AHP Healthcare Philanthropy Journal Fall/Winter 2021

Journal of the Association for Healthcare Philanthropy | www.AHP.org | Winter 2022

HEALTHCARE

philanthropy The Gateway to True

Clinician Engagement

Also in this Issue A conversation with Birgit Smith Burton

20 on diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging FORWARD THINKING SPONSOR

14 How is “The Great Resignation” affecting healthcare philanthropy?

5 The C-suite’s new strategic imperative

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WINTER 2022 | VOL. 49 NO. 4

CONTENTS 5 8 9

CEO Corner

By Alice Ayres, MBA

Letter from the Journal Chair

By Bob Nolan, FAHP, CFRE

The Gateway to True Clinician Engagement

By Heather Wiley Starankovic, CAP, CFRE and Erin Stitzel, FAHP, CFRE

A look at how to move beyond standard grateful patient programs and build authentic relationship with clinicians and patients using genuine curiosity.

14

Trends in Nonprofit Employment: How “The Great Resignation” is Impacting Nonprofits

By Randall Hallett

Shares insights about the key priorities for healthcare philanthropy professionals when choosing to stay or leave a job: recognition, bonuses, flexibility, etc.

/ FORWARD THINKING

20

Why Representation Matters: A Conversation with Birgit Smith Burton Birgit Smith Burton, founder of the African American Development Officers network, joins AHP’s Chief Operating Officer Jordan English to discuss diversity, inclusivity, and belonging amongst development professionals and how to bring more fundraisers of color into the profession.

FORWARD THINKING SPONSOR

AHP Healthcare Philanthropy Journal|Winter 2022| 3

President and Chief Executive Officer: Alice Ayres, MBA 2021 AHP Journal Advisory Council Chair: Robert Nolan, FAHP, CFRE Sophia S. Ahmad Murray Ancell, MS, CFRE Jewanna Apawu Michelle J. Collins Sarah Fawcett-Lee, CFRE Jolene Francis, FAHP, CFRE Matthew Lang, CFRE Bonnie Jess Lopane, CFRE Andrea Page, FAHP, CFRE Harrison Porter, CAP, CFRE Elizabeth Rottman, CFRE AHP Board of Directors: Chair: Fred Najjar Vice Chair: Arthur J. (Art) Ochoa, JD Secretary/Treasurer: Pamela Puleo, FAHP Immediate Past Chair: Randy A. Varju, MBA, FAHP, CFRE

27

What Brightway Data’s Patient Survey Reveals You Could Be Missing About the Giving Landscape

By Neil Smithson

Recommends ways to adjust and operationalize your fundraising strategy.

32

Resources for Promoting a More Inclusive Membership AHP’s Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging Committee provides new best practices for content contributors and presenters.

Directors: Julie E. Cox, FAHP, CFRE Shawn A. Fincher Jeanne Jachim Tammy Morison, CFRE Published by: Association for Healthcare Philanthropy, 2550 South Clark Street, Suite 810, Arlington, VA 22202 Managing Editor: Olivia Hairfield Business Manager: Michelle Gilbert About Us: The Association for Healthcare Philanthropy (AHP) is the healthcare development professionals’ definitive source of thought leadership, connections to facilitate innovation, and tools to advance knowledge and elevate philanthropy. As the world’s largest association for healthcare fundraising professionals, AHP represents 5,500 members who raise more than $11 billion each year for community health services. Our mission is to inspire, educate, and serve those transforming healthcare through philanthropy.

The Journal’s Mission: Healthcare Philanthropy will be an authoritative resource for healthcare development professionals by providing a timely, informative, and insightful collection of literature that will raise the standard of individual and organizational performance. Serving as the premier forum for healthcare philanthropy literature, the Healthcare Philanthropy journal will educate, empower, and inspire development professionals and, thereby, help strengthen the case for philanthropic support and the mission of AHP.

AHP Healthcare Philanthropy Journal|Winter 2022| 4

CEO Corner: The C-Suite’s New Strategic Imperative—Philanthropy

T

he chief executive officers of some of the most progressive health systems in the US are talking a lot about philanthropy. No longer is philanthropy a nice to have or a means of raising a few extra dollars.

Like everything else in healthcare, philanthropy is now a fundamental building block of the best organizations’ business model and strategic plan, complete with business goals and expectations, key metrics and dashboards, and a prescriptive focus.

Many chief executive officers, including several I have spoken with this past year, understand that philanthropy is even more critical than ever to their ability to deliver on their missions. Still true is the need for charitable giving to the financial situation of our hospitals and health systems, but the pandemic and an increased focus on social justice and inequities ushers in a new spotlight on the foundation and elevates our work as a key strategic imperative.

Alice Ayres, MBA President and Chief Executive Officer, Association for Healthcare Philanthropy

Philanthropy As Financial Imperative Diversification of revenue streams has always been a strategic imperative for hospital and health system leadership, but after 24 months of pandemic-related revenue reduction and expense increases, it is now beyond urgent. Philanthropy serves first as one very viable alternative revenue stream.

For Marc Harrison, MD, president and chief executive officer of Intermountain Health, the value of philanthropy is multi-factorial. As he said to me during our Fireside Chat at AHP’s 2021 International Conference: The easiest explanation is the financial explanation, and it’s probably the least important. We raise a lot of money. In order to generate the income that the foundation generates, we would have to add $3 billion worth of gross patient revenue. So it’s a great investment. But much more than that, I think done right, philanthropy connects the organization to the community and connects the community to the organization. It allows us to take huge leaps above and beyond day-to-day operations. We try really hard to use philanthropy to do things that are going to dramatically change things for the communities that that we invest in.

AHP Healthcare Philanthropy Journal|Winter 2022| 5

Philanthropy also helps to bridge the gaps and help our organizations go beyond where we would otherwise be able to go. Gene Woods, president and chief executive officer of Atrium Health, explained at Leading Forward 2021, “Through the integration of Navicent Health and other similar relationships, we will be driving a lot of savings in the revenue cycle, the supply chain, etc. We are relying on those synergies and efficiencies to fuel growth and drive affordability. But that alone is not going to allow most systems to reach their aspirations, so where the gap gets filled is through philanthropy and through the community really supporting the investments that organizations like ours are making in the community.”

Michael Dowling, president and chief executive officer of Northwell Health, looks at philanthropy as one of the key drivers to fund mission projects. At Leading Forward 2021, he noted, “Philanthropy is five years out. It funds the future. Our executive leadership team gets together, and we define a long list of things we want to do–our mission projects. Then we commit to funding some through philanthropy and commit as leaders to supporting that work.”

Philanthropy As Community Engagement For all of these leaders, the work of the foundation is at least as much about the community connections as it is the charitable dollars raised. For Atrium, the pandemic was a time to really double down on their relationships. Woods added, “From a philanthropic perspective, people got to know who we are and what our mission is. They wanted to contribute to the cause of helping our teammates and also to helping other people in the community.” Atrium was able to engage donors in this way to broaden the impact they had throughout the community.

For Northwell, the pandemic underscored the critical role that healthcare plays as a defender of public health in the community. Michael Dowling said, “People realized that we were there when everyone else was struggling. One of the lessons of COVID was the importance of the frontline worker.” This realization fueled an outpouring of support and changed the way the public thinks about healthcare. The foundation team was able to talk about how powerful the model of an integrated system is in a time of crisis, changing the image of the organization from big corporate behemoth to community supporter and defender, all while illuminating the need of the system for charitable support.

