ABOUT

Opening Doors is an organisation that provides befriending services to socially isolated LGBTQ+ individuals over the age of 50, ensuring they can age with dignity, security, and fun in their lives. It began in London, and over the past few years has seen expansion to become a national charity, and the only one in the UK dedicated to connecting LGBTQ+ people over 50 with activities, events, training, support and information. As the charity grows, more emphasis is placed on its communications and the presentation of clear and accessible information for a larger number of stakeholders.

Superunion was asked to apply our skills to create a bespoke 2021/22 Annual Review, a document with no regulatory requirements but a report that succinctly presents the highlights of the past financial year. A brilliant pro bono project for Superunion to undertake.

We used our consulting expertise in creating bespoke annual reports for our clients to identify areas of improvement. We reviewed all current communications and spent time curating the content provided to create a structure that works for the charity.

We aligned the original five mission statements into a strategy for the report and the company. These became strategic aims that defined a structure of the report and helped to clearly define exactly how and where the charity was making a difference. This includes Community Engagement, Befriending Services, Specialist Training, Influence Change, as well as Ground-breaking Research, identifying the importance of research as a strategic aim in this area.

Design was a key element of the report, and a lot of thought went into how the new structure following each strategic aim could be used as a storytelling piece. The brand guidelines used a broad range of colours representing the LGBTQ+ flag, allowing us to differentiate each aim with a new colour.

The storytelling of the report flowed through, both with colour and the use of photography. Throughout our network of external partners, we commissioned original photography with award-winning photographer, Iain Crockart, to donate his services in photographing members of the charity: the chair, volunteers, members and ambassadors who provide training. We engaged with a variety of individuals to create inspiring portrait images for the review divider pages with a quotation under each portrait representing their personality and what the charity means to them. For example, the section on “Befriending Services” was illustrated with a quote from Annie who herself is a volunteer befriender and could testify to listening to “wonderful histories” of elderly LGBTQ+ individuals, capturing the emotional and personal aspect within the annual review.