# Hospice uses Progress CRM module for ‘Light Up a Life’ campaign

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2007/11/22/hospice-uses-progress-crm-module-039light-life039-campaign/
- Published: 2007-11-22T00:00:00+00:00
- Author: Howard Lake

**Chelmsford-based Farleigh Hospice has worked with Fisk Brett, developers of Progress
[CRM fundraising database](https://fundraising.co.uk/2017/01/16/top-10-crms-charities-nonprofits/),
to develop a module to help it run its Christmas Light Up A Life campaign, one of
its major fundraising events of the year.**

Light Up a Life is the Hospice movement’s way of remembering loved ones at Christmas
by asking supporters to dedicate a Christmas tree light to them.

Gary Hawkes, Head of Fundraising at Farleigh Hospice, worked with Fisk Brett to 
ensure that the ProgressCRM database could help maximise the potential of this event.

## Advertisement

“As one of the major campaigns bringing in funds,” he said, “we realised that we
needed a ‘supporter-centric’ database that would enable us to build relationships
with our supporters, and to manage their pledges in a sympathetic and appropriate
way. We had already upgraded our contacts database to ProgressCRM, but wanted to
have even smarter functionality to do Light up a Life justice.”

## New module for Life Up a Life campaign

Hawkes and Fisk Brett configured a special module for the Light up a Life campaign,
which is now in action. The campaign began in early October with a mailing to warm
selection list from both the main contact and supporter database, supplemented by
a cold list from a mailing house. Campaign leaflets, printed with their own source
codes for tracking by the module, have also been distributed around churches and
other local outlets.

Donations are received in a variety of forms, and each one includes the request 
to hold one or more names for a ‘light’ on a Christmas tree and an entry into a 
book of remembrance. Sometimes, requests are received to put particular names on
specific trees or for certain services, and these are recorded in ProgressCRM. Donors
receive an acknowledgment letter with the memoriam names confirmed within a special
card.

Now, in late November and through to December, ‘lighting up’ services are being 
held throughout the hospice’s area.

## Benefits of the module

Hawkes explained how the module has made managing the campaign much simpler. He 
said: “The database’s ‘Light up a Life’ batch entry module developed for us captures
all the necessary information including details of the donors, checking against 
our existing contact list, and with the ability to quickly create new contacts and
Gift Aid declarations.

“It also allocates a ‘batch number’ date, source code such as existing supporter,
or which new list or which leaflet used. We enter amount, transaction type (in-memoriam
being default), and payment method with the ability to create a payment plan if 
we get a standing order.

“The module also records the charity type, and the details required for the services’
cards and their in-memoriam names. These can be multiple names per donation which
will be assigned to a card which can include up to five names chosen from a picklist
of previous names used by the donor.

“The batch processing and printing of the letters and cards is very simple, as is
the management of standing orders, Gift Aid declarations and other financial transactions.”

The Light Up a Life module is available to other hospices using ProgressCRM.