Philanthropy As Catalyst for Social Justice and Health Equity As we look to the future, these progressive systems are laser focused on the meaning of health in the community. Michael Dowling expressed it this way, “We need to broaden what we define as health and healthcare. I want to be known as a real health system which means I want to be as good at prevention and wellness as I am at treating illness. Right now, as a sector, we are essentially medical care delivery systems not health systems.” Intermountain Health has embedded this idea into their organization’s tagline, which is “Helping people live the healthiest lives possible.”

For all three of these systems, this translates into an increased focus on social determinants of health and health equity. For Dowling, “Inequities in healthcare are an urgent priority for all of us. Even when COVID is over, we need to maintain our commitment in our communities which for us is in several areas: housing, employment, education, gun control, healthcare delivery.”

AHP Healthcare Philanthropy Journal|Winter 2022| 6

For Dr. Harrison, this is personal, “Injustice makes me crazy. It’s been extraordinarily exciting to use my lifelong interest in addressing injustice in a divided and divisive time to unify people around doing good things for folks who don’t look like them.”

Atrium, with their mission of “Help, Hope, and Healing for All,” has recently launched a comprehensive campaign which has social impact and community initiatives as one of its central components. As Gene Woods put it, “It took us less than 10 years to put Neil Armstrong on the moon, so why can’t we all commit to eliminating health disparities in 10 years? We have the ingenuity. If we can work together to partner businesses with government with health systems, I think we could do it.”

With so many critical components of the health system’s work now connected to the work of the philanthropy team, and with the recognition of philanthropy as a strategic imperative by the nation’s chief executive officers, the most progressive organizations have made the chief philanthropy officer a member of their executive leadership team. When I asked Dr. Harrison why he had done this years ago, he said, “Done well, people in philanthropy inject another voice into a health system’s leadership conversation, and it is the voice of the people who care about the institution. They share the voice of people who are really important. As you know, I believe in philanthropy because of the relationships it builds. The foundation team members have the potential to connect people to their organizations in ways that will profoundly change the lives of their neighbors for generations to come. What an incredible gift.”

Watch the full conversations with Dr. Marc Harrison, Gene Woods, and Michael Dowling on AHP’s YouTube page.

AHP Healthcare Philanthropy Journal|Winter 2022| 7

Letter from the Journal Chair

W

ith each issue of Healthcare Philanthropy, the journal of the Association for Healthcare Philanthropy, we seek to educate and inform the membership. We hope that the information that appears in the journal will add to the body of knowledge in our profession and contribute to both the art and science of fundraising.

The last several years, and the almost two years of the pandemic in particular, have been tremendously challenging for everyone working in healthcare. What have we learned? Do we approach our roles differently? What have our donors told us? What are the challenges we continue to face? What are the opportunities available for us to leverage? All of these questions have different answers for each of us and our organizations. How can we share the answers to these questions and improve the practice of healthcare philanthropy?

Bob Nolan, FAHP, CFRE Journal Advisory Council Chair

The journal is one venue to help us share our experience and how we have answered these questions and identify the questions yet to be answered. The authors of articles in the journal have contributed the details of their experiences and helped all of us to improve our practice. We invite all of our members to contribute to the journal and bring their unique perspectives to the profession.

Everyone has something to offer.

How do you get started? Do you need assistance in generating ideas and developing an article for submission? The Communications team and the AHP Journal Advisory Council are here to help. We hope that you will review the guidelines for submission at ahp.org and reach out to ask questions and discuss your ideas on healthcare philanthropy.

We look forward to working with you!

AHP Healthcare Philanthropy Journal|Winter 2022| 8

The Gateway to True Clinician Engagement

By Heather Wiley Starankovic, CAP, CFRE, Principal Consultant, Accordant Erin Stitzel, FAHP, CFRE, Principal Consultant with Accordant

P

hilanthropy at its best is a carefully crafted combination of both art and science. The art of philanthropy is how philanthropy leaders build and manage relationships with prospects and donors. Experience affords philanthropy professionals highly developed instincts which help them identify, engage, cultivate, and steward relationships with stakeholders.

Philanthropy can no longer be viewed as transactional in nature, with a beginning and an end. Today, the most successful officers view philanthropy as relationship-based, ongoing, and transformational. This approach involves continuous True North conversations with donors about what guides them, their passions,

the value of relationship before money raised, the assurance that the donor is extremely satisfied with the gift made, and always demonstrating to the donor that the investment was spent wisely.

In healthcare, it is widely believed that grateful patients and families are the most likely constituents to make philanthropic contributions to hospitals. This was indicated through a 2007 Advisory Board study indicating 88% of large gifts to hospitals come from grateful patients and their families. It was validated in 2018 through a joint study conducted by Accordant and NRC Health where 34% of study participants AHP Healthcare Philanthropy Journal|Winter 2022| 9

indicated the desire to express gratitude as the No. 1 reason they would consider making a charitable gift to a hospital. 1

way, trusting, mutually beneficial relationships cannot be overlooked.

Connect With Curiosity

The identification and cultivation of grateful patients continues to change and evolve.

Philanthropy officers are essentially relationship Engaging clinicians is an important and relevant experts. Being able to speak to donors, as way for healthcare development organizations well as knowing the right timing for certain to identify grateful patients and families. In the actions, is critical. While traditional philanthropy 2020 study conducted officer education

by Accordant on grateful “Physicians believe in philanthropy may not include patient and clinician classes on relationship engagement strategies, and want to be involved. But management, 69% of organizations you must remember, they are philanthropy officers indicated utilizing can inherently grow people too. Focus on building clinicians to help to have expertise advance philanthropy these relationships like you do and instincts when with clinician referrals of with board members and donors. basing conversations grateful patients being on curiosity. Effective Get to know them. Include them. the most prevalent philanthropy officers way to partner with Educate them. Engage them. often exercise elements clinicians.2 Be intentional in bringing them of Barry Rhein’s ground-breaking sales along with you in identifying and Despite clinician technique, Selling engagement in celebrating gratitude. Physicians Through Curiosity, philanthropy being cultivate our donors long before which guides the a widely utilized philanthropy officer to we do and play a large role strategy, many be genuinely curious healthcare philanthropy in stewarding them. These when interacting with organizations struggle partnerships are key in building a potential prospects. to develop true Allowing the patients true culture of philanthropy.” partnerships with and families to tell their clinicians that result Roy Lowdenback, System Vice President stories while being in robust prospect Philanthropy, Baptist Health, Kentucky, asked layering and identification and and Southern Indiana probing questions is a substantial giving. great start. Ultimately, Grateful patients and the philanthropy officer clinician referrals are widely referred to as must approach prospects with genuine curiosity, “programs” accompanied by cards, brochures, truly listen to their stories, and authentically care posters, and educational opportunities. about their experiences.

While these strategies certainly help move the needle in helping organizations formally This same curiosity and genuine caring that engage clinicians in philanthropy, it’s time to guides donor engagement should be applied take a deeper dive into the strategies and skills when building relationships with clinician which are necessary for philanthropy officers to partners. Ever-increasing philanthropy goals, master. When it comes to engaging clinicians, accompanied by activity metrics to track and the art of building deep, meaningful, twoAHP Healthcare Philanthropy Journal|Winter 2022| 10

measure performance, can lead us to focus solely on obtaining referrals from our clinician partners without first cultivating a trusting relationship. A philanthropy officer would never ask prospective donors for a gift without building the relationships first; therefore, a philanthropy officer should never ask clinician partners for referrals without building those relationships first.

The best way to cultivate true relationships with clinician partners is to ask thoughtful questions with genuine curiosity. Why did they become doctors? What brought them to the community? How has philanthropy touched their lives? And most importantly, how do their patients express gratitude, and how does that make them feel when they hear those expressions of gratitude? When asking these things, one will hear wonderful stories of gratitude, or could even hear, “no one has ever asked me that before,” opening the door to not only a great conversation but also the start of a wonderful partnership, as shared by a surgeon in western Kentucky.

