CIPR Annual Report 2020

Pulling together
Supporting members
through the pandemic
Annual Report 2020

CIPR Annual Report 2020

2
Contents
3
President’s
Foreword
5
Strategy
7
Advocacy
11
Leading
Professional
Practice
16
Building a
Resilient
Community
26
Championing
Lifelong
Learning
28
Operations
33
Governance
35
Financial
Report


3
Heading

3
President’s
Foreword


4
2020 was a year like no other. With the pandemic impacting every
industry, every organisation, and every country around the world,
it shaped the year for the CIPR.
It was a year of lobbying on behalf of our
members, adapting our offer to support
those looking to continue their professional
development, and putting people at the core of
what we do.
Every member was going through a different
experience, so creating and launching new
services and products to support everyone was at
the heart of our work in 2020. When I look at the
four pillars of our strategy, 2020 delivered against
each one with pace and agility.
As a community, we welcomed 1,800 new
members. Professional development was
something many had time for while on furlough,
and this meant that over 465 people became
qualified, and 1,500 people were trained through
our workshops. Over 80 members became
chartered and, now that this is assessed online,
it’s a global assessment.
Our services were focused on the people side of
PR. The Employability Support Hub was launched
in direct response to the needs of members
looking for support with redundancy and job
seeking. The iprovision Mental Health Hotline,
our Progress and student mentoring schemes,
and more, launched to ensure people had the
support they needed no matter what they were
going through.
The focus on the skills of those working in PR
was talked about at length throughout the year.
Our guides and reports around AI and ethics,
influencer marketing, and the annual State of
the Profession survey have all contributed to
enhancing the skills of our members.
The work of our Diversity and Inclusion Network
started in 2020, and the Race in PR report
highlighted the challenges we face as an industry.
The conversations around diversity and inclusion
continued throughout 2020, and I’m looking to
2021 to be the year where action is taken.
In a global pandemic, the employees at the CIPR
worked tirelessly for our members. The hundreds
of volunteers that drive so much activity and
support did not stop. They were relentless in their
creation of content, events and support for all
those working in PR and Communications during
a year that no one expected.
2020 was a real team effort and it showed what
a resilient community we are. Thank you to
everyone who played a role in supporting our
members and the wider PR and communication
industry.
Jenni Field Chart.PR FCIPR
CIPR President 2020
President’s
Foreword


5
Strategy


6

6
CIPR strategy animation developed to engage members in our five-year plan
Leading practice development
To ensure that our members have timely access to the most up-to-date
resources to take their professional practice forward.
Building a resilient community of practice
To create the best and most valuable community that practitioners will
want to be a part of and contribute to.
Championing lifelong learning and the value of chartership
To create a streamlined professional development pathway focused on
Chartered Practitioner status.
Advocating public relations with employers, clients and
the wider public
To create a better understanding of the standards and services that
public relations professionals can offer.
Strategy In consultation with members, the CIPR developed a new five-year
strategy and 2020 was the first year in which our work was planned
and delivered as part of that strategy. This report is structured around
the four key areas of work set out in that strategy.


7
Advocacy


8
Advocating public
relations with
employers, clients,
and the public
As the UK entered the first lockdown, we issued a joint statement
with the PRCA praising the efforts of public relations professionals
in their response to the pandemic. The statement was published
alongside a letter to the Chancellor of the Exchequer, calling for
greater support for small businesses and self-employed practitioners.
Throughout 2020, we continued to evaluate the
impact of the government’s financial support
measures, or lack of them, and continued to
lobby on behalf of those members excluded from
receiving any support, offering our own help
where possible.
Lobbying for payment breaks from
media platforms on behalf of our
members
In late March, we extended our support for our
self-employed and independent practitioner
members by writing to PR service companies to
request increased flexibility on the services they
provide to the public relations profession.
Our support included allowing independent
practitioners to request a three-month payment
break from membership subscriptions.
Read more here.
Researching impact of COVID on
freelancers and reporting to UK
Government
In early April, we published research with the
PR Cavalry which revealed half of PR freelancers
had lost over 60% of their income, shared the
experiences of the impact of the lack of support
on affected practitioners, and joined a coalition of
membership bodies in writing to the Chancellor
to call for greater coverage for those who recently
became self-employed and those operating as
limited company directors.
The CIPR called for greater support for small businesses and
self-employed practitioners


