Corporate Fundraising

Corporate Partnerships with Willow Burn Hospice

Willow Burn Hospice works with a number of Corporate Partners; companies, businesses and organisations who treasure life as we do and want to help improve the way Willow Burn Hospice delivers its services. Corporate support for Willow Burn Hospice demonstrates a committed Corporate Social Responsibility policy.

Current Corporate Partnerships include:

Elddis Transport   www.elddis.net
Nicholsons  www.nicholsons.co.uk
Greggs  www.greggs.co.uk
Temp Team www.temp-team.co.uk

What are the benefits of being a Corporate Partner?

Being a Corporate Partner of Willow Burn Hospice can also be beneficial for your company, business or organisation. Not only is working with Willow Burn Hospice a rewarding experience for those involved, but it offers your company or organisation:

• The chance to demonstrate the importance you place on charitable support – to your employees, customers and outwards to the wider business environment

• The opportunity to partner with a local charity, as your Charity of Choice,  putting a human face to your corporate brand

• The opportunity to give something back through time, skills or financial support

• To demonstrate support and commitment for your local community and mitigate the impact your business is having on that community

Why do we need Corporate Partnerships at Willow Burn Hospice?

• Willow Burn Hospice has a daily fundraising target of £2,479 to deliver its day to day services

• Willow Burn Hospice is now also faced with the task of raising over £5 million to build the new hospice on our existing site

• We receive just 39 per cent of our funding from Government sources and have worked hard to develop mutually beneficial partnerships and relationships with the business sector – people like yourselves who could join our existing business supporters as Corporate Partners

Find out how to become a Corporate Partner with Willow Burn Hospice

There are many ways you can get involved with Willow Burn Hospice, some of which have already been adopted by other businesses throughout the North East:

 Corporate Partnership and Sponsorship

• As a Corporate Partner, your company or organisation may select a charity to support through a number of campaigns including financial, skills and networks access. Make Willow Burn Hospice your Charity of Choice
   
• A Corporate Partnership or Sponsorship Agreement means you can select how and when you will support Willow Burn Hospice.  This can be throughout a 12 month period or longer
   
• Your agreement can include Corporate Giving, Fundraising Events, match-funding and activities throughout your chosen  period
   
• You can make a valuable difference to the work that Willow Burn Hospice does, and to what you want to achieve from supporting your charity of choice.

Access to Business Networks or Funders

The after-effects of the volatile financial climate of 2008-2009 are still being felt now and we know first-hand how much harder it has become for charities to access funding and for companies to commit to a robust charitable support programme.

We also understand at Willow Burn Hospice, the added value which a network of dedicated supporters can bring.

There is also added value to your company, business or organisation having a charity such as Willow Burn Hospice within your own business network:

Gifts in Kind: Space or Venue Usage   

Fundraising events are vitally important to us and allow Willow Burn Hospice to raise the funds we need to be able to continue delivering our services.

Willow Burn Hospice has a small team of employees who step outside of their ordinary roles to work hard to organise a range of interesting, innovative and engaging events for communities throughout County Durham but our budgets for hosting events is minimal.

The right venue can make all the difference to the success of an event, a number of businesses work with Willow Burn Hospice to organise these events, with some providing venues or space within their venues at no charge.

Gifts in Kind: Products (subject to specification and agreement)

Gifts in Kind are a great way for a company, business or organisation to work with Willow Burn Hospice as we continue to deliver our services within the hospice and the communities we serve.

We are always happy to receive products as Gifts in Kind, and have already received pledges of support of this nature as we build our new hospice. Ensuring we receive the most appropriate products is important but we will work with you to ensure all gifts in kind are suitable and appropriate to the needs of our patients. 

Please contact Sue Fox on sfox@willowburnhospice.org.uk or telephone 01207 523295  to speak about this in more detail if you are considering offering Gifts in Kind space or venue to Willow Burn Hospice. 

Sponsorship / cause related marketing

Willow Burn Hospice hosts a number of milestone events throughout the year, including our Annual 10K and 3K Lambton Run, a Willow Burn Hospice Charity Christmas Ball and our special Light up a Life remembrance event.

The Willow Burn Hospice Events Calendar provides a number of opportunities for companies, businesses and organisations to become involved with Willow Burn Hospice by sponsoring all or part of an event.

We work in partnership with many companies, businesses and organisations and can offer a range of opportunities which can enhance your marketing activity by promoting our joint Corporate Partnership.

Volunteering time   

Willow Burn Hospice has a number of supporters and Volunteers who give up their own time to help us as we deliver our services. Companies, businesses and organisations can be part of Willow Burn Hospice by gifting us some of their staff’s time or skills to help us deliver our services while achieving the objectives of their Charity Support programme.