Art Meets Science Gratitude. It is the core emotion sought out while building trust and connection during these conversations based on curiosity. In healthcare, gratitude is the key component that spurs the willingness to act or give and is something that many donors have in common. The proactive, successful philanthropy leader has already been identifying and cultivating gratitude in existing donors, past donors, and even volunteers. Now, clinician champions are providing philanthropy teams a great avenue to connect with patients who express their gratitude during their hospital stay or care experience. The philanthropy team must remember that while clinicians may serve as gratitude partners, the heart of their work is based on healing. Leveraged from a framework of science and medicine, clinicians work to improve the needs and lives of their patients.

Combining the science of their responsibilities

with the art of gratitude results in great benefits for not only the patients and clinicians but also for the philanthropy mission.

Numerous studies on the psychology and neuroscience behind gratitude help demonstrate how human beings experience gratitude and what motivates them to express it.

For example, leading gratitude researcher Robert Emmons, PhD, indicates in his book “Gratitude Works” that gratitude is “action-oriented” and “not something to be felt but something to be expressed and acted upon.”3 This explains why patients and families send in letters of thanks, bring in food for the staff, become hospital volunteers, or make charitable gifts when feeling grateful for their care. Understanding this science allows the clinician to better understand why it is so important to help connect grateful patients and families to the philanthropy office.

It is also critical to ensure that clinicians are focused on patient gratitude and not capacity or wealth. Encourage clinician partners to simply connect grateful patients to the philanthropy department to share their stories. Even if a grateful patient doesn’t give a financial donation, their story is a gift that can inspire others.

Putting gratitude before wealth resonates with clinicians. A pediatric transplant surgeon at a large academic medical center in Texas recently said, “I want to feel good about the referral. I want to think of you as someone who wants to

AHP Healthcare Philanthropy Journal|Winter 2022| 11

hear my patient’s story. We’re lucky that we don’t have to know the patient’s financial status. You approaching this to learn the patient’s story first makes me feel better about the referral.”

A relationship-based giving approach to philanthropy values the relationship over dollars raised. When taking this approach to clinician engagement, gratitude is valued over the patient capacity to give. Numerous tools exist to help philanthropy officers discern capacity. That is the job of the philanthropy officer, not the clinician.

Measure What Matters The art of philanthropy can be validated through a framework of metrics. Metrics are used as benchmarks and measurements; however, they are also put into place to help philanthropy officers properly allocate their time. In a relationship-based giving model where officers are focused 100% on philanthropy, a typical time allocation could look like this: PERCENTAGE TASK

OF TIME

Administrative and healthcare organization embeddedness as a good citizen

20%

Discovery

10%

Cultivating existing and known prospects

10%

Engaging existing allies and partners

10%

Engaging new allies and partners to identify new prospects

40%

Stewardship

10%

Allocating 40% of time to engaging new allies and partners leaves ample time to develop real, deep relationships with clinician partners. Philanthropy officers can truly embed themselves into the service line/clinical area of focus that their clinician partners practice within.

However, it is still important to be strategic.

Just as the philanthropy officer would prioritize donors for the best opportunity for connection, it is important to do the same with clinician partners. Philanthropy leaders should prioritize time spent with clinician partners that allows them to build lasting, trusting relationships. A sample outline for accomplishing this includes: ACTIVITY

TIME

1:1 meetings, touches, communication, referral follow-up with clinician partners (physicians, clinicians, advanced practice providers, nurse leaders, nurses, service line leaders) leading service lines/clinical areas of focus in which the philanthropy office is actively raising money

25%

Attending department meetings, huddles, leadership meetings, and rounding in service lines/clinical areas of focus in which the philanthropy office is actively raising money

15%

Engaging clinician partners who practice within service lines/clinical areas of focus that the philanthropy office is not actively raising money

0%

The Gateway to True Clinician Engagement When philanthropy is viewed as transformational instead of transactional, the relationship between philanthropy officers and donors becomes so much more than a means to an end. Relationship management is how successful philanthropy officers raise significant funds for their organizations. Always utilizing the help of boards and volunteers, philanthropy leaders must prioritize the careful development of building lasting, meaningful relationships with prospective donors who ultimately invest in the organization. Taking this same approach when it comes to engaging clinicians in philanthropy means prioritizing the careful development of AHP Healthcare Philanthropy Journal|Winter 2022| 12

building strong, mutually beneficial relationships with clinician partners. It means being genuinely curious with a desire to build real relationships beyond just getting referrals from clinicians. It means utilizing the same skills that philanthropy officers use to develop connections with prospects and donors to develop connections and lasting relationships with clinicians of all levels and tiers. This can make all the difference when it comes to truly engaging clinician partners and elevating the mission at your organization.

Get in touch with the authors.

Contact Heather Starankovic at Heather@AccordantHealth.com or on LinkedIn. Contact Erin Stitzel at Erin@AccordantHealth.com or on LinkedIn.

Footnotes 1

Gratitude and Charitable Giving to Health Care. (Accordant Philanthropy, 2018). https://www.accordantphilanthropy.com/wp-content/uploads/dlm_uploads/2018/10/NRC-Accordant-Gratitude-Study.pdf

2

2020 Accordant Grateful Patient Engagement Survey. (Accordant Philanthropy, 2020). https://www.accordantphilanthropy.com/ wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Accordant_GE-Survey-2020_FINAL.pdf

3 Robert A. Emmons, Gratitude Works (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2013), 52.

AHP Healthcare Philanthropy Journal|Winter 2022| 13

Trends in Nonprofit Employment: How “The Great Resignation” Is Impacting Nonprofits

By Randall Hallett, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Hallett Philanthropy

S

ince the pandemic-induced lockdowns in early 2020, the US labor force has been under siege. The Great Resignation, a term first coined by Texas A&M professor Anthony Klotz, is impacting many industries—namely the service industry and those where workers tend to earn hourly wages. However, every industry is impacted, even nonprofit. Klotz contends when there is uncertainty, people tend to stay in their current position, leading to pent up resignations which did not happen in the previous year.

Philanthropy opened a survey in June 2021 to which 1,482 individuals responded. The survey was designed to elicit information about selfperceived feelings regarding compensation and willingness, or interest, in changing jobs in the current environment, information about why one might leave a job, fairness of current compensation, percepts of leadership, bonus structures, other non-monetary recognition, and goal setting. The aim of the data collected was to determine if The Great Resignation was true within the nonprofit sector.

“In the end, this could mean a significant increase in job turnover across all industries,” said Klotz.

This article is intended to help readers understand the current climate surrounding nonprofits and the employment challenges they face. While the nonprofit world is quite expansive, this piece focuses primarily on the fundraising and revenue-generating areas

To better understand how The Great Resignation is impacting the nonprofit industry, Hallett

AHP Healthcare Philanthropy Journal|Winter 2022| 14

of nonprofits, specifically dealing with chief development officers, major gift offices, internal fundraising support, and other related positions.

Key Learnings • Gift officers do not believe their salaries are

compared accurately within the organization and thus feel as if they are underpaid. Higher level leaders do not have that impression.

• Although 66% of respondents felt they were underpaid, only 30% said they would leave their current job for a 10% raise.

• Respondents with 14+ years of experience are

significantly less likely to leave their current job for any reason, including compensation.

• Fifty-five percent of respondents with three

years or less at their current job would leave for a 5% increase in pay.

• Those without a bonus structure are 5 times more likely to be open to a new job.

