26 hospices run joint TV advertising campaign
Howard Lake | 13 March 2014 | News
Twenty six hospices in the North West of England are collaborating for the first time to run a TV advertising campaign that promotes the work that they do and asks for donations.
The advert will appear on peak-time shows in the Granada region, including Coronation Street and Emmerdale. It will run for three weeks from 10 March.
It features scenes filmed with real patients, families, staff and volunteers to spread the key message that hospices are local charities, which provide specialised support for everyone regardless of age or condition, in a positive, welcoming environment. The advert underlines the fact that money donated locally will be spent locally.
It ends with a request to viewers to donate £5 by text. The money raised in donations will then be split equally between the hospices taking part.
Blackbaud Heroix
The fundraising element of the campaign is being supported by software and services firm Blackbaud. The hospices are using its peer-to-peer online giving platform Heroix to handle donations, messaging and the integration of donor and supporter data.
The project was the idea of Sue McGraw, Chief Executive of St John’s Hospice in Lancaster. She said:
“Time and time again we hear that people believe their local hospice is a frightening or depressing place, or they assume it’s only for older people, or just those diagnosed with cancer, rather than all life-limiting conditions. All these things can be great barriers to people accessing hospice care.
“With this campaign we’re hoping to break down these myths and barriers by bringing the reality of what we are all about into people’s homes and onto their TV screens.”
It costs around £85.5m to run the 26 hospices involved each year. Of this £59 million has to be raised through charitable efforts.
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About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale.
He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.