Denny Linderbaum Announces His Retirement as President of UnityPoint Health - Des Moines Foundation

Denny Linderbaum Announces His Retirement as President of UnityPoint Health – Des Moines Foundation

(Des Moines, Iowa) After a 23-year career leading the UnityPoint Health – Des Moines Foundation, Denny Linderbaum has announced his retirement as of January 31, 2024.

“It’s bittersweet to think about retirement because I love working with the incredible team at UnityPoint Health and in particular our Foundation team,” said Linderbaum. “I’m so proud to have been a part of this amazing organization for the last 23 years. My time here has been a challenging and very meaningful part of my 50-year career in fundraising.”

During Linderbaum’s tenure, the UnityPoint Health – Des Moines Foundation’s assets grew from $75 million in 2001 to $190 million in 2022, which allows the Foundation to be completely self-sufficient and ensures 100 percent of all gifts go to the programs and services donors want to support. During 2001-2022, the Foundation raised more than $167 million and transferred more than $171 million to UnityPoint Health – Des Moines hospitals and related entities, including Iowa Methodist Medical Center, Iowa Lutheran Hospital, Methodist West Hospital, Grinnell Regional Medical Center, Blank Children’s Hospital, John Stoddard Cancer Center, Eyerly Ball Community Mental Health Services, Taylor House Hospice and more.

“Denny’s commitment and passion are evident in all he has done during his time as the president of the Foundation. He and his team have led many successful fundraising campaigns, special events and raised funds for programs and services that would not exist without the generosity of thousands of donors,” said David Stark, UnityPoint Health – Des Moines market president. “I’m so thankful and appreciative of Denny and his dedication to our organization. I wish him all the very best as he moves into retirement.”

A few key highlights from Linderbaum’s tenure include:

• The opening of Taylor House Hospice in 2003 after a successful $2.8M fundraising campaign that included a naming gift of $1M.

• The opening of Methodist West Hospital in 2009 after a very tough economic climate in which the Foundation raised more than $5M to help build this facility.

• The STAR Center and Developmental Center was a $10M expansion and relocation project in 2020. The Foundation raised more than $5M to help grow services for children and families in our community.

• The Emergency & Trauma Center and Critical Care Unit expansion opened in 2017 with more than $15.5M raised from donors including a naming gift from William C. Knapp.

• The Foundation launched an effort to grow the Blank Children’s Hospital Endowment from $17M to $50M through current and future gifts. The goal was to provide significant and consistent funding for important patient-centered programs and create opportunities for new services to meet community needs. The $50M goal was reached and it continues to grow today.

• The Nursing Education Endowment surpassed its goal of $10M to create sustainable funding for educational opportunities and advancements for nurses at UnityPoint Health – Des Moines.

“I truly believe I have worked with the best team, as no matter the challenges we faced over my 23 years – from economic downturns to COVID to stretch fundraising goals that felt impossible to meet – our team worked together and never gave up. I will miss our Foundation team the most when I retire,” added Linderbaum.

Prior to joining the Foundation, Linderbaum served for 14 years as president of the Iowa College Foundation, an organization that raises funds for Iowa's independent colleges and universities. Before that, he worked at Iowa PBS where he led the effort to raise the funds to build the new Broadcast Center for Iowa PBS which opened in 1986 and continues to serve the state of Iowa today.

A search for the next President of the UnityPoint Health – Des Moines Foundation is currently underway.

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About UnityPoint Health – Des Moines
UnityPoint Health – Des Moines has more than 7,700 employees and 1,000 physicians providing convenient care to patients in central Iowa through our integrated network of clinics, hospitals, and home care services. UnityPoint Health – Des Moines is made of up Iowa Methodist Medical Center, including Younker Rehabilitation and central Iowa's only Level I Trauma Center; Iowa Lutheran Hospital; Methodist West Hospital; Blank Children’s Hospital, including pediatric sub-specialty clinics; John Stoddard Cancer Center; Grinnell Regional Medical Center; Eyerly Ball; UnityPoint Clinic; UnityPoint at Home and UnityPoint Hospice.