9
Advocating public
relations with
employers, clients,
and the public
“
Informing and advising people on
how to reduce the risks of COVID-19
and explaining how individuals and
businesses access support is a challenge
met by essential, high-quality PR”
Jenni Field
CIPR President 2020
Championing the role of
public relations
The government’s procurement of PR services
throughout the pandemic led to scrutiny from the
national press in November.
We took the opportunity to highlight how
important public relations and stakeholder
engagement functions are in delivering an
effective response to the pandemic, and we urged
the government to be transparent about how
public money is spent.
In the same month, the government announced
the National Infrastructure Strategy – a £100
billion investment plan devoted to projects which
aim to transition Net-Zero emissions by 2050.
We called for the public and private sector to
place their public relations and communications
function at the heart of their organisational plans
to deliver this, highlighting the importance of
the management of stakeholder relations, strong
community engagement, and strategic internal
communications in delivering a successful long-
term strategy.
CIPR President Jenni Field released a statement
urging parliament to assess the effectiveness of
the public relations work delivered as a result of
an additional £130 million government spent on
communications during the pandemic. “Informing
and advising people on how to reduce the risks
of COVID-19 and explaining how individuals and
businesses access support is a challenge met by
essential, high-quality PR” Jenni said.
Read the statement here.
Call to tackle online harms
In February 2020, the government announced
new legislation to support their vision to make the
UK the “safest place in the world to be online”.
We cautiously welcomed the move, noting our
concerns with the approach of making directors
personally liable, arguing it could impact the
effectiveness of the legislation.
Read our response.


10
Advocating public
relations with
employers, clients,
and the public
Writing to all new MPs with guidance
on professional lobbying
Following the General Election in December 2019,
we took the opportunity to write to all the 155
new MPs with a copy of our ‘Guide to Professional
Lobbying’.
The Guide outlines the standards of acceptable
behaviour for professional lobbyists, what MPs
should expect if they are approached by lobbyists,
and what action they can take if they have
concerns.
More here.
Responding to the Parker Review
In February, we responded to the Parker Review –
a review looking at how to improve the ethnic and
cultural diversity of UK boards – by highlighting
the lack of progress and inherent complacency
within FTSE 250 companies as reflective of our
own data on the diversity, or lack of it, within the
public relations profession. The review found
that 69% of FTSE 250 companies have no ethnic
diversity representation at board level.
The report cites issues in recruitment,
headhunting, and a culture which doesn’t
actively encourage talented minority-background
candidates to apply. The problem must be
addressed from the top, and the review suggests
regular reporting should be part of the solution.
Read more here.
Contributing regular columns for the
London Chamber of Commerce and
Industry magazine
We contributed ten thought leadership columns
in the London Chamber of Commerce’s
‘Business Matters’ magazine throughout 2020,
discussing the role of public relations as a
strategic management function. CIPR staff and
volunteers wrote on subjects including reputation
management, crisis communications, internal
communications, stakeholder management, and
much more to an audience of CEOs and business
decision makers.


11
Leading
Professional
Practice


12
Leading
Professional
Practice
Influence goes digital
As part of our commitment to developing an
enhanced digital experience for members –
and accelerated by the business impact of
the COVID-19 pandemic – our award-winning
member magazine, Influence, was made available
to members online only, with the first digital
issue accessible to both members and the wider
profession. The new digital format provided
members with the opportunity to enjoy the
magazine at any time and from any device, and
a library of back issues was also published.
AI in PR Ethics Guide
Our AI in PR Panel published the world’s first AI in
PR Ethics Guide, in partnership with the Canadian
Public Relations Society (CPRS).
The guide argued public relations practitioners
– as ethical guardians – need a robust
understanding of the uses and applications
of artificial intelligence, and that practitioners
should be part of all AI build and deployment
teams, posing the tough ethical questions which
technology AI specialists and senior management
may not consider.
It outlines some key principles for ethical decision-
making, provides practical advice on using the
CIPR’s ethical decision-making tree, and the Open
Data Institute’s data ethics canvas through the use
of real-life examples.
The report suggests new laws or regulations are
unlikely to keep pace with modern technologies
and, therefore, knowledgeable PR professionals
– competent enough to speak up – are needed
to keep their organisations ‘safe’ and to cause no
deliberate harm to the people and stakeholders
new technologies are intended to serve.
Read the report here.
INFLUENCE
Q3
2020
ISSUE
19
EMPATHETIC
COMMS
|
RACIAL
EQUALITY
|
MEDIA
CONSUMPTION
TRENDS
INFLUENCE
Q3 2020 influenceonline.co.uk
FOR SWITCHED-ON PUBLIC RELATIONS PROFESSIONALS
IT’SGOOD
TOTALK
BUTIT’S
BETTERTO
LISTEN
Stop broadcasting and start engaging
INFLUENCE
Awwwww…
INFLUENCE
Q4
2019
ISSUE
16
THE
POWER
OF
CUTE
|
HANDLING
FIXATED
THREATS
|
DEFENDING
THE
INDEFENSIBLE
Pika-who?
Hello Kitty and the unstoppable march of cute
IT’SATHING
INFLUENCE
Q1
2020
ISSUE
17
20
TRENDS
FOR
2020
|
PR
IN
NORTHERN
IRELAND
|
WOMEN’S
HEALTH
INFLUENCING2020
FOR SWITCHED-OFF PUBLIC RELATIONS PROFESSIONALS
INFLUENCE
Q2
2019
ISSUE
14
PR’S
STRESS
PROBLEM
|
MATT
HAIG
ON
FUD
|
MAKE
A
DOCUMENTARY
|
BALLET
MOVES
DON'T
READ
THIS
NOW
INFLUENCE
THISIS
BULLS**T!
The unbelievable rise of ‘truthiness’, and how
Public Health England is tackling the anti-vaxxers
INFLUENCE
Q3
2019
ISSUE
15
FACTS
VS
BULLS**T
|
PRESIDENT
XI’S
STUDY
THE
GREAT
NATION
APP
|
SECURITY-MINDED
COMMUNICATIONS
WHEN COMMS
SAVE LIVES
THE POWER OF THE
PERFECT PICTURE
INSIDE XI’S
LITTLE RED APP
FAKE NEWS
Ethics Guide to Artificial Intelligence in PR
The back issue library of Influence is available here.
Influence magazine is now a digital-only publication


