The impact of Covid led to a 19% drop in fundraising at the British Heart Foundation during 2020, undermining the charity’s ability to fund important cardiovascular research. To reverse this decline, the organisation’s structures and processes were overhauled to benefit from a new communications strategy focusing on BHF’s role in commissioning vital scientific work. Media selection was made part of a more integrated annual plan. Fifteen months into the new approach, income had returned to growth and BHF was able to increase its research funding, with data showing that its core messages had cut through with audiences as intended.