Frances McConnell, head of design and production at Christian Aid, is responsible for its annual £1m print and design spend. Work includes a wide range of paper-based products including brochures, leaflets, posters, around 20m fundraising envelopes and a quarterly magazine, Christian Aid News, which is sent to around 350,000 of the organisation’s supporters.
In addition, McConnell, who spent nine years at fine art publisher The Art Group before joining Christian Aid five years ago, sources non-paper products including banners, t-shirts and mugs.
She predicts that the charity’s print volumes are likely to fall but become more targeted, with a greater emphasis on driving eyes towards its website. This will help in reaching the objective that Christian Aid shares with so many others: to reduce its carbon footprint.
Another key element in that aim is to limit emissions by keeping the full print supply chain in the UK, with companies including Beacon Press in East Sussex and Park Lane Press in Wiltshire. “We did place a job in India once, but it was booklets for the local market so in that case it was appropriate,” says McConnell.
The biggest challenge, she says, is to balance the quality she demands of her suppliers with the keen costs required by working for a charity. “I think printers sometimes think that because we’re not-for-profit, the quality isn’t an issue.”
She adds: “We have used print managers for complex jobs, but we like to be close to the printers and, really, we’re our own print managers.”
Founded 1945
Total income 2005/6 £92.3m
Members 400,000
Print and design team 6
Annual print and design spend around £1m
Print suppliers include Beacon Press, Park Lane Press, Crown Press, Waterside Print
Source: Christian Aid
