Developing a sustainable revenue model for a hospital foundation
UNSW x Accenture Song
The Problem
The Royal Hospital For Women Foundation received most of its funding through a mix of government grants and donations. When it came to supporting all their research and growth endeavours this wasn’t enough, and so they required the development of an additional revenue stream that would be sustainable and feasible with their limited resources.
My Contributions
I led a team of 3 other design students to develop a revenue-generating solution for the Royal Hospital For Women Foundation. I researched the problem, developed straegies and ideated solutions along with the team. In addition, my role involved delegating tasks amongst the team, aligning the team with the project timeline, facilitating conversations with the client, and the UX/UI design of the chosen solution.
Background
Methdology
The Royal Hospital for Women’s Foundation was providing essential funding for medical equipment, research studies, and other innovative programs at NSW’s only dedicated women’s health hospital. The Foundation relied heavily on a small group of loyal benefactors, which limited its funding potential. Recognising this, they saw the need to maximise funding by developing a strategic revenue model. The Foundation approached UNSW to use this design problem as the basis for a student innovation exercise in collaboration with Fjord (now Accenture Song).
The design process began with familiarising ourselves with the client and problem space through stakeholder consultations and sensemaking methods. As the challenge was ambiguous and open-ended, we conducted a range of discovery, ideation, research, and evaluation activities to unpack the problem, generate ideas, and guide decision-making. The process was non-linear, with various research and evaluation methods applied iteratively at different stages to inform and refine our approach.
Discovery
5 Whys
Stakeholder mapping
5 Cs Analysis
Ideation
Crazy 8’s
Brainstorming
Card Sorting
Rapid storyboarding
Research
User interviews, questionnaires
Data synthesis
Journey mapping
Evaluation
DVF framework
Evaluation Matrix
SWOT analysis
Key Insights
Design Response
From our research, we identified the main internal constraints faced by the client in developing an alternative funding solution:
1. Limited resources to start and maintain the developed solution.
2. Maintaining patient confidentiality.
3. Be able to deliver a quick financial return and have a long term and ongoing impact.
Through stakeholder and target audience mapping exercises, along with discussions with the client, we identified three key challenges the Foundation faced in relying on donations as its primary source of revenue:
1. Low incentive to donate beyond good will.
2. Public misconceptions around amount of government funding.
3. Donations largely limited to local geographic catchment.
Based on our research and findings, we established that for the solution to be successful, it would need to have:
Personalised experiences that resonated with potential users / audiences.
A consistent narrative around funding and the reason for it.
The ability to reach a wide range of users / audiences.
We identified an opportunity to develop a subscription-based online learning centre that would address the Foundation’s need for a sustainable revenue stream. Drawing inspiration from a small, underutilised education section on their website, we reimagined it as a self-guided learning platform that leverages the hospital’s medical expertise, existing partnerships, and public trust.
Framed as a digital companion to the first aid kit, the platform was designed as a proactive tool for navigating life’s everyday health moments, not just emergencies. It aimed to support individuals and families through key life stages and common wellbeing challenges, offering trusted, relevant content to inform, comfort, and empower. By bridging the gap between trust and convenience, the solution made use of the Foundation’s existing partnerships and infrastructure to create a scalable platform with potential for long-term impact and financial growth.
Key Learnings & Outcomes
This project challenged me to actively embrace and navigate ambiguity while operating within strict constraints. I learned to see these limitations not as obstacles but as guiding principles, and to use uncertainty as a lens for shaping strategy. Further key takeaways include:
It’s important to leverage strengths when working within tight constraints
Working within the constraints of a resource-tight non-profit organisation taught me to approach innovation differently. Rather than creating something entirely new, we learned to identify and activate existing strengths, like the hospital’s reputation, trusted partnerships, and underused digital assets.Layered problems require a systems approach, not just user centred
This challenge required designing a model that worked for multiple system layers: the Foundation’s internal capacity, external funding opportunities, the behaviours of future users, and the broader health landscape. By understanding funding systems and stakeholder relationships, I saw how systemic levers could be used to create a well-connected and robust solution that met all our goals.Storytelling is critical when communicating with stakeholders
We learned that even the strongest artefacts and frameworks need a clear, compelling narrative to fully resonate with stakeholders. Without storytelling, our message often fell flat and failed to connect deeply. In the future, I will prioritise crafting engaging stories alongside our work to ensure ideas are communicated with maximum impact and clarity.