Video and Web

Helping a long-established charity tell its story.

The Timber Trades’ Benevolent Society needed a simple, engaging animated video to clearly explain its work on the website, at corporate events, and during fundraising activities.

TTBS has supported people connected to the UK timber industry since 1897, providing practical assistance to those facing financial hardship, personal difficulty or unexpected challenges. Although the charity has a long and important history, many people who encountered TTBS at industry events did not fully understand who the charity helped or why its work mattered.

At events, fundraising had often relied on people collecting donations with buckets. While that approach helped raise money, it gave the charity very little opportunity to explain its purpose. TTBS needed a more effective way to communicate its story, build understanding and encourage support.

From storyboard to production.

Creating a clear message for a busy audience

At Video & Web, we firmly believe that one of the most effective ways to market any organisation is to tell its story. For TTBS, that meant creating a video that could quickly explain who they are, who they help, how they help and why fundraising remains essential.

The video needed to work in multiple settings. It had to sit comfortably on the charity’s website, but also hold attention at corporate events, timber industry gatherings, golf days, and fundraising dinners. In those environments, audiences may not sit down expecting a formal presentation, so the message needed to feel immediate, accessible, and easy to follow.

We shaped the video around a simple narrative that introduced the charity, highlighted its long history and explained the support it provides to people from the timber trade. The aim was to give viewers enough information to understand the charity’s value without overwhelming them with detail.

Delivering the TTBS message with a light touch of humour.

Explaining sensitive subjects with warmth and clarity

TTBS supports former and current employees of the UK timber industry, including those who may face financial difficulties, ill health, or personal hardship. The video needed to explain those issues with care, but also avoid feeling too heavy for the event settings where people would watch it.

Animation gave us the right balance. It allowed us to present real challenges in a clear, visual and approachable way, while keeping the tone warm and respectful. Rather than using live action or staged scenarios, the animated style gave TTBS a flexible way to communicate sensitive subjects without placing beneficiaries in uncomfortable or overly literal situations.

A light touch of humour also played an important role. The charity needed to engage audiences who might view the video in a social setting, such as an industry dinner, a golf event, or a fundraising evening. By keeping the tone gently entertaining, the video could hold attention while still treating the charity’s work with the respect it deserved.

Supporting fundraising with a direct call to action

The video also needed to help TTBS raise funds more effectively. Instead of relying solely on collection buckets at events, the charity could now show a video explaining why donations matter before asking people to give.

We included a clear donation message and QR code so viewers could donate online straight away. That created a simple link between awareness and action. Audiences could understand the charity’s work, recognise the need for support and respond immediately from their own phones.

The same video also supports the charity online, providing TTBS with a consistent explanation of its work across the website, events, and wider communications.

Using the TTBS brand colours to underpin the animation's colour palette

Building the video around the TTBS brand

We developed the animated style around the TTBS brand identity, using the charity’s teal, yellow and white colour palette to create a consistent visual connection with the website and wider promotional materials.

The result

The animated awareness video gave TTBS a clearer and more engaging way to explain its work to the timber industry.

The charity can now do more than simply ask for donations. It can show audiences who it supports, how it helps and why fundraising makes a difference. The video helps TTBS build understanding before asking for support, which makes its fundraising message stronger and more meaningful.

The finished video now forms part of the charity’s wider communication platform, supporting its website, events and fundraising activity. It gives TTBS a consistent, accessible and memorable way to tell its story and encourage online donations with confidence.

A valuable asset at charity fundraising events.