13
Headline sponsors of Public Affairs
conference
In December, we partnered with The House
Magazine and Politics Home as headline sponsors
of the virtual 2020 Public Affairs Conference.
The conference explored how public affairs
professionals can adapt approaches to messaging,
advocacy, and foster connections in a remote
world. CIPR’s Public Affairs Group Chair hosted a
keynote address on lobbying and transparency.
Read more here.
Global Alliance Partnership:
Ethics Month
In February 2020, we partnered with Global
Alliance as they launched their global Ethics
Month. Throughout the campaign, thousands
of public relations professionals – from over 60
countries – dedicated their time to sharing key
resources designed to highlight the importance of
ethical practice.
The month-long focus serves to unify Global
Alliance members’ activities, bringing global
attention to the importance of ethics in
communication in all areas of business,
government, non-profit and education.
Read more here.
Brexit events and updated
Brexit guidance
Brexit is likely to influence how public relations
practitioners conduct business for decades to
come and, shortly before the end of the Transition
Period, we announced a series of sector and
region-specific Brexit events to support members.
The eleven events provided relevant and timely
advice, information, and ideas for public relations
practitioners.
The events were supported by our updated Brexit
guidance, summarising information relevant to
the profession on matters such as data protection,
copyright law, and travel. The guidance also
highlights the role public relations professionals
can play in helping businesses prepare for the end
of the Transition Period.
You can view Brexit event playlist here.
Our Brexit events programme
Leading
Professional
Practice


14
Publishing influencer marketing
guidance
We launched our Influencer Marketing Panel in
April. The Panel works to educate and inform
our members about how to practice influencer
marketing both ethically and effectively. The Panel
was launched together with three introductory
skills guides:
• Introduction to Influencer Marketing
•
PR and Influencer Marketing – the rules and
regulators
•
PRs as Influencers – how to ethically disclose
your relationships with clients and causes
without misleading your online audience
Influencer Marketing is a fast-growing industry.
Over the past five years, it has grown from $500m
to $8.2billion globally. Our Influencer Marketing
Panel promote an ethical approach and best
practice in the field, and support members to
adhere to rapidly changing rules and regulations.
With the pandemic forcing the need for important
and complex information to be communicated
clearly and quickly, there continues to be a need
for trusted sources sharing important reputable
information.
In February, we published a statement on where
Influencer Marketing sits within our code of
conduct.
Visit the Influencer Marketing Panel’s page for
further information.
Holding our first online
National Conference
In November, we welcomed more than 300 PR
practitioners to our first ever virtual National
Conference; ‘Communications Leadership in a
New World’. The three-day event – sponsored by
Signal AI – explored how PR can thrive in a world
changed by the pandemic.
The expert line-up of speakers shared insights
on the future media landscape, internal
communications, the impact of COVID-19 on the
profession, the increased value of PR and how to
maintain it, and much more. The virtual conference
world came complete with a virtual aquarium and
wellbeing garden.
This wellbeing garden was part of the virtual conference world
We held our first online National Conference in November
Leading
Professional
Practice


15
Publishing the 2019/20
State of the Profession
PR’s most statistically robust survey, our annual
‘State of the Profession’ report, was published in
July exploring the trends, issues and challenges
facing public relations.
The report data was captured prior to the
pandemic and revealed a profession that isn’t
representative of the stakeholder groups it
works with on matters relating to views on
social mobility. The findings reveal that family
background is more likely to influence an
individual’s career path when compared to
other professions.
Elsewhere, the report highlighted a strong
professional community with a continued
drive and commitment towards professional
development.
Read the report here.
State of the Profession report cover
Leading
Professional
Practice


