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Strategic Communications
UNITED NATIONS SECRETARY-GENERAL’S TASK FORCE ON DIGITAL FINANCING OF THE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS
In 2018, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres formed a public/private Task Force to explore how advances in financial technology could help close the gap in financing necessary to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. We were hired to create and execute a comprehensive communications strategic plan and to leverage the visibility of Task Force members which included not only heads of UN agencies but leading corporates (e.g., Alibaba), trade associations (e.g., GSMA), fintech entrepreneurs, and the president of a stock exchange. We launched the website and social channels, worked with reporters from Financial Times and other high-profile outlets to get coverage, produced a launch event during the World Economic Forum meeting in January 2019 in Davos, Switzerland, and convened a series of “think shops” in cities all over the world, culminating in the release of a major report during General Assembly in late 2019.
UNITED NATIONS CAPITAL DEVELOPMENT FUND (UNCDF), MIGRATION & REMITTANCES PROGRAMME
With lead funding from the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, and the Swedish International Development Association, UNCDF is working with partners in three regions to pilot remittances and remittance-linked products that can improve the financial resilience of migrant families. We designed the communications strategic plan that will carry the programme for its four-year lifespan, and single-handedly executed it during the first year: designing and producing all content for the website, creating a suite of fact sheets and multi-lingual explainer videos, running the social channels, writing speeches, writing and placing articles in prestigious outlets such as World Economic Forum, Foreign Policy and Fortune, working with local and industry press (e.g., Addis Ababa Fortune; FinDev Gateway; CFI Today), and prepping subject matter experts for press and public speaking.
CORPORATION FOR ENTERPRISE
DEVELOPMENT (CFED)
(now known as Prosperity Now)
The Assets for Independence Program, or AFI, was launched in the late 1990s and inspired a nationwide replicator network of Individual Development Account programs. Anne Folan & Associates created a comprehensive communications strategy for AFI to promote better information flow among its many stakeholders, to sharpen the messaging, and to leverage channels that had not existed (e.g., social media) when AFI was created.
Change Management
FINCA/FINCA MICROFINANCE
HOLDING COMPANY
FINCA is a global network of financial institutions serving underserved clients around the world.
One of FINCA’s boldest moves was its 2013 acquisition of a distressed bank formerly known as Kashf Microfinance Bank Ltd. in Pakistan. Anne Folan lived in Pakistan for most of 2013 to manage the post-acquisition integration and change management for FINCA. She conducted extensive key informant interviews and focus groups, oversaw creation of the overall integration plan and each business unit’s individual plan, created and managed the budget, and led the rebranding of the institution, relaunching it as FINCA Microfinance Bank Ltd.. Our 100+ page interactive PDF provided a comprehensive close-out report of all activities and a repository for the vast amount of acquisition- and integration-related work products from every department, local and corporate.
SANLAM
(South Africa)
Founded more than 100 years ago, Sanlam is the largest insurance company on the African continent and one of the largest and most diversified financial services providers in the region. Sanlam’s new leadership is committed to transforming this venerable brand into a leader in digital innovation. Sanlam hired afa as part of its change management strategy. Drawing on Gartner research and other experts, we created the presentation and script to guide the launch of the digitalization agenda during a corporate retreat for top executives.
Campaigns
MULTIPLIERS OF PROSPERITY
MetLife Foundation and WSJ. Custom Studios launched the “Financial Inclusion Challenge” in 2015 to acknowledge excellence in the expansion of financial services to underserved markets. As part of the Challenge, the partnership created “Multipliers of Prosperity” a sponsored-content website featuring original articles and videos by WSJ. Custom Studio’s staff and curated content from MetLife Foundation grantees. Anne Folan & Associates provided editorial services for all content, and were lead writers and editors for the partner content pieces. The Challenge and Multipliers of Prosperity proved so successful, the initiative was renewed for an additional year.
10th ANNIVERSARY OF THE UNIVERSAL STANDARDS
The Social Performance Task Force (SPTF) is a global membership association of financial service providers (and the investors who fund them) focused on client protection in consumer finance. In 2012, after 7 years (!) of collaboration, piloting, refining, and beta testing, SPTF released the Universal Standards for Social Performance Management (the Universal Standards), a comprehensive manual of best practices. The Universal Standards are for social performance what Generally Accepted Accounting Principles are for financial performance; their publication was a major historic achievement. To celebrate the 10th anniversary of their release, afa designed and executed a campaign consisting of thought and opinion pieces, video testimonials, newspaper coverage, social media, and major speeches. We wrote all of the speeches and editorials, handled pre- and post-production for all video testimonials (working with crews in Asia and Europe for those shoots), and created the presentations, including for a major address by the CEO in Paris to an audience of diplomats and leading bankers convened by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).
Creative
CONFERENCE OF PARTIES (COP) 26 | GLASGOW
The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) established an international environmental treaty to combat dangerous human interference with the climate system. UNFCCC staffers take the lead each year for the Conference of Parties gathering, which is held to update the framework and take stock of progress. For COP 26 in Glasgow, we designed the UNFCCC presence: the pavilion UNFCCC shared with Google and Meta, the brochures, and digital displays.
Ford Foundation for many years was the leading philanthropic foundation focused on the use of microfinance to drive development. As the natural limits of microfinance as a poverty reduction tactic became more apparent, Ford Foundation began exploring the “graduation approach”—a holistic intervention which begins with direct relief (whether of cash or food and other goods), then the transfer of an asset (e.g., inventory to stock a small store; livestock to start an agriculture-based livelihood), technical assistance, coaching and encouragement, and then financial services. This innovative approach, the subject of extensive randomized control trial research, has shown great promise.
Anne Folan & Associates acted as lead managing editor, supporting the program lead/series editor on products including the groundbreaking final report.
NEW AMERICA/MASTER CARD FOUNDATION
One of the most promising tactics in building a person’s lifelong financial capability is to instill good financial habits early—and one of the most effective customer retention tactics is to “get them while they’re young” and build loyalty. MasterCard Foundation put together a consortium of practitioners, researchers, and policymakers to pilot test youth savings programs in five countries. They sought to understand both the difference that having a savings account in his or her own name makes for a child, and also to understand the business case for youth savings products from the banks’ point of view. Anne Folan & Associates edited the baseline report in 2010 and provided turnkey creative and editorial services for the endline reports five years later.
