Electronic Media and Donor Recognition: Is Anyone Using it?
It’s a very competitive philanthropic marketplace these days for community hospitals. I was reminded of this last week while at the Georgia Association of Development Professionals’ conference (GADP), a segment of the Georgia Hospital Association. Most of their members are located in small communities and represent the primary health provider for their county or region. I live in Atlanta. Fundraising events and success here in this city are now daily news items. We are home to 100s of non-profits and maybe more Foundations. Not so, currently, in the rest of the state. In those small communities, medical center fundraisers face tremendous challenges even when the economy is more stable than it is today. CEOs enjoy the income that their Foundations provide, yet they often offer little in the way of day-to-day support or, in many cases, any real understanding of the CEO’s role in acquiring and stewarding donors. Many of these organizations are considered “small shops” and the titles bestowed on many of the chief fundraisers by the CEO and/or Boards, i.e. Development Officer, Development Coordinator, and the like, are less than confidence-building and may be counter-productive, as they strive to solicit corporate CEOs, Marketing VPs, major Foundations and major donors. I wonder if they know that.
Filed under Donor Communications, Donor Recognition Programs, Robin E. Williams, Social Media | Tags: Communications, Development, Donor Recognition, Fundraising, Healthcare Philanthropy, Social Media, Trends in Fundraising | Comments Off
Roundtable: The Implications of Digital Media on Stewardship and Enhanced Giving
I’ll soon have a 2nd opportunity to facilitate this roundtable with hospital fundraisers. The results of our first try at AHP meeting in Nashville last month pleasantly surprised us due to the turn it took. See our June blog, “Social Networking for Healthcare Philanthropy”.
We had thought the digital media subject would evolve related to donor recognition within an organization’s website, its facility’s interactive touchscreens or digital signing. Instead, attendees were actively engaged sharing experiences and gaining insight related social networking and its impact on giving and stewardship. Current social network options (Twitter, Facebook, Linked-in, etc) were all evaluated, yet more interestingly, the realization that traditional organizational techniques used for community engagement work well, with modification, on line, too. Most of the same rules apply, while new ones evolve. Cautionary tales were many.
This new healthcare roundtable is scheduled for Friday morning, July 24 at the gathering of the Georgia Association for Advancement Professionals in St. Simons Island, GA. I look forward to facilitating this discussion too. Together, we’ll ride their wave of interest where it leads. Will present a summary report following the meeting.
Written by Robin E. Williams
Filed under Best Practices for Donor Recognition, Stewardship | Tags: Communications, Donor Recognition, Healthcare Philanthropy, Interactive Displays, Social Media, Stewardship, Trends | Comments OffNomination for Non-Profit Marketer of the Year
Sharon Johnson, Executive Director of the Transylvania Regional Hospital Foundation, Brevard, North Carolina, has been nominated for the American Marketing Association’s Non-Profit Marketer of the Year Award in response to her success using donor recognition as a tool to improve fundraising success.
Filed under Best Practices for Donor Recognition, Donor Communications, Donor Recognition Programs | Tags: Development, Donor Recognition, Healthcare Philanthropy, Stewardship | Comments OffJohnson explains, “Through effective stewardship of our donors, we are able to develop ‘brand loyalty’ among the donor base. This is a direct result of proactive stewardship, which includes demonstrating appreciation of our donors, reporting on the progress achieved through giving, and combining the recognition of existing donors with a consistent message of the importance of ongoing philanthropy.”
Social Networking for Healthcare Philanthropy
During the Association for Healthcare Philanthropy Regional Conference in Nashville, June 7-9, 2009, we hosted a roundtable discussion on the pros and cons of new media in donor recognition. Our preparation had been focused on digital media – looping video, scrolling donor lists, interactive touchscreens and other content presented via electronic displays. However, the conversation quickly diverted to a digital media subject with much more urgency to the attendees: the implications of social networking for healthcare philanthropy.
Filed under Donor Communications, Robin E. Williams | Tags: Communications, Healthcare Philanthropy, Interactive Displays, Social Media, Trends in Fundraising | Comments OffA Keynote Address
On Tuesday, the 9th, we had the privilege of hearing a keynote address by George Maynard, VP of Philanthropy and Partnership at the Greenville Hospital System University Medical System, at the Association for Healthcare Philanthropy conference in Nashville. George is a client and a friend and this was an unprecedented opportunity to hear reflections on a long career in healthcare philanthropy, a life well-lived and a thoughtful plan for maintaining focus and a positive attitude.
Filed under Donor Recognition Programs, Stewardship | Tags: Donor Recognition, Healthcare Philanthropy, Stewardship | Comments Off