16
Building
a resilient
community


17
Building
a resilient
community
Amid the pandemic, the murder of George Floyd sparked
global discussions and protests, leading to conversations
about diversity and inclusiveness in society. The public
relations profession has long faced its own challenges on
diversity; the ‘State of the Profession’ survey reported
little progress on addressing the lack of diversity within the
profession, with 91% of practitioners reported to be white.
Race in PR
Our ‘Race in PR’ report, published in June, sought
to explore the stories behind the data through the
lived experience of BAME PR practitioners. The
report found that as a profession, we are good
at “talking the talk” but fail to “walk the walk”.
The impact of this heavily impacts BAME talent
across the profession with leaders persistently
failing to stamp out racism, and microaggressions
and unconscious biases which lead to non-
inclusive cultures. As a result, BAME practitioners
are unable to access the same resources and
privileges as their white colleagues do, which
leads to unequal opportunities and a lack of
professional development.
In an interview with PR Moment, the Chair of the
CIPR Diversity and Inclusion Network, Avril Lee,
discussed the report, outlining how it “aims to go
beyond the numbers and highlight how BAME PR
practitioners are made to feel”.
In July, together with the network, we ran an event
– ‘From experience to action; creating inclusive
cultures in PR’ – to discuss the findings of the
report.
Access the Report here.
RACE
INPR
BAMElivedexperiencesintheUKPRindustry
Our ‘Race in PR’ report was published in June


18
Black out Tuesday
On Monday 1 June, we published a statement
from President, Jenni Field, to add our voice
“against the injustice we see, and to call out
racism wherever we find it”. The following day, in
support of the global Black Out Tuesday campaign
to address racial injustice, we took the decision to
postpone our virtual Excellence Awards ceremony
by one day.
Supporting the launch of The Blueprint
Our ‘Race in PR’ report included details of
The Blueprint – an initiative for public relations and
communications agencies to help them attract,
retain and nurture diverse talent. We followed
this up with a member discount and CPD offer
to attend their diversity training and workshops.
The Blueprint founder, Elizabeth Bananuka, spoke
at our #CIPRdiversity event on creating inclusive
cultures in PR.
Black History Month
To mark Black History month, the CIPR North
East and South West Groups co-hosted an
event exploring the #BlackLivesMatter protests
in Bristol which led to the toppling of Edward
Colston’s statue. Saskia Konynenburg, Head of
External Comms for Bristol City Council, shared
her experiences of being at the heart of the
communications response and was joined by BBC
reporter, Sima Kotecha, adding her experiences of
reporting on, and experiencing, racism.
The CIPR’s Black Out Tuesday statement
A collaborative group event - Bristol, #BlackLivesMatter and the
media storm: personal perspectives from public sector comms
and the media
Building
a resilient
community


19
Diversity and Inclusion Month
Throughout June and July, we supported the
Global Alliance’s Diversity and Inclusion month,
joining forces with the global public relations
community to help advocate for equality in the
profession.
By raising awareness of useful resources, Diversity
and Inclusion month aimed to spotlight useful
ways in which the global profession can address
the lack of diversity.
More here.
Launching Progress mentoring scheme
In April, we were proud to launch our Progress
mentoring scheme to support members and
assist them in reaching their goals. Progress is
a free and exclusive service for CIPR members,
enabling them to search for mentors based on
specialisms, industry sectors, or professional and
career development needs. At a time when many
members most needed support and guidance,
Progress was there to give them a sounding board
to discuss ideas, challenges and opportunities.
Watch a run through video here.
Volunteers’ Week
National Volunteers’ Week in June 2020 was an
opportunity to thank our network of volunteers
in the UK and overseas for their relentless energy
and support. Their work was fundamental to us
helping members throughout the pandemic.
CIPR video shared on social media to thank volunteers for
their contribution
Building
a resilient
community


20
A growing global membership
We reflected our growing global membership by rebranding our Twitter and
Instagram handles to @CIPR_Global, a move that also demonstrated the global
recognition that membership and CIPR qualifications provide.
Nearly 500
CIPR members
– around 6% of
membership – are
based outside
of the UK across
78 countries:
from Azerbaijan
and Australia to
Zimbabwe and
Zambia.
There are
Chartered
Practitioners
based in
19 countries,
including the UK.
Graduates from
over 50 countries
hold a CIPR
qualification.
Practitioners in
18 countries,
including the UK,
completed CIPR
training in 2020
alone.
78
countries
50
countries
18
countries
19
countries
Building
a resilient
community
There are Chartered
Practitioners based in
19 countries, including
the UK.


21
Employability Support Hub
In September, we bolstered our support for CIPR
members by launching our CIPR Employability
Support Hub. The new resource – designed to
support members who lost their jobs or were at
risk of redundancy – features a variety of content
tailored to coping with redundancy, CVs and
interviews, personal branding, mental health, and
going independent. It followed results from a
member survey which revealed this was an area
that members wanted more support in.
Read more here.
The GCS COVID-19 Advisory Panel
In response to the pandemic, we were invited to
join the Government Communication Service’s
(GCS) COVID-19 Advisory Panel to provide vital
career support to communication professionals
impacted by the pandemic. The Panel –
comprised of leaders across the communications
industry – provided strategic leadership for the
profession, practical support for specialists,
and helped shape the Government’s COVID-19
communication activities.
With support from members, the Panel produced
a report – authored by former CIPR President
Stephen Waddington Chart.PR, Hon FCIPR
– which found eight areas for innovation and
opportunity for communications professionals.
Read more.
Launching ‘Career Starter’ graduate
mentoring scheme
In October, we laid the foundations for the future
of the profession with the launch of our ‘Career
Starter’ mentoring scheme for student members.
The free scheme gives students access to mentors
with an array of experience tailored to helping
them reach their goals. Mentorship is important
across the career path, but it is especially
important for those at the start of their career to
be able to discuss their future and be inspired by
the prospect of joining our profession.
Find out more.
Career Starter
A free student member
mentoring scheme
A new benefit for student members
Building
a resilient
community


