Innovation in Income Generation Award 2024: winner announced

Our Innovation in Income Generation Award is designed to celebrate and recognise those who have raised income for their hospice by doing something different. It is presented annually at the Fundraising Leaders Conference, which this year took place in Manchester. 

For this award, kindly sponsored by the Local Hospice Lottery, a panel of judges looks for stand-out projects which will inspire other organisations. Entries can range from fundraising initiatives to lotteries to social enterprise activities. Submissions are independently reviewed by each judge, before they come together to decide on the winner.

This year’s panel was made up of Mike Clarke (Senior Business Executive, Hospice UK), Kathryn Brennan (Deputy Director of Income Generation, Hospice UK), Catherine Longton (Head of Major Giving and Trusts, Hospice UK) and Gary Hawkes (CEO, Local Hospice Lottery). And with the quality of this year’s entries, they had their work cut out for them. 

Pennies Make Pounds project

This year’s Innovation in Income Generation Award winner is Lindsey Lodge Hospice’s ‘Pennies Make Pounds’ project. The judges were impressed by the “simplicity and significant impact” of this fundraising campaign, “especially considering the ongoing cost of living crisis where people are donating less”.

Launched in late 2023, the project is a joint initiative undertaken by the hospice’s fundraising, marketing and retail teams. It was conceived to reflect the challenges being faced in their local area, which has high levels of poverty and poor access to public transport. The project team wanted to emphasise the importance of people giving whatever they can and illustrate how small donations can have a big impact. They did this by re-inventing how hospice donations are collected. 

What does the project involve?

The focal point of the ‘Pennies Make Pounds’ campaign is a collection of piggy banks – aptly all named ‘Penny’ – which are up for ‘adoption’ by local people. Potential donors can take their piggy bank home and put small change in it whenever they want. This removes the pressure of a big fundraising ask. The judges commented that this emphasis on small donations “makes giving accessible and non-intimidating, encouraging widespread participation.”

Once full, piggy banks can be emptied at any of Lindsey Lodge’s retail shops – now rebranded as ‘community penny banks’. Following this rebrand, shops have seen increased footfall and profitability. The project team also noted that the hospice’s retail locations have become far more than just stores. They now act as information hubs for the local community.

The judges remarked that having people deposit filled piggy banks at local stores had multiple benefits. These were namely “reducing staff time and costs while fostering face-to-face interactions that strengthen community bonds”. They also praised the initiative for being “eco-friendly”. This is because it removes the need for donors to make long commutes to and from the main hospice site. There is also less paper used with this method over traditional donation models, as it requires staff to complete fewer admin tasks. 

Progress and outcomes

Overall, ‘Pennies Make Pounds’ has been a resounding success for Lindsey Lodge Hospice. The campaign has ushered in an increase in fundraising income across the board. Since its launch, the project team has expanded the campaign beyond ‘Penny’, adding other members to the piggy bank family. They have also been able to effectively tie the campaign’s branding in to their digital and corporate fundraising activities.

The judges anticipate that this initiative “will likely inspire similar approaches”, saying that its “simplicity, combined with its effectiveness, sets a powerful example”.