• Fifty-five percent of respondents do not

receive annual or regular feedback from their supervisors, causing increased dissatisfaction with their current job.

• Fifty-six percent of respondents said flexibility

with working from home/away from an office is either very important or important in their job satisfaction. And for those without a bonus structure, the number is even higher.

The Survey Of the nearly 1,500 survey respondents, just over one-third were considered executive level: chief development officer, president, video president, other leadership positions. Approximately 30% of respondents included gift officers or other positions who ask for financial resources (principle, major, planned, or annual). Another 15% of respondents were those working in marketing and communications roles.

Longevity in the nonprofit sector was prevalent in this survey. In all, nearly 61% of respondents have been working in their career for more than 20 years. Less than 5% have been working professionally for five years or less. It is interesting to note that while many respondents have longevity in the industry, more than 50% had been in their current job and with their current employers for less than three years, and more than two-thirds of all respondents have been in their job with their current employer for less than six years.

We, as leaders, need to continue to be creative to ensure we retain and attract the best possible talent.

That creativity includes important investments beyond just compensation such as potential job growth opportunities, appropriate informal/formal professional support, and openness to employee’s thoughts regarding the workplace.

Shannon Duval System Senior Vice President, President CommonSpirit Health

Compensation Overall, Hallett Philanthropy observed a clear break in satisfaction with compensation between those at the executive level and those at the manager level or below. Nearly 67% of respondents at the executive level believe they are fairly compensated and appropriately

AHP Healthcare Philanthropy Journal|Winter 2022| 15

evaluated against other like positions at their institutions. The exact opposite was true for gift officers. In this case, 63% of respondents believe their salaries were not compared accurately nor were they evaluated appropriately against other like positions. Those individuals with 20+ years of experience were three times as likely to feel as if their organization does not effectively compare fundraising jobs to other positions in the organization for compensation purposes. For gift officers especially, it appears as though there is a massive misunderstanding of their job duties and responsibilities, which then impacts overall compensation for this group.

I find it incredibly frustrating when my job is compared to the nurse manager on one of the hospital floors. It is another indication that Human Resources really doesn’t understand what I do or how I am measured. If that nurse manager’s floor is not entirely full, she is not held totally responsible.

If I don’t bring in enough money for a year or two, I will be fired. Our outcomes and measurements are so different. Our jobs are not nearly the same. But I am compared to clinical staff for salary. And it is simply not fair.

Hospital Foundation Major Gift Officer

I am actively looking. It is not that my current employer has done anything wrong.

But I am being contacted by search firms. I am open to other possibilities because my current boss (and foundation) takes me for granted a little too much.

I want to be appreciated for my commitment and successes.

Gift Officer in higher education In total, less than 66% of respondents felt as if they were fairly compensated. However, when asked whether or not they would leave their current job for another offering a 5% increase in salary, only 10% indicated they would do so. When asked how much increase in compensation it would take for a respondent to leave their job, 83% indicated a 30% increase or less. Just over one-third of this group indicated it would take as little as a 10% increase for them to be moved to take a new position.

Respondents who have been in their current job for 14+ years are less likely to be actively looking for a new job. In fact, the Hallett Philanthropy Employment Survey found that almost no one with longevity was looking for a new job. Of respondents who have been in their current position for less than three years, more than 55% stated they would leave their current employer for a salary increase of 5% or less.

Bonus Structure Survey results have highlighted a missed opportunity for nonprofits to express gratitude AHP Healthcare Philanthropy Journal|Winter 2022| 16

for a job well done and, in some cases, to retain top performers. Overall, 56% of respondents do not have an individual bonus structure. In fact, 53% of respondents noted their organization as a whole did not have a bonus structure, and 75% indicated the organization is not very open to recalculating compensation by either offering a merit raise or adding a bonus structure for exceptional performance.

My system does not want to allow bonuses for the foundation. And they seem to think we (gift officers/ fundraisers) don’t talk to each other. I know other organizations have bonus structures. And it makes a difference in my overall compensation. It is even more frustrating and disheartening that bonuses are offered to our executives, but not to those in the foundation.

Hospital Foundation Leader What’s more concerning…the number of respondents willing to leave their organization to take a job offering a bonus: 75% of respondents at the executive level receive a bonus and 40% at the gift officer level do as well. But those who do not receive a bonus are nine times more likely to leave the organization and are five times as likely to be looking for a new job.

Based on survey responses, it appears bonus structure—at both the office and individual level—are based on predetermined, quantitative

metrics which mostly include dollars raised, number of gifts at/above a certain level, number of new donors at certain levels, and quality actions. For a number of office and individual goals, wider metrics are used to determine a bonus, including organization-wide performance measures (non-fundraising) and overall financial performance. So, while some respondents are seeing bonuses, bonus structure still has a ways to go to become equitable to other departments.

Non-monetary Compensation While much of the survey focused on financial compensation, it is important to consider other benefits and recognition which factor into total compensation and employee satisfaction.

In total, 63% of respondents indicated nonmonetary recognition is important or critically important to them. Only 45% of respondents indicated their supervisor is good or outstanding at recognizing their contributions. Imagine 55% of respondents go about their business and

I have so appreciated the opportunity to grow professionally…to investigate, implement, and lead new programs, such as our grateful patient efforts. While being paid fairly is important, the chance to be offer more and to participate in elevating the mission of the organization is critical to me.

Melissa Dalton Major Gift Officer Baylor, Scott, and White/Baylor University Medical Center AHP Healthcare Philanthropy Journal|Winter 2022| 17

I am so appreciative of the way Marshfield Clinic Health System values our employees. Specifically, through our benefits program, we offer affordable health insurance (some with no or very low premiums) and with “stay interviews” to find ways of investing in our employees’ professional growth. It makes a difference in keeping and appealing to great current and future personnel in this tough labor market.

Teri Wilczek Chief Philanthropy Officer Marshfield Clinic Healthcare System

never receive positive feedback or recognition of their work from leadership, which is important to note when 79% of all respondents noted growth and personal development is very important or essential to them.

When it comes to setting goals, 71% of respondents indicated their goals are very well defined, and 55% of respondents noted they personally take an active role in setting their goals annually.

What do employees want? According to the Hallett Philanthropy Employment Survey, employees want flexibility in their work—not only the flexibility to work from home but

also flexibility in their schedule (44%), good job benefits with medical insurance and PTO (29%), and a great culture/team/leadership (16.6%). Most importantly, respondents indicated the most essential attributes in a manager or supervisor are trust, their ability to care for an employee as a person, strong positive communication skills, enthusiasm, and the ability to provide a clear vision.

A Flexible Workplace One theme consistent throughout the survey was that of flexibility. If there is one thing the pandemic exposed, it was the idea that rigid office hours and workplaces are necessary for productivity. Throughout the pandemic, employees across industries illustrated their abilities to be nimble, create home offices in even the most creative spaces, and maintain productivity. As most employees have been working from home since March 2020 and have proven their ability to work from remote locations, yet maintain or increase productivity, many employees across multiple industries are noting their desire to continue to work from home. The nonprofit sector is no exception.

Overall, 39% of respondents identified the ability to work from home as very important. Another 56% indicated the flexibility to work from home is important or very, very important. Forty-five percent of respondents indicated they spend at least 70% of their time working from home, and of that, 20% indicated they work from home more than 90% of the time. Those respondents who do not have a bonus structure in place are significantly more interested in having the flexibility to work from home.

Remote work is a trend that is not going away any time soon. Nonprofit employers will be wise to embrace flexible workspaces and schedules in the near term.

AHP Healthcare Philanthropy Journal|Winter 2022| 18

I really did not want to leave.