22
iprovision Mental Health Hotline
Shortly after the UK entered the first national
lockdown, we proudly launched the iprovision
Mental Health Hotline with our charitable
benevolent fund. The resource – which is free and
exclusive for CIPR members – provides members
with 24/7 access to accredited counsellors, 365
days a year.
Our 2019 State of the Profession survey
had worryingly highlighted that one in five
professionals have had or live with a diagnosed
mental health condition, whilst almost a quarter
(23%) of respondents who discussed concerns
about their mental health with a manager said
that nothing happened as a result of those
conversations. The pandemic only served to
heighten concerns around mental health and
wellbeing, and launching this hotline was an
important new part of our membership offer.
Special recognition
As the year drew to a close, CIPR President Jenni
Field recognised the work of two practitioners
through the awarding of the CIPR’s annual medals.
Kerry Sheehan Chart.PR FCIPR was awarded the
Sir Stephen Tallent’s medal for working “tirelessly”
towards increasing awareness of artificial
intelligence within public relations.
Rachel Miller Chart.PR, FCIPR was awarded the
2020 President’s Award for her continued service
to internal communications, in a year when the
“importance of internal communication has never
been higher”.
Health and Wellbeing Month
We were proud to extend our support to the
global community by engaging in Global Alliance’s
first ever Health and Wellbeing month.
Throughout September, we shared a selection of
our relevant resources to support practitioners in
addressing the overwhelming challenges posed
by the pandemic.
More here.
‘Engage’ – a brand new podcast series
In November, we launched our new podcast
series, ‘Engage’, to explore a range of
perspectives on discussions from across the
industry. The first episode – Doing Diversity
Differently – offered insight into the struggle
the PR profession has in attracting and retaining
diverse PR talent.
The iprovision Mental Health Hotline provided by Health Assured
Engage – a volunteer-led podcast series
Building
a resilient
community


23
2020 Group Highlights
Throughout 2020, our CIPR Groups responded to
the pandemic by transforming their activities from
in-person to virtual events. We have summarised a
sample of a wide range of activities completed by
our Groups in 2020.
Greater London
The Greater London group shone a light on the
value of collaboration by launching a Guild Group
in response to the pandemic, providing over 200
members with a network to discuss challenges and
offering a platform for best practice and collective
solutions.
In the summer, the Greater London Group hosted
“CoronaCon” – a major online conference which
assembled over 125 PR professionals with a line-
up of diverse speakers. The conference aimed to
create a community, foster understanding and
support PR professionals to mitigate the global
pandemic as well as preparing for the future.
Midlands
The group hosted their third annual Midlands PR
Conference: Sustainability of Communications.
The conference – hosted at Birmingham City
University in July – examined how ethics, working
practices, wellbeing and environmentalism are
challenging PR practice to evolve.
Building on their momentum from 2019, again,
mental health played a key role in shaping the
group’s activities in 2020 as they piloted the
CIPR Mental Health Awareness Workshop –
a key and timely intervention to support the
community in tackling mental health in the
midst of a global pandemic. They pioneered
#PowerAndInfluenceLive and delivered the
inaugural CIPR Midlands and University of
Wolverhampton Lecture. Throughout 2020, they
hosted an array of Masterclasses, launching the
OpenMic forum.
North West
In 2020, the North West group adapted to the
virtual shift swiftly and resolutely, utilising Zoom to
ensure CIPR members were able to attend a range
of training sessions, webinars, specifically relating
to Internal Communications and career resilience.
They committed to professional development by
providing ample learning opportunities through
regular lunchtime talks, connecting members with
national and international speakers.
The group concluded 2020 with a #cipresents
campaign designed to signpost important
member resources and benefits one day at a time.
Scotland
In 2020, our Scotland group and their Future
Leaders Forum quickly shifted their approach
to delivering a series of engaging webinars,
with helpful advice and insight to the younger
members of our community at a time of concern
and frustration.
Over the year, CIPR Scotland organised 17 events
for members and non-members, welcoming
over 1,000 event participants. With varied topics
covered, including media, careers, cultural
inclusion, influencer marketing, consumer
behaviours, industry research, political and internal
communications, the programme provided much
needed support to professionals in the industry.
Building
a resilient
community
“
In a global pandemic, the hundreds
of volunteers that drive so much
activity and support did not stop.
They were relentless in their
creation of content, events and
support for all those working in
PR and Communications.”
Jenni Field
CIPR President 2020


