The A List, Campaign’s who’s who of the great and the good. We all know it, we all love it, we all read it. We all aspire to be in it. But, as we all know, getting your name in its hallowed number is easier said than done.
However, there is another way. A new opportunity to see your name in lights in another “must-be-in” Campaign list. Another annual marquee event that everyone will be talking about. But this one will be where the most generous, the most compassionate and the most wonderful organisations will be listed, lauded and loved. Yay!
The key difference, though, is that this cooler-than-cool list will be open to anyone and everyone. All you have to do is care about the industry we all love. Do that, and you’re in. Listed for all to see alongside every other legend who wants to help keep the industry moving forward.
Because, in a world that is, for some, becoming harder, darker and more difficult every day, we need the help of donors to allow us to keep giving those who are worst affected a helping hand - earlier and in a more preventative way.
Here comes the NABS Yay List.
To honour the amazing donors who allow us to keep helping those who need help, we’ve collaborated with Campaign to create a way to celebrate and congratulate every single one of them.
Launching in December, in advance of the A List in January, the Yay List will serve as a repository of all of those organisations that have donated throughout the year. This is not just Santa’s nice list, it's Santa’s very, very, VERY nice list. And just like at Christmas, you don’t want to be the ones not on it.
Because, in short, the industry is struggling. The need for emotional support is rising - our Advice Line received 5,200 calls last year. An 18% increase compared to 2023. Burnout, anxiety and mental health issues are now the top reasons people contact NABS. Many report feeling unsupported or close to breaking point.
Redundancy and job insecurity rose too. People are navigating unstable job markets alongside challenges like ageism, bias and low confidence. Life-stage challenges are more visible and urgent.
Neurodiversity, menopause, bereavement and other personal transitions are showing up more in the workplace and need better understanding and support. Economic and geopolitical pressures are compounding stress: cost-of-living, financial insecurity, war and caring responsibilities are making it harder for people to cope at work.
And, sitting above this vast array of issues, we face two major problems. One, despite many organisations and individual business leaders being aware of these problems, not enough is being done about it. Two, not enough people know there is support for those problems through NABS. Easy to access, easy to use and free.
Oh, did we mention it's free? It is. Totally. But that is only possible because of the support of our incredible donors. They are the ones who really help us keep this industry in momentum.
Already this year, donations have enabled us to help 3500 people in need of a lift when times were tough and support more than 430 managers from across the industry to coach their teams.
There were 2,200 compassionate conversations on our Advice Line helping people to find their way forward, two in five of which have been from people seeking emotional support.
This demonstrates the size of the issue. But we want more. Because this isn't everyone. We want to reach more people and help more people; we know they are out there and need it.
One of those callers was Darren. A creative who lost his creative partner, business partner and friend to suicide. He says:
“I needed a way to not be as broken. Someone suggested I speak with NABS. It took me two months to call them, then when I did, it all just came flooding out. It was beautiful.
They hooked me up with therapy sessions. NABS gave me effortless access to what I needed. Even though I didn't know what I needed. But they were really gentle - they weren't patronising - they were just listening.”
NABS helps thousands of people like Darren every year. However, thousands more could be helped with more funding and increased awareness of the services we provide. We want to be able to help everyone who needs us. But we can’t do that without you.
Two years ago, a community-wide consultation revealed a strong desire for better awareness of NABS’ support and a clearer sense of how its services could meet evolving needs. Leaders asked for sharper insight into the emotional health of their teams, while managers who are essential for embedding mental wellness in the workplace, needed more accessible tools and support for their own wellbeing. These insights helped shape the NABS brand to resonate more deeply across all levels of the industry.
NABS has also continued to respond quickly to real-time events, like offering therapist and coach-led sessions in response to last year’s riots, further demonstrating our commitment to creating spaces where the community can access meaningful help on the issues that matter most.
NABS is being more vocal than ever before about our core purpose: advancing the mental wellness of the advertising, media and marketing industry, so everyone can keep moving forward.
Our new approach is the result of extensive work to simplify and clarify NABS’ offering, making it easier to understand, more relevant and more clearly connected to its mission, so we can reach, and ultimately support, more people.
As an independent charity, we’re set on advancing the mental wellness of our industry and helping everyone find their way ahead – wherever they’re starting from. With more than a century of development ourselves, we know growth happens everywhere.
There are so many people who need a helping hand but if we are going to give them that, we need you to give us one first.
Say Yay to NABS, donate, and get on the only list that anyone who is anyone will want to be on this year.