I liked what I did and was pretty good at it. But when they would not let me work from home a couple of days a week, I knew I had to leave. After more than a year of working from home because of the pandemic and more than exceeding my goal, I proved I can do the job without having to drive into the office 5 days a week. That was time just stuck in traffic away from my kids—time I will never get back. I now work from home, for as much money, and have more time with my family. In addition, I wish they would have trusted my professionalism, drive, and track record a little more.

Conclusion The Hallett Philanthropy Employment Survey illustrates some disparities in the nonprofit sector as they relate to seniority and longevity in the industry and compensation. Those individuals who are newer to the industry do not believe they are compensated at competitive rates versus those who have worked in nonprofit for several years. Many would appreciate a bonus structure as part of their compensation package. And nearly all would prefer more flexibility when it comes to where they work from and the hours they choose to work. Are these qualities indicative of the industry? It is doubtful you would find employees anywhere in any industry who aren’t asking for the same benefits.

However, now more than ever, organizations must revamp their compensation packages, examine salaries and benefits, and ensure they offer more modern and cutting-edge benefits to ensure they can continue to attract the best and brightest employees.

Is the nonprofit sector falling victim to The Great Resignation? It appears at the gift officer level, there will be some movement, unless employers begin offering more incentives to stay such as bonus structures and flexible workspaces. But overall, we should not expect a mass exodus from the industry as a whole.

Former Hospital Foundation Major Gift Officer Now mid-level executive in a non-health children’s foundation

AHP Healthcare Philanthropy Journal|Winter 2022| 19

/ FORWARD THINKING

Why Representation Matters: A Conversation with Birgit Smith Burton Birgit Smith Burton is the Executive Director of Foundation Relations at Georgia Tech, where she has worked for 25 years.

She is chair-elect for the Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP), she sits on the board of the Ahmaud Arbery Foundation, and she is on the board of trustees at her alma mater, Medaille College. In addition, she is co-chair of AHP’s 2022 International Conference committee.

She is also founder of the African American Development Officers network (AADO) and will soon step into a formal leadership role, and in that capacity, she sat down with our chief operating officer, Jordan English to discuss how we can increase diversity, inclusivity, and belonging amongst fundraising professionals.

Here Are Excerpts of Their Conversation Jordan: I appreciate you making the time today.

The premise of our conversation is how are we bringing more people of diverse backgrounds into the profession. By way of your own background, what brought you AADO, and why is increasing representation and diversity in our profession important to you?

Birgit: In 1998 when I was hired by Georgia Institute of Technology as the associate director of foundation relations, I was the first frontline fundraiser of color that Georgia Tech had hired.

There were probably about 80 to 90 people in the first Development staff meeting I attended, and there were other African American staffers in there, but they were administrative professionals and other roles. But, nobody was a frontline fundraiser. And at this point, I was 11 years into

my career as a fundraiser and had spent those 11 years working for the United Negro College Fund where the staff was predominantly black.

And it wasn’t that I’d never been around a large number of white people in the workplace. I went to predominantly white schools. I grew up in the air force and for the most part in white neighborhoods, but in my professional career, I had not been in a situation where nobody that looked like me was doing the same job that I was doing.

So, I reached out to the colleagues in the Atlanta University Center where the HBCUs are, Spelman, Morehouse, Clark Atlanta University, Morris Brown, ITC, and Morehouse School of Medicine, and I sought to bring us together to network. There were about 25 of us, and we had such a great time. I invited them to Georgia Tech. We had conversations, and we commiserated a bit about AHP Healthcare Philanthropy Journal|Winter 2022| 20

what it’s like to be a black professional in the fundraising profession at that time. We decided to continue it, and that continuation has turned into 23 to 24 years of a network that now has over 3,200 professionals around the country. Our main mission is to provide professional development, education, employment, support, mentorship, and networking for fundraisers of color.

Jordan: When you and I spoke earlier this summer, you also now have a more specific, quantifiable mission, if I have the figure correct, of bringing 1,000 new fundraisers of color into the profession over the next eight years.

Birgit: That’s correct.

Jordan: How did you get to 1,000, and how did you get to eight years?

Birgit: Well, I’m trying to be realistic. So about three years ago, AFP did its usual demographics survey of the membership. At that time, 9% responded that they identified as being people of color and only 4% responded that they identified as being African American out of approximately 30,000 AFP members. But, we also know that the Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that fundraising is one of the fastest growing professions and that growth is expected to continue by 10% to 15% over the next decade.

I’m not a mathematician, but the expectation is that we’re going to have quite a gap, in the number of fundraisers needed for nonprofit organizations. If we’re going to be looking for fundraisers, we should be considering those fundraisers of color who quite often look like the communities that are being served by many of these nonprofit organizations.

There’s currently between 1.3 and 1.5 million nonprofit organizations in the country right now, and I like to look at it like this, if every single organization had one fundraiser, that’s 1.5 million fundraisers. Now we know there are some that have more–I know a university that has 400 fundraisers. We also know there are some very

small nonprofits that are operating without a fundraiser, and their volunteers are doing the fundraising work. But, if we say that everyone had one, that’s 1.5 million fundraisers. So, looking at 1,000 of color over basically the next decade–just under a hundred a year–is actually pretty low.

Jordan: We were talking earlier about Dr. Mark Harrison’s charge at Intermountain and he spoke about it so casually as though, why wouldn’t you do it? And it’s just not that hard. Like, you make a commitment to something that’s important to your organization, and you find a way to make it work. So, my question to you, from your perspective, is what is stopping other employers from doing what Intermountain is doing?

Birgit: Oh, I think it’s simple. They don’t want to put the effort into it. Especially after last year’s focus on racial equity after the murder of George Floyd and the interest in the experience of diverse professionals within organizations. But now, many are going through diversity fatigue, and they don’t want to put in the effort because what if they make a mistake, what if they say the wrong thing? There is now the pressure of bringing someone in, and people feeling like they have to walk on eggshells. There are whole lists now of things we can’t do or say for fear we will offend someone.

Some phrases such as, “they worked me like a slave” or “let’s have a powwow,” we can all probably agree people have been aware of these types of taboo statements for some time. But now, we’re also trying to be sensitive to genderspecific language like, “you guys.” We don’t know what to say. And we don’t know what to do if we make that mistake. I’m seeing employers not want to put the energy it takes to bringing diverse professionals into their organization.

Jordan: You said earlier that we should consider having fundraising professionals that look like the communities that they represent, and we talk a lot about this within AHP’s DEIB work. But, why do you think representation is so important?

AHP Healthcare Philanthropy Journal|Winter 2022| 21

Birgit: I don’t want to call out this particular organization, but their board of trustees was all in their 502 and 60s, all white, all male. All of the staff was also white, and they were reaching out to the community [that was racially and ethnically diverse] to support this local organization, and the community responded by saying, “How can you know what’s meaningful to us or what we enjoy?” When people don’t see themselves represented in an organization, they’re less likely to feel a connection to it. And what makes it difficult is so often the ones most likely to not recognize the importance of representation are the ones already being represented. I call it the standard of whiteness.

Others call it white supremacy.

The standard of whiteness means that the white experience is the standard everything else is measured against–how we act, how we look, how we think, how we speak, how we dress.

Until we no longer have that as the standard and people can identify as they feel most comfortable, show up as they feel, say, “This is who I am.” Until then, people won’t feel that there’s representation of them, their thought,

their culture, within an organization, and they won’t feel connection.

One of the things that I hear often that people will say is, and it’s been said to me many, many times, “Oh, I don’t see color when I look at you.

