Case Study – St Gemma’s Hospice

Here at Yorkshire Powerhouse, we believe in the value of studying other successful businesses and organisations to allow you to develop new ideas and strategies that could benefit your own business. We keep these case studies snappy and easy to access to allow you to rapidly gather the relevant information:

When did the organisation start:

1978

Who started the hospice:

The Hospice was founded by the Sisters of the Cross & Passion. St Gemma’s welcomes and provides care to everyone regardless of people’s age, gender, disability, race, religion, sexual orientation or diagnosis.

Tell us what you do and how you do it:

About us

St Gemma’s Hospice has been a part of the Leeds community for over 43 years, providing expert care for terminally ill people and support for their families. We specialise in pain relief and symptom control to help people live as well as possible, for as long as possible.

The Hospice provides In-Patient care but is not just a building; most of St Gemma’s patients are supported in the place they want to stay – often their own homes.

Last year the Hospice supported over 3,000 local people, totally free of charge. This is only possible thanks to the generosity of the local community, who help us raise the £20,000 per day needed to run all our services.

Corporate support

We work with companies of all sizes, offering a local, professional and friendly partnership that plays to your business’s strengths, helps meet your goals, generates positive publicity for your company and engages your staff.

We believe that charity partnerships should be mutually beneficial and bring lasting benefits to both organisations.

Who buys your product / service:

The Hospice cares for people with a range of life-threatening illnesses, including cancer, heart failure, Multiple Sclerosis, and Parkinson’s disease and provides practical, emotional and bereavement support for those close to them.

We are supported by a range of companies from across Leeds and Yorkshire – from local businesses to national companies.

What makes your organisation stand out from your competitors:

St Gemma’s is a very well-loved local charity so partnering with us is a great way to differentiate your business and demonstrate your support for the Hospice. There are various different ways that companies can get involved from joining Business 365 (our Business Networking Club) or donating to the Hospice from the sale of your products/services, to getting a group together for our fantastic fundraising events or volunteering with us for the day.

What are the main strength/s of your business:

Our fantastic team! St Gemma’s Hospice has approximately 270 employees. Of those, 160 employees directly support patient care (such as nursing and medical teams, social workers, housekeepers and therapists). The remainder work in non-patient areas, such as our charity shops, income generation department and support teams.

St Gemma’s Hospice also has a team of over 900 amazing volunteers, working in a variety of roles supporting departments throughout the organisation.

What are the values that drive your business:

Caring – treating each person with kindness, empathy, compassion and respect.

Aspiring – continually learning and developing; striving for excellence in everything we do.

Professional – delivering high standards through team work, a skilled workforce and good governance.

What’s your favourite business book and why:

Corporate Fundraising and Partnerships by Valerie Morton. This book covers such a diverse range of topics from finding new partners and pitching through to strategic approaches to corporate fundraising.

What is the most useful lesson you’ve learned through experience:

Sharing stories from our patients, families and nurses is a really inspiring way to engage with businesses, as well as being a great motivator personally when working in fundraising.

What is the main mistake to avoid in future:

Never work in a silo, always share ideas!

Which business success are you most proud of:

Launching our newly formatted business challenge – The Accumulator Challenge! Companies can use their team’s hidden talents, entrepreneurial skills and imagination to compete against other businesses to raise as much money as possible for St Gemma’s Hospice during the 31 days of October.

What are your future ambitions:

To secure some fantastic charity partnerships with companies across Leeds and Yorkshire. I’d also love to learn more about working in Corporate Social Responsibility from a business point of view.

If you are a successful or interesting Yorkshire based business or organisation and you’d be willing to share your experiences by completing a case study then please contact us.

Have you any questions?

Here at Yorkshire Powerhouse, we’re happy to help as much as possible – is there anything else we can do to help you, do you have any further questions or can we help introduce you to an expert – please let us know: