WokeOnPaperGroundwork Needs a Branding Budget
Sometimes the money meant for doing the work becomes money for showing the work.
Groundwork is rarely glamorous. It means meetings, travel, follow-up, training, relationship building and the slow work of making systems function. None of it necessarily produces a dramatic film.
Branding and communication are useful too. Organisations need to explain their work and companies want to show where their CSR money goes. But the balance matters.
When the communication budget becomes easier to approve than the groundwork budget, the incentive quietly changes. We begin rewarding what looks impressive rather than what makes a lasting difference.