I just see you. I don’t see your color.” Well, then you don’t see me because I’m not hiding from who I am. My color is a part of who I am and how I show up in this world. I’m okay with being a black woman. And so, when you tell me that you don’t see color, you are again saying, “I want you to feel like I see you just like me, and I’m white.”

It’s what we call a micro aggression.

For instance, when someone says, “Wow, you’re so articulate,” and it can be interpreted as, “I’m surprised at how well you speak. I know other people like you, and they don’t speak as well.” Or when people say, “Oh, there’s no way I’m going to be able to pronounce your name.” They’re saying, “I can’t take the time to learn how to pronounce your name. It’s not important to me.” But we can say Tchaikovsky and not even think twice. These are microaggressions that oftentimes are said in the workplace and can

AHP Healthcare Philanthropy Journal|Winter 2022| 22

impact a person’s experience and make them not want to work there.

Jordan: We can call it “wokeness” if you want, but there is a heightened awareness that we should be doing more to increase diversity and create inclusivity. And in speaking with our members, you can know that this work is coming from a place of positive intention rather than just obligation. But it’s also been my experience that because it’s coming from this earnest place of wanting to do well, that final step of creating a sense of belonging is often more difficult. I say this mostly from the perspective of a woman, but what I’ve experienced is a sense of, “We’ve made space at the table generally. I don’t mean you harm, and now that you’re here, I can better work on your behalf.” And it’s that latter idea I find it so difficult to get past because just because you don’t mean harm doesn’t mean that you mean best.

Birgit: Right? And you can’t speak for me all the time, you know? In the simplest terms, I’m talking about inclusion–meaning having a voice.

So, you can invite me to sit at the table, and you can still ignore me. If I don’t have a voice, and you take the time to listen and hear what I have to say, even if it’s uncomfortable and you don’t necessarily agree with it, or you can’t identify with it, I still have a voice. But what’s most important is belonging. That’s being at the table being able to speak and then being heard.

inclusion, diversity, equity, and access conducted by the Association of Fundraising Professionals.

Thirty percent of fundraising professionals under age 35 reported experiencing bias because of their age. Twenty-five percent reported being discriminated against just because of their appearance. So, it can be anything from size, height, weight, and this coming from their coworkers. And this one is really important; 37% left their job because they felt isolated or unwelcomed by their coworkers. A lot of times we think that it’s just the supervisors or the leadership making them feel this way, but 37% left their career because they felt isolated or unwelcomed by their coworkers. And 60% of people in the study who were black left the job because of discrimination and did not report it. That’s the one that really gets to me. Sixty percent said that they left their job because of discrimination and did not report it.

What’s really important to me is when we’re talking about more diversity, whether it’s fundraising in healthcare, higher education, or anywhere else, it’s not just about recruiting people, it’s about retaining them. If they don’t have a good experience, and they leave X organization, it’s likely they’re going to leave the profession because they will attribute that to more than just their experience at that organization. They will attribute it to the fundraising profession. And we’ll never experience this great fundraising profession because they’re not going to come back.

Jordan: We’ve been having conversations within AHP’s own DEIB committees that inclusivity without belonging creates the new tokenism.

“We’ve made this space. You’ve got to figure out your own way through now.” Or a sense of “Look at us, we’ve improved our numbers. We look better, we look different.” Without focusing on belonging there is also an emphasis on visual diversity, rather than whole self as you were referring.

There are steps that you have to take. Before any organization really tries to increase diversity on their team, they should take an assessment, sort of a temperature check of the organization, to find out what their employees are already thinking. How do they feel the culture is? I’ve done this with organizations before, and the leadership has been really surprised to learn how their staff feel. We can hear things like:

Birgit: Before we go on, I want to mention some relative statistics coming from a survey on

“Well, we feel the leadership isn’t diverse.”

“We don’t feel that they care.”

AHP Healthcare Philanthropy Journal|Winter 2022| 23

“We feel that there’s some racism among the leadership.”

You need to know what your own team is saying because you might have to do some diversity training before you open up and bring others in.

It’s sort of like cleaning up your house before you invite guests in. How are we addressing implicit bias? How are we addressing equity? I heard somebody say the other day equality is when everybody gets a pair of size nine shoes. Equity is everybody gets a pair of shoes, but they get the right size. It’s more than just making sure everybody has the same thing. Everybody might not need the same thing. We all need different things according to our abilities.

When you bring people in, you are learning how to adjust. What are the things that you do often that you don’t take into consideration? Does the team always go down to the local pub after work for everybody to have drinks and socialize?

Well, you might have people who have to get home because they have children to care for. Or you might have people who don’t drink alcohol or who are vegans, and so you might take the opportunity to vary the experience to be more inclusive…. There are many ways you can make people feel comfortable.

When you give stretch assignments, reflect on how frequently you vary who you give them to.

Do those people all look the same? Do they have a great connection with you? If so, try giving those opportunities to someone that feels less familiar, less comfortable. Speaking of feeling comfortable, we often hire what we call what’s in the mirror. So just because you have a great interview with someone, and that person really feels comfortable to you, you connect because you like the same music, you both golf, that should not be confused with their ability to do the job. But, we often make that mistake.

And then lastly, I always suggest that if you’ve not invited diverse professionals often, and you have people who are new, it might be a

great idea to partner with an organization like AADO or bring in a consultant who can really act as the liaison between that employee and their supervisor or leadership to ensure that you are dealing with things fairly. Sometimes your challenge can be this isn’t the right job for someone, but it could be confused as an issue of racism when it really is an employee challenged with responsibilities that are not right for them or a job that isn’t the right job for them.

Jordan: How do you think creating a more diverse fundraising workforce supports our broader community?

Birgit: Well, I think how fundraisers interact with donors is huge. I’m part of a group creating a fundraisers bill of rights, outlining how we engage with donors and what the expectations are for how we should be treated. We should pay attention to how we’re engaging with donors and how we are letting them know how we feel about diversity and appreciating different cultures, as well as different identities.

I think that as fundraisers we are learning to be a little bit more careful and moving into a time where we’re setting the expectations of what we will accept in terms of how we are retreated by donors. I think how we show up with our donors and how we demonstrate that respect and appreciation of different cultures will be a learning experience for some. We’re helping contribute to that culture of change.

And I’m having more and more fundraisers who are looking to move into the healthcare space, because it resonates with them with their passion, their desire to be in the community and to help. To make that connection. To give where their passions lie. I think that will connect with the communities they’re serving. They can be the link between the community, the donor, and healthcare. I think there’s a bigger role that a fundraiser can play, and I’m hearing this as more and more are coming to me saying, I want to transition to healthcare.

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Jordan: If you had one ask of our broader membership, what would it be?

Birgit: I was on some call recently where we were talking about the need for diversity.

And somebody said, “Oh, everybody knows somebody of color.” And somebody else said, “Not really.”

I know everybody can’t take on the responsibility of being a mentor. But what I would ask is that everybody connect with one person who is diverse. That could be someone of color or someone with hearing loss. That could be someone who expresses their gender identity differently. That could be someone with different religious observances. I would ask that each person connect with one person outside of their own cocoon of experience. Our profession has the opportunity to be so diverse. We engage with people every day. And oftentimes out of fear or lack of knowledge, we don’t really know how to connect. We don’t want to venture out because of fear and uncertainty.

If we’re looking at maybe 1.5 million fundraisers, it doesn’t have to look like one group of people age-wise, gender-wise, race-wise. It can look so many different ways and represent so many different ways. So, my one request would be for each person to really reach outside of their comfort zone and connect with someone who they can connect to the profession. They can help move someone to a more senior level position. Introduce someone to an organization that needs volunteers. But if everybody did that, just one person, I really feel that the profession could grow representation. And we wouldn’t be looking at a shortage of professionals in the next decade…. There’s just so much opportunity.

