What was the impact of Facebook’s Global Causes Day?

Full Fact are the UK’s leading independent fact checking charity founded in 2010  - they aim to provide transparency in public debate by challenging claims made by politicians, the media, pressure groups and other voices, and pushing for corrections where needed. In doing so, they equip the public with the best information possible to form their opinions.

Despite operating with a team of just ten people, Full Fact researches and writes hundreds of ‘factchecks’ every year. However, with limited resources the team has little time to spend on raising their profile. With so many digital and social communications channels available it is a challenge keeping on top of them all.

An opportunity not to be missed

So, when Will Moy, Director of Full Fact, spotted a call from Media Trust, offering charities the opportunity to spend the day with Facebook, tapping into the collective skills and talents of their employees, he knew it was an opportunity too good to miss. 

Full Fact was one of 12 charities selected, from more than 85 that applied, by Media Trust to work with Facebook as part of their Global Causes Day. A day when Facebook employees give their time to support the causes they care about. 

In advance of the event, Media Trust worked with the team at Full Fact and the other charities selected to help them refine their communications challenge and develop the brief that they would present to Facebook staff. 

The Challenge

Full Fact’s brief was for help to better understand their audience. They wanted to use Facebook to increase public understanding of the issues that people care about, promote their own brand, and drive-up video views. They were also looking for help to refine their comms strategy and come up with a plan to reach 1 million people in the run up to the EU referendum/Brexit vote. 

On the day the charities were invited to Facebook’s London offices and paired up with a team of Facebook employees. They went on to spend an afternoon in creative brainstorming sessions, exploring the communications challenges they had identified. 

Amy Hawkins, EA to the Director at Full Fact said: “Throughout the EU referendum campaign we heard a consistent message; all voters wanted was ‘the facts’. The Media Trust’s Charity Challenge day helped us take the plunge and use Facebook as a communications channel to reach beyond people who already knew Full Fact, and present relevant facts to a new audience in a new format.” 

How did Full Fact get on?

With Media Trust’s help, Full Fact ended up almost doubling their target and reaching 1.9 million people through online videos alone. This meant more people were able to go to the EU referendum polls armed with more facts and confidence in their decisions. 

Since then, Full Fact have gone from strength to strength and are a leading voice on campaigns around the Online Safety Bill and Health Misinformation.  

According to Phoebe Arnold, Senior Communications Officer: “we almost doubled our target, reaching 1.9 million people through videos alone. We are over the moon. As a result of our campaign the people we reached were able to go to the polls armed with more facts and confidence in their decisions. 

“We would love to participate in another Media Trust challenge day. We’re about to start planning how to significantly grow our reach with one eye on the 2020 election. Channels such as Facebook, along with video content, will definitely form a major part in our plans.”