Communicating Evidence to Action

The Centre for Effective Services (CES) is a research-to-practice nonprofit working with government departments and service providers across Ireland and Northern Ireland. Their mission is to help policymakers and practitioners make evidence-informed decisions that improve outcomes for people. But as a lean, donor-funded organisation, getting heard in a crowded policy landscape was a challenge.

Entering a new strategic cycle, the communications team brought me in to evaluate their current approach and develop a refreshed strategy aligned with their renewed priorities. I then stayed on as an embedded member of the team for two years, putting the strategy into action.

Discovery and strategy

I started with a full audit: audience research, persona development, content analysis, stakeholder interviews, and SEO review. One finding stood out immediately — CES had a substantial repository of high-quality research and policy content that wasn't being systematically used. Rather than creating more, I mapped what already existed against each audience's needs. The strategy became about surfacing the right content at the right moment.

Implementation

I developed and delivered a communications plan across multiple channels. This included launching Forward Focus, a LinkedIn newsletter sharing research with fresh commentary from CES researchers, which gained over 1,000 subscribers with a 40% open rate. I also refreshed two existing email publications, managed social media, and oversaw blog posts, case studies, and media outreach. Throughout, I worked with leadership to build internal capability so the team could sustain and evolve the work independently.

Outcomes

The work delivered measurable growth in reach and engagement across all channels — but more importantly, it gave CES a coherent strategy, a consistent voice, and clarity on which messages resonated with which audiences: policymakers, service providers, funders, and community leaders.