This interview has been edited and condensed.

Forward Thinking article sponsored by

AHP Healthcare Philanthropy Journal|Winter 2022| 25

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When donors see their gift in action, they want to give again which is your big opportunity to increase retention. Ready to rethink change?

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AHP Healthcare Philanthropy Journal|Winter 2022| 26

What Brightway Data’s Patient Survey Reveals You Could Be Missing About the Giving Landscape

By Neil Smithson, Chief Executive Officer and Founder, Brightway Data

O

ver the past 18 months, there has been a notable shift in the charitable giving space, particularly in healthcare. I’ve worked in predictive modeling and healthcare revenue for decades, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen such a dramatic shift in the way consumer giving behavior has changed in such a short time.

The Covid-19 pandemic and the increased attention consumers have placed on the care provided by their local hospitals have been primary drivers of the recent shift. As a result, there has been a noticeable change in the giving landscape for hospitals and their foundations.

At Brightway Data, we conduct an annual survey to understand how consumers admitted to a hospital perceive the hospital or health system foundation and, in turn, how that impacts their giving behavior.1 The goal of the survey is to gain a better understanding of how patients engage in philanthropic efforts and help healthcare foundations identify overlooked prospects that have a high propensity to donate.

Throughout this article, I will outline some of the most significant consumer behavior changes the survey revealed and recommend ways to adjust and operationalize these findings in your fundraising strategy.

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The Rise of the Mid-Level Donor The results from the 2021 survey show overwhelmingly that consumers would prefer to donate in smaller amounts more frequently versus contributing a sizable financial donation at the end of the year. For example, monthly donations of $500 or more increased by 71% from 2020. This is most likely attributed to Covid-19, as an increased number of consumers donated to local hospitals to help combat the pandemic.

These smaller but more regular donors are sometimes referred to as mid-level donors and are not typically targeted for outreach like major donors. However, they tend to be loyal, generous, and have high retention rates.

Understandably, foundations often prioritize major donors over mid-level donors, using wealth as a key identifier for outreach. In previous years, that strategy made sense and showed high ROI for development teams.

However, the 2021 survey found annual

household incomes of less than $100k saw an increase of 142% for donations over $500.

I encourage you to shift your mindset from only targeting major gift donors. Ignoring mid-level donors runs the risk of leaving a significant amount of money on the table in the shortand the long-term. Because mid-level donors donate more frequently, they build an affinity to your organization, as well as your underlying hospital organization, which signifies a longterm, ongoing donor relationship. These new relationships may also morph into planned or major giving over time. By prioritizing and focusing on mid-level donors now, you can build strong relationships early that could eventually grow into major donors in the future.

Education and Awareness Remain Critical The 2021 survey uncovered that despite increased attention on healthcare workers and hospital systems, less than half of consumers

Perception of Foundation 2021

2020

16.3%

27.4%

17.9% 36.6%

14.9% 21.9% 31.6%

9.8% 7.5%

16.1%

Very informed/not involved

Somewhat invormed/not involved

Very Informed/involved

Somewhat informed/involved

Not informed/not involved AHP Healthcare Philanthropy Journal|Winter 2022| 28

still are not very involved with or informed about their local hospital foundation. Even though individuals that identified as very informed and involved increased from 16.3% in 2020 to 36.6% in 2021, there’s still an opportunity to improve these numbers.

As in our previous survey, patients indicated that understanding more about the foundation’s work improves their likelihood of getting involved. And the need for education does not change depending on household income level.

We know from the “2021 Bank of America Study of Philanthropy: Charitable Giving by Affluent Households” that even for affluent consumers, understanding the mission and impact of the foundation increases both donor activities and the amount they donate.2 Because people have spent more time at home over the past year, there has been a greater sense of community, causing people to evaluate how and where they want to spend their money.

This trend isn’t only seen in healthcare but across

all industries. As a result, there’s more money spent at local restaurants, shops, and things that make each community special, including their local hospital.

Consumers are making their voices heard with their dollars, so you need to make sure they understand how the hospital foundation’s work impacts their local community. I recommend adding messaging to your grateful patient work that embraces the mission and purpose of the hospital and supporting their efforts for community improvement.

Nonprofit hospitals are required to complete a Community Health Needs Assessment every three years as part of their tax filings. This assessment has valuable information that will help make your message stronger. Combining the focus of community impact with provider recognition will resonate strongly with donors.

Note and address the differences in donor interest of community support vs. gratitude–your approach should not be either-or.

Age + Likelihood to Donate 2020

2021

13.5%

23.5%

28.7%

26%

10% 14.8%

21.9%

13.1%

35.6%

13%

26-35

46-55

36-45

56-65

66+

AHP Healthcare Philanthropy Journal|Winter 2022| 29

Younger Consumers and Consumers with Lower Incomes are Mistakenly Overlooked

Consumer Preference Moves to Digital Outreach

Perhaps one of the most notable shifts I saw from the 2020 to the 2021 survey is the increased likelihood for consumers with lower incomes and from younger generations to donate—the likelihood to donate rose in the two younger generations by 35.7% in 2021. But at the same time, awareness about the involvement of the foundation for the two younger generations only rose by a small amount.

As you can imagine, for all the reasons I mentioned above, patients or consumers, in general, respond to alternative outreach efforts.

In the 2020 survey, direct mail was the preferred method of communication by older generations, whereas the younger generations preferred email. In 2021, direct mail fell by 10.8% as the preferred method of communication for almost all ages to electronic outreach methods. It was the only outreach method to see a decrease from 2020 to 2021.

Older generations have a lifetime of donating and are often the most targeted demographic for charitable giving. But the data shows foundations should be spending more time engaging younger generations and people with lower incomes. As I mentioned earlier, many of these potential donors that are younger or have lower income levels fall into the mid-level donor category.

This probably isn’t a major shock after over a year of more people working from home than ever before. Consumers of all ages have become accustomed to shopping, working, and even attending social gatherings online. Similarly, companies have become creative with outreach and engagement methods during the pandemic.

Beyond healthcare philanthropic giving, the Gen Z and Millennial generations are more likely to consider what social causes they directly or indirectly support when shopping, looking for jobs, and traveling. Making up more than half of the U.S. population, their consumer behavior is changing almost every industry.3 During the pandemic specifically, both the Millennial and Gen Z generations gave more than any other generation.4 This demonstrates not only their propensity to donate but also this group’s economic power.

Our data shows that younger generations are not the focus for giving as much as older generations, even though they should be a prime target for outreach. The younger generations are proven to research where their money goes when donating to a cause. If you aren’t spending the time to think through the best way to engage this audience, you’re missing a significant opportunity to establish an early relationship with a loyal donor.

Maybe some consumers are fatigued with traditional outreach methods and prefer something with a more personal touch. To remain competitive, create a cross-channel marketing strategy that embraces electronic and print outreach. Incorporate the planned aspect of giving alongside the convenience of donating immediately using digital outreach. Innovative payment technologies have changed how we make most of our transactions and that includes charitable giving.

When thinking about your fundraising campaigns, try to utilize the plentiful outreach channels that exist today. Technology applications are growing in popularity and allow users to quickly make gifts with the click of a button and share their interests with their larger networks of connections. Using your data, you can intelligently segment your audience based on behavioral and demographic factors to reach donors through their preferred method and channel.

