware they had. The Foundation received sponsorship from super funds, whose experts attended the events to work collaboratively with the community to find, protect, plan, and grow their super.
However, with the nation heading into lockdown in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, First Nations Foundation was unable to host the Big Super Day Out and was in danger of running out of money and possibly even being forced to close their services.
Reverb Media helped First Nations Foundation build and launch indigenoussuper.com.au, an online platform to host all the information normally shared at Big Super Day Out events – how First Nations Australians can find and optimise their superannuation.
Reverb Media also engaged 10 superannuation funds to partner on the project, with each fund and its respective Aboriginal engagement officer profiled to develop further connection with community.
*2019 Money Stories research report, First Nations Foundation and Centre for Social Impact
Embracing digital
In 2021, Reverb worked with First Nations Foundation to develop and launch Tomorrow Money, an online resource to educate and empower young First Nations Australians to take control of their financial future and help them build financial capability they may not have had access to in the absence of intergenerational wealth knowledge. Reverb continues to edit and manage the platform and its First Nations contributors.
Reverb also managed the creation and production of two podcasts from the Foundation – Beyond the Gap, which investigates best-practice reconciliation from corporate Australia, and Rich Blak Women, featured in the AFR and on national 7News, which focuses on economic empowerment for women and girls.
The Foundation’s social media strategy and content is managed by Reverb in close collaboration with the team, along with weekly email newsletters and other bespoke projects.
Since Reverb has worked with the Foundation, it has grown from two employees to 11 staff, and received an award for Indigenous Charity of the Year in 2021.
Testimonials
“After just 6 months we had CEOs of superannuation funds and industry bodies contribute articles to our ongoing communications channels. Keith was also able to generate significant PR exposure due to his industry connections and his ability to identify opportunities, and he helped design and launch two new digital platforms, in addition to helping us achieve our most successful year on record – which occurred through the pandemic. I cannot recommend Keith and Reverb highly enough.”
Phil Usher, CEO First Nations Foundation
“When we engaged Reverb Media to help connect our purpose to the financial services sector, we could not have been happier with the results. Keith and his team brought deep knowledge of the financial sector, wordsmithing and public relations expertise to create compelling, resonant and authentic messaging, resulting in powerful collaboration partnerships. Our profile grew and increasingly all aspects of the sector, from superannuation, banking, insurance and wealth, began to connect with our work, which included finding $24 million Indigenous superannuation and launching a digital financial literacy training program. I would highly recommend Reverb Media for its professionalism, on-point messaging, and strategic lens.”
Amanda Young, Atlantic Fellow and former CEO First Nations Foundation