24
South West
Our South West group highlighted the importance
of effective collaboration across our community
by partnering with the Diversity and Inclusion
Network and the CIPR North East group to
support Black History Month.
Wessex
The Wessex group strengthened relationships
with local universities, and paved the way for
the future of our profession by hosting a ‘Meet
the Professionals’ event in partnership with
Southampton Solent University.
In October, the group delivered an online
event with Business Editor Darren Slade to
equip members with expert advice and tools in
engaging the media during a pandemic.
East Anglia
2020 was another very successful year for the CIPR
East Anglia committee, despite the challenges
caused by the pandemic.
As a committee, they moved online quickly and
hosted ten webinars on a wide range of topics
that included communications strategy and
planning, social media, AI, and a public sector
perspective on the COVID-19 crisis. Two East
Anglia group members advocated the value of
Chartership at a #GetChartered webinar.
The East Anglia group championed employability
as two members supported the University of East
Anglia’s Business School in Norwich, highlighting
the value of a career in public relations and
communications.
Yorkshire Lincolnshire
Our Yorkshire and Lincolnshire group offered
members the opportunity to be a part of the
solution to the profession’s lack of diversity. An
expert line-up of guests hosted a webinar on
becoming a ‘Blueprinted’ agency.
CIPR Health
The committee has been passionate throughout
the pandemic about ensuring that you have access,
as readily as possible, to services and support that
can help you and your teams. Last year they set
up a taskforce of volunteers working on mental
health and here are some of the highlights.
In April they launched the Mental health support
hotline with iProvision, an independent charity
for CIPR members in need and their dependents.
In a survey of comms professionals in healthcare,
carried out in August, almost a quarter of
respondents had accessed this.
Over the summer, the group partnered with
Comms Unplugged to launch a programme of
online webinars from which over 220 people
benefitted.
The group also conducted a survey into the mental
health impacts of Covid on comms professionals
and submitted that as evidence as part of the
Government Communication Services review.
The group continued to build out what is available
in relation to mental health as part of the CPD
offering and supported the CIPR team to develop
two training courses on Mental Health at Work
and Building Resilience.
Building
a resilient
community


25
Local Public Services
As for many others, 2020 was an especially
important year for our Local Public Services group.
The continually updated resources for public
sector communicators supported in excess of
500 requests for help and advice on Coronavirus
communications.
Throughout 2020, the Local Public Services group
worked closely with the COVID-19 Advisory
Group, maintaining momentum and providing
fast, responsive communications, and supporting
industry professionals with timely guides, such as:
‘How to communicate the death of a colleague’.
Not-for-Profit
The newly formed Not-for-Profit group highlighted
three key areas of focus for 2020: leadership,
measurement, and digital. To help CIPR members
navigate the uncertainty and anxiety of the jobs
market, they partnered with Prospectus to deliver
a webinar focused on recruitment. Reflecting on
the Race in PR report, they focused their attention
on delivering a series addressing diversity and
inclusion within the profession, starting with a
webinar on accessible digital communications.
Building
a resilient
community
The Summer Learning Series hosted by
the CIPR Local Public Services group


26
Championing lifelong
learning and the
value of chartership


27
Championing
lifelong learning
and the value of
chartership
Newly Chartered on 2 December 2020: Holly Fairclough,
Nicola Jenkins, Harry Mitchell, Nicola McLaughlin, Leah
Morantz, Kenneth Smith, Vicki Spencer-Francis
New Accredited Teaching Centres
In 2020, we welcomed the University of Sharjah
in the UAE to our global network of Accredited
Teaching Centres offering CIPR qualifications.
Taking the CIPR Chartership
Assessment Day online
In response to the pandemic, we transformed
our Chartership Assessment days to a virtual
model. This enabled us to reach a wider global
community.
In 2020, 81 members became Chartered
Practitioners across 14 assessment days, 13 of
which were held online. As a result, we ended
2020 with 399 Chartered PR Practitioners.
Education and Training Month
We supported the global PR profession during the
height of the pandemic by hosting a series of free
webinars during Global Alliance’s ‘Education and
Training’ month in April, in a move to encourage
practitioners to prioritise their professional
development. Throughout April, we hosted a
number of free online webinars aimed to equip
members in overcoming the challenges of the
pandemic.
Throughout April, May and June, we hosted a
total of 26 webinars, including 13 in support of
Education and Training month.
CommsHero
We teamed up with CommsHero by Resource
to give CIPR members who had been made
redundant due to the COVID-19 crisis the chance
to attend #CommsHeroWeek and the CIPR
National Conference free of charge.
Read more here.


