Providing healthcare to a wide variety of people is a stressful job in itself. That is why it can be difficult to think about fundraising at the same time a patient is hovering near death and relatives are hovering near the healthcare staff.
Speaking during the 2014 Association for Healthcare Philanthropy (AHP) international conference, Heath Procaccino, director of development and major gifts for the St. Mary Medical Center Foundation, said it is necessary to create a culture of philanthropy throughout a medical center, and not just necessary but quite possible.
For one thing, Procaccino suggested thinking of philanthropy, not fundraising. Communicate values, devise metrics and demonstrate the impact of philanthropy.
Building a culture of philanthropy requires the following:
- Build trust;
- Create a partnership with nurses;
- Leverage: strategic rounding, new hire/volunteer orientation, mandatories, physician on boarding, town halls, staff meetings, committee membership;
- Build relationships that matter;
- Demonstrate success;
- Keep an ear to the ground and a hand on the pulse of the organization. Everyone impacts the ability to raise money; it can’t be done unless everyone does their job well;
- Optimize existing programs. Think of communications, Guardian Angel or Honor a caregiver initiatives or colleague giving campaigns;
- Enlist everyone; and,
- Show appreciation and gratitude.
