Article

Giving so others can give

English hospital developed a kiosk for a successful fund-raising drive thanks to the generosity of celebrities and kiosk-related companies

March 12, 2002

In the late 1990s, Christie Hospital in Manchester, England, had all the elements in place for a successful fund-raising drive. With four years to raise 25 million pounds (about $35 million) for its Christie's Against Cancer Fund in time for the hospital's centenary in 2001, the hospital had the support of the community and testimonials from English sports stars as a marketing tool.

The quandary was how to tie these elements together into a seamless presentation that would honor those who had contributed and encourage those who might.

The solution was a kiosk, displayed prominently in the hospital's lobby, tying those elements together with musical performances in a 36-minute promotional loop that could be stopped and started with a touch of the screen.

The kiosk was introduced in October of 1998. Just under three years later, the fund-raising drive reached its goal.

The kiosk, an imposing structure with a blue base and surrounded by pillars, has been removed from the lobby. But for those involved in the project, its memory serves as a cherished reminder of how technology was used in a creative way to reach a lofty goal.

"As a fund-raiser, it was very important," said Angela Roden, Christie's director of appeals. "We were thanking people for their help in a visible, eye-catching, modern way. I was rather sad when it had to come down."

Timing is everything

The genesis for Christie's kiosk began in 1997. With the charitable drive in its early stages, Roden was seeking a way to allow people at the hospital quick access to updated information on the drive.

At the same time, Peter Caddock had recently joined Manchester-based manufacturer Editz Interactive and was familiar with the hospital's efforts. Roden and Caddock, now the managing director of SmartScreen Digital Media, met and hashed out some possible scenarios.

"We threw a few ideas around and got really excited about having a channel where we could get some information going out," Caddock said. "As we were developing the idea we came across some video footage that was available. We thought this could be much bigger if we could use some music."

Music and Manchester, it turns out, go together like fish and chips. Internationally known local performers including Simply Red, Oasis, and Robbie Williams allowed the hospital to use their music and videos as part of the project.

"Simply Red's lead singer, Mick Hucknell, is a local guy and was willing to take part," Caddock said. "There was a tune of theirs called `Fairground' and the video featured a big roller coaster which we liked. Then we started thinking about the lyrics-`Little ray of hope shining through'-and that was what Christie's is all about."

The music was augmented by video testimonials from Alan Shearer and Michael Atherton, at the time captains of England's national soccer and cricket teams, respectively.

Charity begins, well, everywhere

All the content was in place for a successful kiosk project, all that was lacking was the kiosk parts.

"What Angela said to me was that even though they were raising 25 million pounds, they didn't have $2 to throw around," Caddock said. "So we had to get donations."

Caddock had already done his part, volunteering his time. Editz created the kiosk, which featured pillars surrounding the kiosk shell itself. Scala Software donated its IC200 software management program, Magic Touch International the touch screen membrane, Sony a 17-inch monitor, and Dabs Computers the computer the program operated on.

"It wasn't a matter of spending a lot of money," Roden said. "We got virtually all the help and the creative part from Peter Caddock for free. There was one bit of computer hardware we couldn't get, otherwise everything was donated."

Marc Rifkin, director of content and services for Scala, said his company was enthusiastic about taking part in Christie's program.

"It's good to get our products used in innovative ways such as this," Rifkin said. "We get a chance to see what people are doing with our products, so we can develop better training materials."

Telling the world

The kiosk debuted on an Open House day for the hospital, offering it maximum exposure in the Manchester community. Almost immediately, Roden sensed it could be a successful component of the drive.

"The screen was a focal point, particularly for young people. When they realized something would happen when you touched it, they touched it," she said. "One family said every time they went to the hospital, the first thing they did was go to the screen and play the `Angels' song by Robbie Williams. We were touching base with them through that song, because that song touched them so."

There were a few tweaks made to the kiosk's volume. A quiet hospital reception area and a kiosk cranking out songs and testimonials are not an ideal mix, but hospital officials and the kiosk designers believe they got it right.

"It wasn't a noisy kiosk; we had to make sure it was quiet," Caddock said. "We ended up bringing the volume down from its original level."

The kiosk was easy to update. With regular contributions coming in, that was an important facet of the project.

Roden said such recognition was important in a major fundraising drive such as Christie's.

"You had to press every single button, from the 10-pound donations from little old ladies to the million-pound donations from millionaires," she said. "When you're doing something like this, you have to make yourself as visible as possible."

Endings and beginnings

The fundraising drive ended in June when Christie reached the 25 million pound mark. The funds are being used to create a new surgical center, cancer center, and in-patient facilities for children, along with the purchase of new equipment.

Throughout England, the drive to introduce kiosks in hospitals is beginning to take wind. NWP Communications recently announced the installation of Internet kiosks in five English hospitals primarily to surf the World Wide Web and access e-mail.

But Roden is thinking beyond the basics of information retrieval. Based on her experience with the Christie Against Cancer kiosk, she forsees a time when hospitals will be able to communicate their messages consistently using kiosks.

"I'm looking forward to the hospital infrastructure catching up with technology that's the norm in the rest of the world," she said. "At this point, it would be seen as perfectly normal to have information like this outside the hospital. In the end, we need to make information about services and directions available. Fundraising is just one corner of it."