28
Operations

29
Operations
“Last year our annual report was entitled ‘Strong,
resilient and sustainable’ and 2020 was the year
when we showed all those things were true.
Two months before lockdown, we began
preparations to work remotely, and these plans
meant the staff could function without an office
on a permanent basis. We were not prepared
however for a long-term change to the delivery
of our services, and that took a lot of time and
energy to achieve. While we were working on
this, new members continued to join and existing
members continued to renew, both well ahead of
target, throughout the year. This was the bedrock
of our ability to build and adapt at high speed
so that we had everything reconfigured in a few
months.
Six weeks in, we decided to become a virtual
organisation and that marked the point where
we stopped trying to ‘manage uncertainty’ and
began to plan for the longer term. From then
on, the priority was on making everything ready
for the post-pandemic operating environment.
We focused on what the Institute would need
to be doing in 2021 and beyond, rather than
trying to manage an endless flow of changing
circumstances. We treated the crisis as high-
intensity training rather than as an unavoidable
battering, and we always looked for solutions
that were simple and easily reversible. We also
resolved early on that we were going to talk our
way out of the crisis. Our members and our staff
needed to know our intentions and we had to be
open to challenge on anything. If people didn’t
know what we were doing or have confidence in
our plans, a crisis could easily become a disaster.
By the end of the year, our membership had
grown, our volunteer groups and panels were
producing output of unprecedented range and
scale, and our balance sheet was stronger than it
had been at the start of the year.
I want to thank our Board, Council, staff, and
particularly members, for their commitment
and support of our work and our approach. The
dedication and hard work you each put into
making the CIPR what it is today is incredible and
appreciated. As a collective, we should all be
proud of what we achieved in 2020.”
Navigating through uncertainty
Alastair McCapra, Chief Executive Officer

29
“
2020 presented the
greatest challenges our
Senior Leadership Team
have ever faced.”

Alastair McCapra
Chief Executive Officer


30
“By the time the UK lockdown was imposed,
technology was already in place to allow us to
operate effectively as a virtual organisation so,
as a leadership team, we were able to focus on
the wellbeing of the wider team and supporting
individuals in their own unique circumstances.
Mental health and emotional wellbeing came
to the fore in 2020 and the wellness of our staff
had never been so important. We needed to
make sure that staff still felt like a part of the
team despite working in physical isolation from
colleagues, and that everyone was aware of the
support available to them and how to access it.
With access to an Employee Assistance
Programme, the new iprovision Mental Health
Hotline and the Wellbeing Hub provided by
Health Assured, staff were encouraged to use the
vast array of resources and services available to
them if they were struggling with their mental or
physical health.
We introduced a fortnightly staff newsletter to
keep everyone up to date with UK government
announcements, to share updates from around
the organisation and to reinforce the importance
of wellbeing at work. We organised activities
including weekly virtual yoga, and Vitality Health
screening, and a staff picnic as soon as restrictions
eased. The newsletter aimed to substitute some
of those lost ‘water cooler moments’, sharing both
personal and work-related news.
Like many organisations, the CIPR had to quickly
adapt its business in early 2020. Seven members
of our team were furloughed for a period and
unfortunately, significant changes to some parts
of the business led us to make structural changes,
with three staff taking voluntary redundancy at
the end of June 2020. Communications with
furloughed colleagues were a priority and these
were handled sensitively and personally.
Six months after we began working remotely, we
surveyed staff to find out how they were feeling
– in themselves, about their work and about the
CIPR’s direction. 89% of staff who responded said
they felt fairly or very confident about our future.
Staff also shared with us the one thing worrying
them the most, which enabled us as a leadership
team to listen to these concerns and shape the
reassurance we offered.
We held monthly all-staff team days in
London when it was safe to do so. These
monthly gatherings continue to be key to staff
engagement and team building. Our staff socials
also continued in the form of online drop ins and
quizzes and a virtual Christmas party with a festive
afternoon tea delivery.
We’re still adjusting to new ways of working and
despite working physically apart, we have the
opportunity to be better connected than ever in
many ways.”
Taking care of employees
during the pandemic
Claire Bloomer, Director of Operations
Operations
“
Wellbeing and mental health
came to the fore in 2020,
and our staff wellness was
never so important.”

“As the events of March 2020 unfolded, the
pandemic looked set to have a major impact on
PR professionals. We knew that we would need
to respond with speed and agility to support our
members in new ways.
Everyone was affected differently. Some members
were being called on to work even longer hours in
pandemic response roles, and were, at the same
time, were being asked to adapt the work that
they do, potentially compromising their mental
health. Others found themselves out of work and
in need of different support from us. We started
by calling and emailing our members aged over
70 to see if they needed any help with shopping
deliveries, for example. Soon afterwards we in-
troduced our payment break policy, which meant
members suffering financial hardship because of
coronavirus could stay in membership and retain
their benefits when they needed them most.
We then introduced the iprovison Mental Health
Hotline and Wellbeing Hub (provided by Health
Assured) and the Employability Support Hub,
before launching two new mentoring schemes –
one for students and one to connect members
with other experienced practitioners for general
career support. These new benefits formed the
bedrock of our support for members in what was
an extremely difficult year.
We switched rapidly to a digital-first approach for
all our member benefits. This was something we
already planned to do but this was accelerated by
the pandemic. Our multi award-winning member
magazine, Influence, became digital only, and we
made sure that our welcome pack was updated
for new members so that everybody had access
to everything they needed online as quickly as
possible.”
Supporting members
Graham Kench, Membership and CPD Manager

31
Operations
“
This is what support,
collaboration and going the
extra mile looks like. Thank
you @CIPR_UK. We’re all
#StrongerTogether.”

