About St Rose’s
St Rose’s provides specialist education, therapy and care for children and young adults with physical disabilities, complex health needs and learning difficulties.
The organisation encompasses St Rose’s Special School, which provides inclusive education for pupils aged 2-19, and St Martin’s College, which supports young adults aged 19-25 in developing the skills, confidence and independence they need for adult life.
Using a personalised, multidisciplinary approach, St Rose’s combines education, therapy and care to help every student reach their potential and achieve greater independence.
The Challenge: Little Social Media Experience
Like many charities, St Rose’s recognised the importance of social media but lacked the confidence and internal expertise to make the most of it.
When Compliance and Standards Officer Annalisa Solla took on responsibility for the organisation’s social media channels, she had very limited experience of managing organisational accounts.
“I had a Facebook page and LinkedIn profile, but I rarely posted on either. I had never managed work-related social media platforms before and suddenly found myself responsible for helping grow St Rose’s online presence.”
While St Rose’s already had a social media policy in place, there was no dedicated strategy and limited understanding of how social media could be used to engage supporters, celebrate student achievements, strengthen the organisation’s profile and support future fundraising and recruitment efforts.
How Benefact Group Helped
Knowing that Benefact Group supports charities beyond financial donations, Annalisa reached out through an existing connection with Adam Daw, whose son attends St Rose’s and who volunteers with the organisation.
Adam introduced Annalisa to Bec Simpson, Social Media Manager at Benefact Group, who arranged a one-to-one training session at Benefact Group’s headquarters.
During the session, Bec provided practical guidance on:
- Choosing the right content for different platforms
- Writing more engaging and personal posts
- Growing an online audience
- Understanding social media algorithms
- Monitoring analytics and performance
- Using hashtags effectively
- Planning and scheduling content
- Using AI and free online tools to support content creation
The training focused on building confidence as well as capability, helping Annalisa understand not only how social media works, but also how it could support St Rose’s wider organisational goals.
What Changed as a Result
The impact was immediate.
Armed with new knowledge and greater confidence, Annalisa began putting the training into practice straight away.
Within just two weeks, St Rose’s published 14 social media posts, showcasing school activities, student achievements and life across the organisation.
The results included:
- 4,150 reactions
- 148 comments
- 104 shares
- 1,087 photo views
- An increase in followers across social channels
The content helped raise awareness of the organisation’s work while providing families, staff and supporters with a window into everyday life at St Rose’s.
“I came away from the training with a much better understanding of the different social media platforms and far more confidence in my ability to create and publish content.”
The experience also provided a clear roadmap for future development. St Rose’s is now planning to expand its social media presence further, including launching an Instagram account and creating a LinkedIn profile to support recruitment and connect with potential funders and partners.
Sharing the Learning Across the Team
Rather than keeping the knowledge to herself, Annalisa shared what she had learned with colleagues across the organisation.
She delivered a social media presentation to staff, demonstrating how social platforms can be used to:
- Raise awareness of St Rose’s work
- Celebrate student successes
- Strengthen the organisation’s reputation
- Engage current and former families
- Support recruitment
- Expand professional networks
The session encouraged staff to contribute ideas, stories and photographs that could be used across future social media content.
The collaboration has already helped create a more sustainable approach to content creation, with school staff providing updates and images that Annalisa can develop into engaging posts.
She is now developing a social media content plan for the remainder of the academic year and writing a dedicated social media strategy to help guide St Rose’s future approach.
Reflecting on the experience, Annalisa said:
“I am incredibly grateful to both Adam and Bec for their support. Their time, expertise and encouragement have given me the confidence to embrace social media and use it as a valuable tool for St Rose’s. What initially felt daunting now feels like an exciting opportunity to share our story with a much wider audience.”
For more information about St Roses and St Martins please visit their website https://stroses.org.uk/
To follow St Roses social media please see their Facebook page – St Rose’s, Stroud | Stroud | Facebook