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Description
By promoting the recognition of the “Parents'' House” branch of the “Children''s Hospital Foundation”, we see an opportunity to attract donations and funding which is vital to ensure its operation and further development. It is necessary to improve the information flow in addressing the target audience of the services provided by the Parents'' House, therefore promoting its recognition.
We see the opportunity offered by the “Active Citizens Fund” project competition “Capacity projects” as a solution to support and strengthen the capacity of the organization. The aim of the project is to promote the recognition of the Parents'' House in the society in order to ensure long-term attraction of funding. The activities carried out within the project will provide an opportunity to attract the attention of the society in whole, the target audience of the Parents'' House and potential donors.
The need for such an investment is justified by the fact that the Parents'' House depends on donor funding. Its only income from operating activities is a symbolic co-payment of customers (EUR 5.00 per night for working parents, certain social groups are completely exempt from co-payment). Other services provided are available free of charge, ensuring their accessibility to all the groups of the society. The investment of the project is necessary to strengthen the capacity of the Parents'' House, ensuring its existence and enabling the continuation of the service and long-term development.
Summary of project results
The "Parents'' House" of Children''s Hospital Foundation began its operations in 2011, thanks to funding from the European Social Fund. It has become an essential necessity for parents of children recovering in hospitals. Its existence has been sustained through external funding sources, including participation in projects and donations. While these activities have supported the operational needs of the Parents'' House thus far, they do not provide long-term certainty and security about its operations.
Currently, the obtained funding is time-limited and will end in early 2022. The developers and team of the Parents'' House are motivated to find solutions to existing threats, particularly the lack of funding. Based on the tasks and mission of the Parents'' House, there is a need to focus on fundraising and public awareness. The team has utilized various initiatives to attract necessary funding, however these initiatives, driven by the Parents'' House team itself, lacked professional knowledge on how to engage the public and convey necessary information to a broader audience. The outcome did not meet initial expectations, with only approximately 1-2% of the annual budget needed for the Parents'' House being raised.
Similar challenges exist with other fundraising activities, which have not yielded the expected results even when involving a sector professional, such as in developing models. There is a lack of a unified communication strategy, professional vision, and implementation. Engaging potential partners and donors, the Parents'' House team has encountered challenges due to its lack of visibility within the broader community context, hindering donation efforts.
The Parents'' House team has devised an alternative to ensure the service''s availability 24/7. Trained volunteers handle customer service duties during weekends and morning/evening hours, while qualified paid staff cover day/night shifts on weekdays.Primarily, funding is required for the Parents'' House''s operational needs, building maintenance, professional training, and staff salaries. The situation of having time-limited funding forces senior staff to prioritize fundraising efforts over investing time and energy in deeper training for the volunteer team, team building, and other developmental factors. It also limits opportunities to develop and improve the Parents'' House''s services and overall organizational capacity.
The aim of the project was to increase the visibility of the Parents'' House in society to secure long-term funding for the organization''s operations, which included:
(1) developing a new visual identity for the Parents'' House and launching a new website - https://vecakumaja.lv/;
(2) creating and implementing an original and extensive fundraising campaign - campaign materials were placed on social media, Latvian television channels, and in urban areas such as transportation stops, advertising pillars, LED screens, as well as in the form of donation boxes in family-friendly locations and stores;
(3) compiling and distributing a presentation about the Parents'' House to approximately 100 companies, encouraging them to support its work.
In the short term, the successful fundraising campaign resulted in attracting donations totaling 129 000 euros and this funding will sustain the operations of the Parents'' House for the next 18 months. In the long term, the unquestionable benefit lies in the new visual identity, designed to reinforce the image of the Parents'' House for decades to come and facilitating easier communication. Additionally, the increased visibility gained during the extensive fundraising campaign is crucial. Another significant outcome is the newly enhanced website, featuring user-friendly donation functions and information layout tailored to diverse target groups such as parents, volunteers, and supporters. This long-term enhancement will support effective communication with the broader community, strengthen the image of the Parents'' House, continue to attract donations, and inform the public about the organization''s activities and opportunities for involvement as volunteers.
Summary of bilateral results
In progress.