AHP Healthcare Philanthropy Journal|Winter 2022| 30

Where To Go From Here The ongoing pandemic has undoubtedly been a challenge across all industries and especially for healthcare systems. But it has also provided a unique opportunity for the healthcare philanthropy landscape. We’ve seen an unprecedented level of support for frontline workers and a focus specifically on communitybased hospitals and their foundations. 2020 has also forced us to adopt technology significantly faster than we would have thought possible.

Combining these two elements allows you to evaluate how your foundation engages with its current and potential donors. For example,

this year’s data shows that foundations should engage more with patients and ensure that your organization’s mission is front and center. It’s also essential to revisit the demographics you are targeting and how you’re connecting with them. The status quo of 2019 doesn’t translate to success today.

Finally, it is time to think outside of the box to see improvements in your return: traditional wealth screening methods and outreach you used previously need a refresh. Data is a powerful tool that can help your foundation create a fundraising and education campaign that will help you reach donors who are excited to support your mission.

Footnotes 1

2021 Annual Survey Consumer Impact and Perceptions of Charitable Donations to Healthcare Foundations. (Brightway Data, 2021). https://f.hubspotusercontent10.net/hubfs/5418117/2021%20Consumer%20Survey%20White%20Paper.pdf

2

The 2021 Bank of America Study of Philanthropy: Charitable Giving by Affluent Households. (Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy, 2021). https://scholarworks.iupui.edu/bitstream/handle/1805/26654/bank-america-sept21.pdf

3

William H. Frey, “Now, more than half of Americans are millennials or younger,” The Avenue (blog), July 30, 2020, https://www. brookings.edu/blog/the-avenue/2020/07/30/now-more-than-half-of-americans-are-millennials-or-younger/

4

Megan Leonhardt, “Nearly 3 out of 4 millennials have donated money during the pandemic,” CNBC: Make It, September 30, 2020. https://www.cnbc.com/2020/09/29/more-millennials-donated-money-during-the-pandemic-than-other-generations.html

AHP Healthcare Philanthropy Journal|Winter 2022| 31

Resources for Promoting a More Inclusive Membership Presented by the AHP Diversity, Equity, Inclusivity, and Belonging Committee

A

HP values and respects diversity. We view individual differences as assets that promote the growth and success of AHP’s goals, its members, and the healthcare philanthropy profession. We’re committed to more deliberately encouraging, supporting, and recognizing diverse individual viewpoints and contributions in AHP’s work and creating a culture of belonging for everyone who is a part of AHP.

We believe a diverse, equitable and inclusive membership is a vibrant membership able to best deliver on better healthcare for all through philanthropy. We believe diversity is multi-dimensional, encompassing not just race and ethnicity but gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, experience, age, ability, class, and more. Embracing individual differences and fostering equity by eliminating barriers that prevent the full participation of all are critical to our mission of inspiring, educating, and serving our members as they work to transform healthcare through philanthropy.

We’re also committed to creating an inclusive culture where all members feel that they belong and see themselves as positive change agents for the future of our organization. All philanthropy professionals who wish to work in healthcare, and all individuals already committed to healthcare philanthropy, are welcomed into our organization, and they are encouraged to bring their authentic selves. This commitment includes, but is not limited to, professionals of diverse backgrounds, experiences, talents, and perspectives.

To that end, we have prepared some resources to help facilitate a more inclusive community within our membership. You will find AHP’s guiding practices for language as well as tools to help our presenters to better engage participants from across our membership. This will be the first in an ongoing series of resources we will be providing. We hope you will find these to be of value, and we look forward to an open dialogue on these topics as we expand our community.

Tools for AHP Content Contributors As an AHP content contributor, you are an integral part of our best practice sharing network, and we value the knowledge you share with our membership. When preparing material for AHP, we would encourage you to write with these principles in mind.

1. At AHP, we use our voice to engage in conversations that amplify our members, our mission, and our values.

AHP Healthcare Philanthropy Journal|Winter 2022| 32

2. We represent a global membership and our work reflects a diverse perspective–not the viewpoint of single person, group, or practice.

3. We recommend using third person voice when writing longer, academic pieces meant to convey empirical, fact-based material–ie, white papers, case studies, and surveys. eg, The Team at AHP was delighted to share their perspective on using inclusive language.

4. We recommend using first person voice when writing shorter, pieces meant to tell a story or share a point of view–ie, blogs, editorials, and user stories. eg, We are happy to share how we’ve been using inclusive language.

5. In lieu of gender-specific pronouns, we recommend writing in plural language. So, instead of “the contact, he” or, “the contact, he/she” we would encourage you to write, “the contacts, they” or, “the contact, they.”

Additionally, we would please ask that you not include any gender-specific pronouns for a person referenced in any written material unless you have first confirmed that is how that individual identifies.

Tools for Presenters As an AHP presenter, we encourage you to create educational opportunities and experiences that embrace diversity in its many forms, expand the knowledge of healthcare philanthropy practitioners, and move our profession forward.

As an organization, we make the following commitment.

We Pledge: to embrace the diversity of all individuals; to respect attributes such as sex, gender identification, race, ethnicity, age, citizenship, marital status, sexual orientation, nationality, socioeconomic status, religion, physical ability, mental ability, and expression.

We understand and support the importance of inclusion, safety of expression, and respect for different points of view. We pledge to provide at all times a safe, judgement-free atmosphere in which students have safe space to share openly. your research sources, promotional materials, and additional presenters reflect the principles of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging.

Are a variety of voices or perspectives present in your offering? Will your audience see their experiences reflected in your session? How might you effectively promote your content among a diverse set of participants? How might your recruit others to join you?

In support of this commitment, we encourage each presenter and content provider to consider these three principals when preparing materials for AHP audiences.

2. Set the Tone To frame your presentation within a DEIB context, it may be helpful for workshop leaders to lead by example. Don’t be afraid to articulate your individual perspective, identity, values, and culture. Also consider how experiences of power and privilege may affect your approach and effectiveness and evaluate how these dynamics might impact your presentation.

1. Gather Diverse Resources As you create content for AHP, think about how

3. Be an Intentionally Inclusive Presenter Inclusion requires active, intention, and ongoing AHP Healthcare Philanthropy Journal|Winter 2022| 33

efforts to promote the full participation and a sense of belonging for every participant.

Speakers should attempt to create an equitable and inclusive environment. And while there will be those in any educational setting who don’t wish to engage by speaking up in a session, take special care to include all those who want to participate. Speakers can be mindful of:

• Alternating using your voice and making space for other voices

• Practicing respectful communication and encouraging that among participants, including criticizing respectfully and constructively

• Ensuring your placement in the room (if

onsite) is free of physical barriers for everyone

• Using pronouns proactively • Giving credit appropriately for ideas expressed in the session

As always, we thank everyone who contributes their time, experience, and perspective to our community. Your willingness to share your expertise is what makes our community what it is, and we hope these additional considerations will add depth to our educational offerings that enhance the skills of healthcare philanthropy practitioners throughout the field.

AHP Healthcare Philanthropy Journal|Winter 2022| 34

“We received a higher level of grateful patient and research engagement to our most critical audience, the physicians and researchers we work with on a daily basis.

By deploying thoughtful, personal experience and relationship-building testimonials from development staff, faculty, and donors, you bridged the understanding that the philanthropic process is a team effort with clearly defined roles. Ultimately, our

development officers are empowered to form not only closer relationships with our physicians and researchers, but also increase the trust between the two, which is an essential part of our overall philanthropy strategy.”

WILLIAM GREEN VICE PRESIDENT, DEVELOPMENT RUTGERS BIOMEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES

Enable your healthcare organization to achieve unprecedented levels of support with Graham-Pelton’s data-driven approach and human-centered philosophy. www.grahampelton.com/healthcare