Profile of the Organisation & Current Clients
RetirementWise (RW) is a small, independent communication company that is ideally suited and has the capacity to partner with the Funds to provide member engagement and communication services.
Some of our current clients/funds include:
- Transport Sector Retirement Fund (TSRF) is an Umbrella Fund and over the last 10 years we have helped the TSRF to win annual IRFA Overall Gold Standard Awards and Best Practice Awards for Stakeholder Engagement (5), Investment (3) and Transformation (3). We have provided a full service communication consulting service to 70 000 truckers since 2013.
- ISASA Retirement Fund (independent schools). This Fund is an Umbrella Fund (DB and DC) and won the IRFA Overall Gold Standard Award in 2022. RW has provided a full service communication consulting to the Fund’s 9000 members and 1200 pensioners since 2013.
- Contract Cleaning National Provident Fund (130 000 cleaning staff), we have provided an annual newsletter, website hosting and video production services since 2017.
- Mineworkers Provident Fund; (120 000 mining staff) we provide mostly translation services and video production since 2017.
- AECI DC Pension Fund and Provident Fund; we provide biannual newsletters to the funds. We have been assisting the funds with communication since doing the member communication for their DB/DC conversion in 2013.
- Germiston Retirement Fund; we have provided bulk sms services and website hosting to the Fund since 2018.
We have a good reputation in the retirement fund industry and have done work for many of the large retirement funds and administrators in the country. We understand what members want (information and channel needs) and have done independent member research in the industry since 1996.
We are passionate about member communication and understand the challenges of the retirement fund industry in relation to engaging meaningfully with members.
Staff capacity
Estie van Coller is the owner and Executive Director of RetirementWise. She is ably assisted by Zelda Reyneke to help manage and execute work for our various clients.
Estie and Zelda generate copy and are responsible for the development of communication strategies and action plans for clients and then for ensuring action plans and budgets are managed and implemented. Estie will attend the Corporate Selection Suite of Umbrella Funds C&D sub-committee meetings.
RetirementWise has six part-time contract workers, who do the graphic design, website and social media updating/monitoring as well as the creation of videos, emailers and bulk sms messaging. These specialists provide the necessary expertise to her service offering, while keeping overheads to the minimum.
Most of the part-time experts have worked for RetirementWise for the last 15 years. The benefit of having contract workers is their ability to work after-hours and weekends to meet and exceed client expectations. Being free agents, their work for/with other clients ensures that they remain on top of their game and bring new, fresh perspectives to retirement fund communication. Together, our team has an excellent mix of older and younger experts with creative ideas; and in a way we emulate the various segments of the members of the funds with whom we work. Our staff complement includes individuals in their 60s, 50s, 40s, 30s, and 20s.
Another benefit of part-time staff is that we are able to save on overheads and able to keep costs low.
Social Media | ||
Rachelle Koch (Social Media) PART TIME | BA Honours Degree in Communication (Potchefstroom) | 10 years’ experience in retirement fund communication. |
Graphic designers | ||
Cherice Liebenberg (Graphic designer) PART TIME | BA Degree in Visual Communication (Open Window) | 18 years’ experience in designing infographics and newsletters aimed at members of retirement funds. |
Zoe Clifford (Graphic designer) PART TIME
| BA Degree in Visual Communication (Open Window) | 30 years’ experience in designing newsletters and flyers aimed at members of retirement funds. |
Website developers | ||
Bev Slabbert (Website developer) PART TIME
| 40 years’ experience in the IT sector. She was fortunate to have been involved in personal computer support and training when they first came onto the market in 1981. In the early days of Bev’s career, she had the opportunity to help establish 3 computer training centres in the Eastern Cape. Bev has a particular wealth of experience when it comes to administering pension fund websites, as she has formed part of the Retirement Wise Website team for the last 12 years. | |