Pegode
Pegode is an Antwerp-based organisation supporting people with disabilities. It needed to bring its different locations together as one strong organisation while also presenting itself as an attractive employer. Building on a compelling mission and vision, we helped strengthen Pegode’s identity and communicate its story clearly to the outside world.
The client
Pegode supports more than 800 adults with disabilities or autism to live, work and enjoy their free time. Support is provided in people’s homes, at a Pegode location or elsewhere in the community. What sets Pegode apart is its approach: it starts with each person’s needs and choices. There is no one-size-fits-all solution. Instead, people are encouraged to contribute ideas, make their own decisions and take an active role in shaping their support. In short, Pegode truly listens.
The question
When we began working with Pegode, the organisation still felt more like a collection of individual projects than one coherent whole. The central question was: “How should we continue to develop as an organisation?” For years, Pegode had deliberately kept a low organisational profile to avoid reinforcing stigma around the people it supports. Our task was to help bring its different parts together.
As we began working on the brand, one thing became clear: Pegode already had a strong mission and vision. The challenge was communicating them effectively. Reaching people who could benefit from its support remained difficult, while recruiting new colleagues was a sector-wide challenge. Pegode therefore needed a clear communications strategy and a stronger employer brand.
Through focus groups, we explored how Pegode’s identity and working culture were experienced across the organisation, by both clients and employees. Together, we used those insights to develop a strong communications strategy and turn it into a practical approach with clearly defined audiences. We then worked with Pegode to decide how it should communicate with each of those audiences—from potential clients to future colleagues.
The impact
We began with three questions: Who do we want to reach? What makes Pegode distinctive? And how do we communicate that clearly? In the past, Pegode mainly advertised individual vacancies. It has now adopted an always-on approach to employer communications. By regularly sharing what it is like to work at Pegode—through stories and testimonials from clients and employees—the organisation gives potential colleagues a more authentic sense of the workplace. This not only extends Pegode’s reach, but also begins building relationships with future employees long before a vacancy arises.
Through this process, Pegode found its voice. Where the organisation had previously communicated cautiously and stayed within its comfort zone, it can now speak confidently and consistently about what it stands for and the work it does. There are no more disconnected messages: Pegode increasingly presents itself as one strong, united organisation. A fine result from a focused strategy—even if we do say so ourselves.
The challenge
Bringing everyone together behind one direction was no small task. Pegode is a layered organisation with many different locations and perspectives. Everyone needed to recognise themselves in the new approach. At times, that meant letting go of elements of local branding—never an easy decision.
The key was to move step by step. Rather than consulting everyone at once, we used focus groups to gather valuable input from every part of the organisation. We then provided people across Pegode with clear, practical tools: an accessible translation of the strategy, opportunities to provide feedback along the way and dedicated sounding-board sessions. That made the strategy both understandable and usable throughout the organisation.
The collaboration
What stood out about working with Pegode? The extraordinary level of engagement. People contributed constructively and understood how far they had already come together. There was a strong shared belief in the process and its potential—and you could feel it. That positive energy turned every challenge into an opportunity to move forward together.
“Thanks to the expertise of Strategies & Leaders, our communications strategy and employer branding were developed into a coherent and workable plan of action. It was a pleasure to be able to rely on such a professional team.
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Pegode had support of these team members
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