Sabita is a very competent and committed communications expert who has a good eye for detail and who will go to great lengths to fully understand the customer’s needs.
Paul Valentin, (formerly) Regional Manager, Oxfam GB
What I can offer
- Consultancy Helping to develop a communications strategy for your organisation, a new phase in your work or a particular project. Exploring more effective ways to communicate with your customers, supporters, donors or partners.
- Harnessing communications for M&E Communications techniques can be used very effectively to gather and evaluate qualitative data. I can help your organisation to maximise its resources by combining its communications and monitoring and evaluation functions.
- Training – One-to-one or group training in written and spoken communication skills to help you get your message across more clearly and in a way that inspires others. My approach is not about telling you what not to do, but in helping you to overcome presentation nerves and anxiety and release the strength and confidence (sometimes hidden deep) inside you, so that you can communicate with confidence.
- Print and on-line communications – I will write, design, edit and produce your brochures, annual reports, funding applications, donor reports, Powerpoint presentations and web sites, making your communications look professional and appealing.
- Photography and video – I will capture dynamic and captivating images from your work for use in monitoring and evaluation or communications. I can also make short, low-production videos for use in organisational learning or communications.
Please do contact me for an initial chat about how I could help.
My Communications experience
At Oxfam GB, I delivered bespoke communications coaching to teams and individuals, eg South Asia regional team, Gujarat team, and West Africa Regional Director. Giving communications skills training and gathering communications materials in Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Kenya, Mexico, Sri Lanka, Serbia, Thailand and Zambia.
As Oxfam’s Internal Communications Officer, first for the International Division and later the Campaigns and Policy Division, I worked with Senior Management Team, middle management and programme staff in countries around the world to develop strategies and tools to support the smooth running of information flows within the Divisions. I introduced the International Division Bulletin which cascades through Oxfam’s many organisational layers to ensure key information reaches all parts of the Division. I also oversaw the development of the intranet in four languages so that programme staff in French, Spanish and Portuguese speaking countries were not excluded.
Sabita is a very competent and commited communications expert who has a good eye for detail and who will go to great lengths to fully understand the customer’s needs. As a colleague she is fun to work with!
Paul Valentin, (formerly) Regional Manager, Oxfam GB
Sabita is a committed, energetic and diligent communicator who takes trouble to listen and develop appropriate messages and methods to ensure that colleagues and clients alike are well-informed making her a pleasant and effective person to work with.
Adam Leach, (formerly) Regional Manager, Oxfam GB
I was responsible for Cecily’s Fund‘s website and its Annual Report. For each of the three years I was at Cecily’s Fund, it was awarded first prize by the Institute of Chartered Accountants in their Charities On-line Accounts and Financial Reports Awards. Judges commented on the good use of links, case studies, images and the user-friendliness of the on-line version of the Annual Report. In 2011 they said the website and Annual Report were “…by far the best in the field”. I also wrote the charity’s Summer Newsletter which regularly attracted positive comments and generous donations. I gather stories and accompanying photographs for these publications on annual communications visits to Zambia.
I redesigned the charity’s annual reporting publication – initiating a shorter, more image-led Annual Review to be produced each year, plus a comprehensive, stand-alone brochure with more detailed background information. This not only reduced the charity’s costs, but helped to encourage greater readership of its materials.
Sabita took our website to task, introduced a new layout, operating system and video linking. Her work with the annual report online meant that Cecily’s Fund won the ICAEW award for online reporting for three years in a row. As a freelancer, Sabita has helped us to develop a new brochure for our supporters, and she provides remote support for our communications strategy
Molly Brech, Director, Cecily’s Fund
I redesigned Just Change UK‘s main publicity leaflet to make it more accessible to a broader audience and produced an ‘events pack’ containing everything volunteers might need to publicise Just Change and its ethos of fair trading and fair prices at events.
Sabita Banerji 