4. Program promotion
4.3 External stakeholders have proved to be very effective in generating
4.3.1 Strong relationships have been established with stakeholders to engage them as ‘multipliers’ to promote HPSP through their networks
External stakeholders have been involved in HPSP since the very first phase of the program. Since the effective launch of the program, this group has been consulted on issues including communication strategies and materials. External stakeholders
expressed great satisfaction with the way this relationship has been built throughout the life of the program.
Similarly to marketing activities, stakeholder engagement benefitted from the increase to HPSP staffing in 2011. OEH has now also developed a stakeholder engagement strategy, which provides a tool for selecting external stakeholders to target and a guide on how best to use each to reach the program’s intended target groups.
Fieldforce is also encouraging assessors to run their own events, which can provide a significant number of sign-ups for the program. Fieldforce tracks and shares these activities with OEH, which has responsibility for overall coordination of all stakeholder activities. OEH is responsible for relationships with key stakeholders, e.g. Housing NSW, Mission Australia, the Salvation Army, Energy retailers, and Fieldforce mainly engages with stakeholders at local level.
41 Engaging external stakeholders has many advantages. Firstly, they are a trusted source that can reach large numbers of eligible householders, and are well-placed to identify the right way to approach them, particularly hard-to-reach groups. Because low-income households may be reluctant to let people in or distrust government agencies, referrals from other organisations are an effective way of reaching them. Secondly, they are a very cost-effective communication channel. Stakeholders may not receive any funding but be willing to promote the program because they believe it is valuable or it furthers their own interests. For social housing providers, for instance, a more informed
consumer would better understand their electricity bills, which, ultimately, would mean fewer complaints to the housing organisation.
The figure below gives an overview of the number and types of events promoting HPSP and organised through stakeholders from May to December 2011 according to the data available. Apart from December, a month in which there are specific reasons for lower promotion of the program,6 the overall trend is an increasing number of events. Events held by Centrelink and in shopping malls made up the highest proportion of events organised in 2011. The overall range of events offers an effective mix of ways to reach potential target participants.
Figure 4-1. Number and type of events organised by stakeholders in 2011
Source: HPSP Stakeholders activities monitoring spreadsheet, March 2012
6 Due to the Christmas period many organisations only hold Christmas events and felt the promotion of HPSP was not
appropriate. Based on data from December 2010 people were not keen to book assessments at this period of the year due to other priorities.
4 7 10 21 12 24 30 12 15 13 5 10 6 16 2 6 13 3 6 6 18 12 1 4 5 2 4 10 8 1 12 7 1 1 1 3 2 3 6 2 1 3 1 5 2 2 3 2 5 2 1 1 3 3 1 3 1 3 4 3 1 1 1 1 2 2 5 1 5 1 3 2 1 1 1 4 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90
May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Qtr2 Qtr3 Qtr4 2011 Others Show/Expo Social Housing Aboriginal Organisation State Organisation Club Local Council NGO Retirement Village Community Organisation CALD events Shopping Mall Centrelink
42
4.3.2 Housing NSW is a key stakeholder, as the source of 51% of program participants to the end of 2011
Based on the eligibility criteria defined for HPSP, social housing tenants make up an important part of the target group. Housing NSW, as a government agency, and the largest housing provider in NSW has been a key referral source to the program. Housing NSW was strongly involved in the design phase of HPSP and expected to provide an important means of connecting with HPSP participants. To the end of 2011, 51%, or 37,467 out of 73,426 participants with an action plan being sent were Housing NSW tenants.
Key factors for the success of this partnership have been Housing NSW’s early involvement in the design phase its interactive nature
the existence of a specific unit dedicated to environment issues within Housing NSW.
Housing NSW and OEH developed an opt-out procedure for Housing NSW tenants. In practice, this has involved OEH sending a letter to the Housing NSW resident to explain the HPSP and give them the opportunity to call the OEH public line to opt out. Residents that don’t call during the two week opt-out period remain on the contact list that OEH sends to Fieldforce to use to contact residents to arrange an assessment time. Housing NSW provided legal advice on feasibility and ethics.
While Housing NSW has been a major source of participants, on which the program has relied heavily in the initial phase, it is a finite source for demand acquisition and OEH had to find alternative ways to promote the program.
4.3.3 A range of other external stakeholders contributed to the program promotion in various ways
Social housing providers
OEH also engaged other social housing providers to promote the program to their tenants. To start, HPSP staff explained the program to key stakeholders in these
organisations. Then, where possible, they agreed on a process, similar to that used with Housing NSW, to inform their tenants about the program and allow them time to opt- out. It was not always possible to put in place this opt-out process because some social housing organisations are only responsible for limited maintenance and repairs tasks, and a landlord rents out the property.
43
Local councils
Local councils, who were engaged from the beginning, have also promoted the HPSP. In mid-2011, a specific grant program was designed to support local communications; it offered up to $6,000 to around 40 local councils, particularly those in regional areas, to cover the costs of local events or media communications.
While it involves some costs to OEH, promoting HPSP through local councils is still very cost-effective because the program is able to make use of council facilities and capacity to reach local target groups. Local councils receiving grants may also contribute to the mini-campaigns.
Non-government organisations
OEH also set up another grant program to support the involvement of large NGOs. The funding model for the grants is based on payment for each new participant the NGO refers to HPSP, up to a maximum of $50,000 for each NGO. As at the beginning of 2012, this model has not yet produced significant results. In the case study in Batemans Bay, the officer from the local NGO had limited awareness about HPSP.
While not a substantial source of referrals to date, NGOs represent a great opportunity to promote the program because they are in contact with target groups on an everyday basis. The HPSP team should examine further mechanisms to enhance NGO engagement and make best use of their presence in communities in need.
Other organisations
Some community organisations, like the Local Community Services Association (LCSA), have also been involved since the design phase of the program. The LCSA, as an umbrella organisation, encourages its members to promote the program to eligible households through their usual communication channels: website, newsletters, conference, etc. This is an example of the multiplier effect HPSP may benefit from by working with peak bodies and large community organisations that can promote the program further through their network.
The Energy and Water Ombudsman of NSW (EWON) has also promoted the program. EWON was involved in the design of the program and took part in the Stakeholder Advisory Group. From EWON, around 85 staff (including an Aboriginal officer) have been trained to promote the program. These stakeholders have promoted the program in several ways: through stalls, forums, presentations to community organisations, leaflets in information packs, etc. EWON estimates they have held 15 events per month, with each reaching between 10 and 100 people.
44