We have developed relationships with a number of companies, businesses and organisations which have gifted us a member of staff for a set number of hours per week or month. We also work with some companies, businesses and organisations which talk about us with their clients and customers who then become involved with Willow Burn Hospice.

Willow Burn Hospice Corporate Partners

Willow Burn Hospice Corporate Partners are wide-ranging and varied but all have one thing in common: they treasure life. They also want to do what they can to help make a difference and improve the quality of life for people with life-limiting illnesses.

All of our corporate partners bring something different to Willow Burn Hospice and we treasure their support. Below are some examples of how companies, businesses and organisations have become involved with us.

Elddis Transport

Elddis Transport is one of the largest family-owned haulage and logistics providers in the UK. The company began trading in 1971 but its history can be traced back to 1881. Today the company provides customers with a true ‘one-stop shop’ logistics service from its seven operational sites in the North East, Worksop and Manchester.

Managing Director Nigel Cook made his business make a difference.  He dedicated his 250^th Mercedes Actros truck to Willow Burn Hospice.  We designed a Willow Burn Livery in green and white and Nigel bought a new number plate W111OWH (please click here to see the truck).  The truck is an integral part of the Elddis fleet but for every mile it travels it ‘earns’ 15 pence for Willow Burn Hospice.

Nigel did not expect to receive any commercial benefits to our Corporate Partnership but there have already been a number of them.  Examples include;

• The enhanced sense of team work and pride in working for a company making a difference locally within the communities in which Elddis employees live
• Cohesiveness in the face of challenging economic conditions
• Support for the ‘beat the boss’ initiative

Elddis Transport is the first, and possibly only, transport company to have been finalists, twice, for the NECC Environment Award.

Nigel is a passionate but by his own admission not a natural runner and having decided the donation of the truck was not enough, ran the Great North Run for Willow Burn Hospice not once but twice.

The second time he instigated the Elddis Beat the Boss Challenge with employees who were also running the route challenged to beat him to the finish line. The challenge cost him financially but was outweighed by the benefits which generated increased team spirit and camaraderie. That team spirit and camaraderie has been at the heart of the team work within Elddis which has helped the company through the current economic climate.

Still not content with the support already given to Willow Burn Hospice, Nigel embarked on a self-imposed Running Man Challenge which saw him complete ten half-marathons in ten countries in ten months. The challenge included dramatic temperature differences (from sub-zero -14, in the Arctic Circle to plus 25 in Marrakech), with his progress updated to a dedicated website, www.runningman.co

Nigel’s efforts have to date raised in excess of £25,000 which he has dedicated to the cost of building the new hospice, but his relationship with Willow Burn Hospice has not stopped there. He also donates his skills, experience and expertise as a business owner by being a member of the Board of Trustees as well as being a founder member of the Capital Campaign Board, which is leading the campaign to raise over £5 million to build our new hospice.

For more information about Elddis Transport visit www.elddis.net

Nicholsons

Nicholsons are the global specialists in the design and manufacture of high temperature metal seals, gaskets and ancillary components for the aerospace, automotive, turbocharger, oil and gas, power generation, and process industry sectors.

Nicholsons has supported Willow Burn Hospice for 4 years.

Jeremy Nicholson became a Corporate Partner shortly after Willow Burn Hospice and Nicholsons were introduced.

Our partnership began with the Nicholsons sponsorship of a champagne reception at our Winter Masquerade Ball in 2008 and has continued with donations of champagne and gifts for raffle prizes.

Our Corporate Partnership with Nicholsons has grown stronger over the years and we have developed relationships with staff who support our fundraising events.

Nicholsons was one of the first Corporate Partners to sign up to our Payroll Giving scheme, which allows employees to donate a set sum per month which is deducted at source and donated to Willow Burn Hospice. Nicholsons took the Payroll Giving scheme one step further and entered into a Match Funding Agreement, to match-fund the sums raised through Payroll Giving to double the financial support we receive from Nicholsons to help pay for the day to day costs of providing our services.

Our fundraising activities to raise £5.7million to build our new hospice has been boosted by a donation from profits by Nicholsons.

For more information about Nicholsons visit www.Nicholsons.co.uk

If you are a Corporate Partner and would like to see your story here please let us know by emailing sfox@willowburnhospice.org.uk

Becoming a Corporate Partner

Establishing a Corporate Partnership with Willow Burn Hospice is easy.

Every relationship we form at Willow Burn Hospice with companies, businesses and organisations is individual  - as individual as you are.  We work with all of our partners to ensure that the partnership is helping them achieve their corporate objectives through their Corporate Giving programme.

To find out more about the opportunities you could be part of by becoming a Willow Burn Hospice Corporate Partner, please contact Sue Fox, Income Generation Lead at sfox@willowburnhospice.org.uk or telephone 01207 523295