Strategic Communication & Partnership Development for KeyStone

Client:KeyStone

Industry: Social Enterprise / Housing & Homelessness

Year: 2022-2025

Need: KeyStone, a certified B-Corp social enterprise tackling homelessness in the UK, needed more than a pitch deck. From early-stage fundraising materials to ongoing stakeholder communications and active partnership development, they needed someone who could think strategically and deliver across multiple formats and audiences simultaneously.

KeyStone was in the early stages of building credibility and visibility in a complex landscape, approaching funders, local authorities, charities, and social enterprises, each requiring a different tone, framing, and level of detail. The communications challenge was significant: how to convey the realities of homelessness with impact and empathy, without resorting to exploitative or sensationalised messaging. Every piece of content had to be honest, considered, and purposeful.

The organisation was also evolving rapidly, strategy shifted frequently, priorities changed, and materials had to adapt accordingly. Building a consistent external narrative in that environment required both flexibility and strategic clarity.

The engagement covered three interconnected areas:

Pitch & Fundraising Materials Built and maintained multiple iterations of the pitch deck as the organisation's strategy evolved, restructuring the narrative, refining the messaging, and adapting the visual identity to reflect each new direction. Also produced one-pagers and two-pagers tailored to specific funder and partner audiences.

Social Media & Content Developed and produced a series of Instagram and LinkedIn posts, combining copy, content strategy, and design, to build public awareness and stakeholder engagement. The brief required a careful editorial balance: highlighting the realities of homelessness with empathy and responsibility, without reducing complex human experiences to shock content.

Partnership & Investor Outreach Worked as an embedded partnerships lead, researching potential funders, investors, local authorities, and partner organisations, then developing and managing tailored outreach communications for each. Joined strategic sessions with the founding team and contributed to how the organisation positioned itself externally across a complex, multi-stakeholder environment.

-Steve, KeyStone

Over three years, KeyStone moved from early operations to active delivery. The partnership work led to notable collaborations with local authorities and fellow social enterprises, and contributed to building a funding pipeline through a genuinely difficult fundraising environment. The communications work established a consistent external voice across very different audiences, from impact investors to the general public, handled with the care and editorial judgement the subject matter required.