Kevin Robinson

Wings4Kidz is a charity aimed to lessen the significant burden and effect of long-distance travel for seriously ill children and families by providing a specialist free air service accompanied by a ground transport service.

To manage such a vital logistical operation, it was necessary to have a system that would record patient and family information along with pilot, driver, ground-crew, hospital, donor, and aircraft details. With over 3,000 flights every year transporting sick children, the CRM system needed to provide everyone involved with the correct information to ensure the well-being of the child involved.

Sudden changes in a child’s condition meant that flight schedules had to be flexible, often operating at short notice so anything that could be done to remove time-wasting inefficiencies, such as unnecessary phone calls or re-checking information, could literally be life-saving.

The charity evaluated its logistics and information-management workflow, and determined that a dedicated, centralised CRM was essential to coordinate the full set of relationships: children, families, pilots, vehicles, aircraft, hospitals, donors and sponsors. They selected Act! as the backbone of the system given familiarity and reliability.

The solution was configured to support personalised details (family members, pets, history), to categorise sponsors and donors, and to enable volunteer crews and logistics staff to access accurate, up-to-date data in real time.

Act! serves as the central information database for Wings4Kidz’s logistical operations. It coordinates details of each flight so that pilots are ready, drivers and vehicles are in place, and the correct aircraft is available for each mission (including high-performance jets when required).

The system also records family background information (parents, siblings, pets) to enable a personalised experience for each child and their family. Sponsors and donors are managed via the same system, with communications tailored by category to maintain professionalism and engagement.

With Act! at the centre of operations, Wings4Kidz is able to meet its goal of 3,000 flights and 12,000 passenger journeys every year.

Because all data is centralised, volunteer pilots, drivers, ground-crew and admin can operate more efficiently—less time wasted on calls or re-checking information, more time focused on ensuring children and families are transported safely and comfortably.

The charity also presents a professional image to donors and sponsors, enabling better engagement and support to sustain its mission.