Why NHS Charities Must Focus on Visibility to Raise More Money

NHS charities are often the best-kept secret in their own hospitals.

• Offices tucked away in basements

• Staff unsure how to handle donation enquiries

• Patients unaware they can give to a dedicated hospital charity

• Hospital communications rarely mention the charity’s impact

And yet, visibility is one of the most powerful drivers of income. If patients, families, and staff don’t know your charity exists — or don’t understand what it does — they won’t give.

Why Visibility Matters

On our hospital campus, we counted 20–30 other fundraising organisations actively present — from Cancer Research UK and Macmillan to Maggie’s and disease-specific charities. When donors have options, brand visibility and trust make the difference.

Patients need to see your charity on site, in action, and endorsed by the hospital. Visibility builds:

• Credibility

• Trust

• Emotional connection

Without it, your charity will struggle to grow — no matter how good your cause is.

The cost of being invisible

We realised the urgency of this issue when a Trustee shared that a friend had tried to donate £10,000 — but couldn’t find anyone in the hospital who knew how to help. Frustrated, they gave the money to Macmillan instead.

That moment changed everything. We made visibility a strategic priority — and we’re not alone. Newcastle Hospital Charity, for example, includes this in their 5-year strategy:

“Increased visibility, profile and understanding of our Charity within the Trust and the wider community.”

Why is visibility so hard in NHS hospitals?

Hospitals are constantly fire-fighting — from COVID recovery to strikes, RAAC rooves, A&E pressures and cost-cutting exercises – they are always dealing with something huge.

They’re risk-averse — reluctant to try anything new unless it’s been done elsewhere.

Fundraising isn’t culturally embedded — and can feel uncomfortable in a system built on “free at the point of use.”

Fundraising has baggage — 67% of the public say some fundraising methods make them uncomfortable (Charity Commission, 2012).

Hospitals are peer-aware — they watch what others do and follow proven models.

How to Make Visibility a Strategic Priority

Here’s how we finally made it happen — after 10 years of trying:

Step 1: Build an Unassailable Case

Show your Trustees that increasing visibility is:

• Low cost

• High return

• Easy to implement

• A robust business strategy

Step 2: Get Leadership in the Room

Ask your Chair to invite the hospital CEO or Chair to a meeting. If they can’t attend, bring an external expert who’s done it before. Use social proof — hospitals say yes when others have done it first.

Step 3: Use Case Studies and Data

Include examples from other NHS charities. Show what visibility looks like — and what it delivers.

Step 4: Present a Simple Action Plan

Make it easy to say yes. Keep it practical, achievable, and aligned with hospital values.

This is how we finally got approval to install bright yellow fundraising hubs in the hospital — something we’d been trying to do for a decade.

Final Thought

Visibility isn’t just about branding — it’s about access, trust, and opportunity. If your charity isn’t visible, it isn’t viable.

To raise more money, every single NHS hospital charity must focus on visibility — and make it a strategic priority.

Would you like help building your visibility case, designing a hospital-friendly action plan, or gathering examples from other NHS charities? I’d love to support you.