@Alkaline_SA via twitter

“We knew very quickly in the communications
team that while working circumstances were
difficult; creativity and agility were going to be key
to our COVID-19 response. We rapidly changed
lanes and pulling our staff and members through
the pandemic became our top priority.
On 16 March, before the UK entered lockdown,
we had already developed a COVID-19 support
hub for members. This hub was the centre stage
of our communications effort, signposting a
rapidly expanding list of services and support
from both the CIPR and various partners wishing
to help.
While our membership team were checking in
with our most vulnerable members personally, we
introduced regular member email campaigns to
communicate our developing response, and we
shared a range of social media content directing
members and non-members to the online
support hub.
Tone of voice was crucial. Every piece of member
communication was crafted with care and
empathy. Timing and relevance were essential.
Everyone had many conflicting priorities, so we
only wanted to contact members if we could
potentially make a difference to their work or their
wellbeing.
Social media was central to our communications
response, allowing us to quickly disseminate
important information to members and the
wider community to reinforce the support
available through our website. Within our Twitter
community specifically, we listened closely and
contributed to conversations with advice and
resources to support individuals with specific
challenges.
Mid-year, as restrictions eased, we shared raw
video content filmed by Alastair McCapra at home
to update members on the CIPR’s pandemic
response and performance to date. Transparency
was vital and members appreciated this open and
human approach.
We saw a significant increase in visits to the CIPR
website during 2020:
CIPR website
1.4 million unique page views
(10% increase on 2019)
CIPR newsroom
100,000 unique page views
(50% increase on 2019)
COVID-19 support hub landing page
7,508 unique page views
Supporting members in any way we could during
such extraordinary times kept our team going and
showing empathy came easily. We really were in it
together.”
Our Coronavirus communications
Sarah Ion, Director of Marketing Communications

32
Operations
“
If you’ve ever doubted the
worth of your membership,
I honestly think the way
@CIPR_CEO and the HQ
team have worked to
support us all through
#coronavirus, speaks
absolute volumes.”
@AM_LaceyPR via twitter


33
Governance


34
Governance
Thank you to our Board and Council
for their commitment and support
throughout 2020.
2020 Board of Directors
President: Jenni Field Chart.PR FCIPR
President-Elect: Mandy Pearse Chart.PR FCIPR
Past President: Emma Leech Found.Chart.PR FCIPR
Mike Browne MCIPR
Benjamin Ellis
Trudy Lewis Chart.PR MCIPR
Eva Maclaine Found.Chart.PR FCIPR
Advita Patel Chart.PR FCIPR
Rachel Roberts Chart.PR FCIPR
Steve Shepperson-Smith Chart.PR MCIPR
John Wilkinson Chart.PR FCIPR
2020 Council
Andrew Bartlett Chart.PR FCIPR
Paul Beckford MCIPR
Michael Blowers MCIPR
Nicola Brown MCIPR
Rachel Burgoyne MCIPR
Lindsey Collumbell Chart.PR FCIPR
Jenni Field Chart.PR FCIPR
Daniel Gerrella Chart.PR FCIPR
Andy Green FCIPR
Peter Holt Chart.PR FCIPR
Laurian Hubbard Chart.PR FCIPR
Hayley James Chart.PR FCIPR
Avril Lee MCIPR
Emma Leech Found.Chart.PR FCIPR
Trudy Lewis Chart.PR FCIPR
Clare Parker Found.Chart.PR FCIPR
Mandy Pearse Chart.PR FCIPR
Rachel Royall Chart.PR FCIPR
Deb Sharratt Chart.PR FCIPR
Kerry Sheehan Chart.PR FCIPR
Jenifer Stirton Chart.PR FCIPR
Andras Sztaniszlav Chart.PR FCIPR
Gary Taylor Chart.PR FCIPR
Alison Tobin Chart.PR FCIPR


35
Financial
Report


36
Financial
Report
Our audited accounts for 2020 were issued in May 2020
and can be found here.
2020 2019 restated
Income £2,941,480 £4,163,111
Pre-Tax Expenditure £2,821,763 £4,121,837
Of which staff costs £1,201,445 £1,419,518
Pre-Tax Surplus £119,717 £41,274

Chartered Institute of Public Relations
+44 (0)20 7631 6900
@CIPR_Global
cipr.co.uk

CIPR Annual Report 2020

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CIPR Annual Report 2020