Healthy Philanthropic Results Lab

It is a time to believe. As we enter the holiday season of giving and thanking, and think about year-end, we have been reflecting on the unprecedented challenges that our nation, our towns and communities, and our families have faced because of the COVID-19 pandemic. We must keep believing things will get better. When we focus on the good, the good becomes better. We must never stop believing in hope because miracles happen every day. We must believe that with a simple change in perception, we can make any situation better.

Philanthropy offices are turning pandemic related challenges and difficulties into opportunities that will drive future fundraising growth. With this podcast, I share ten lessons I have learned from the pandemic so far. I have been working and listening to our clients. Their efforts during this pandemic have brought many productive ideas and new opportunities to light. I discuss a few specific approaches fundraising organizations can implement to move productively forward.

There is an undeniable truth that the most successful fundraising organizations have always followed - it's easier and cheaper to keep current donors than it is to get new ones. This age-old idea of donor retention is built on a simple principle: acquiring new donors is expensive and difficult. Today, we especially need to retain our donors. No one could have predicted the unprecedented impact COVID-19 has had, not only on how nonprofits fundraise but on our everyday lives. This is a precarious time. We need to listen to our best donors and prospective donors, and image ourselves in their situation. We need to hold on loosely, but don't let go to our donors.

Boldness and caution complement each other. Each brings out the other's best qualities. As the coronavirus crisis continues in the U.S, too many healthcare fundraising leaders, who traditionally are very optimistic, have a pessimistic opinion about the future. Some have a very somber and wary mindset. This podcast talks about how it is a time to have courage and to step boldly into the unknown. As Captain James T. Kirk, one of the most famous captains in the history of the fictional U.S.S. Enterprise said, we need to "boldly go where no man has gone before." In today's climate, we need bold leaders. Bold leaders channel their bold ideas, opinions, and actions to motivate, inspire, and guide others toward a greater good. They are the ones who challenge norms and think outside the box. Bold leadership embraces dynamic situations and takes cautious, calculated risks in striving for success.

Keep Calm and Carry On was a motivational poster produced by the British government in 1939 in preparation for World War II. The poster was intended to raise the morale of the British public, threatened with widely predicted mass air attacks on major cities. When fear, anxiety, and even confusion about the right thing to do is high, we need good practical solutions to reduce stress. This podcast discusses a few ways to keep calm and carry on. It explores a few methods for finding calm in this sluggish pandemic recovery. We all know we need to focus on ways to cope with stress and anxiety and to find the new normal.

Many hospitals and healthcare system fundraising offices have decided to furlough employees and fundraising staff rather than lay them off in order to save money and jobs, and most importantly, to save talent. While employee furloughs can be a positive alternative to layoffs for employees, they can have negative consequences, too. If you are considering or have implemented a furlough, listen in to hear about making sure your communication is clear and consistent with employees and your donors.

Pull, don't push. To persuade donors to give amid this COVID-19 pandemic, you must pull donors in to show your impact. You must not push a message of organizational need. Instead you should pull then into seeing your social impact. In so doing, you will enjoy a donor base that is more invested, engaged, and committed to the work your health care nonprofit does for the community. Get donors to come to you. Generate an interest or desire to support your great mission and dedicated caregivers.

Welcome to Season 1, Episode 1 of our new podcast, titled the Healthy Philanthropic Results Lab. This podcast will offer a great deal of helpful content, particularly for those engaged in health and healthcare philanthropic fundraising. We're beginning this new podcast adventure and we're not sure what's on the horizon. But one thing is certain, we plan to offer good, valuable content for our listeners. Onward and upward!

As a professional fundraiser, whose job depends on being social and connecting with people, you might be experiencing feelings of isolation, uncertainty, or anxiety. You're out of your ‘comfort zone.' We are after all a face-to-face business and we can't be face-to-face right now. This podcast shares 10 tips to help you cope with work stress, anxiety, isolation, and worry as we adjust to the new normal amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. Never has our fundraising profession, healthcare industry, or even our country seen anything like this. If it takes being outside of our comfort zone to get through it, that's what we'll do. Let's be proactive, positive, and productive because it gives us all some measure of comfort.

National Doctors' Day is on March 30, 2020. It is an opportunity for patients, families, colleagues, and others to honor the talented and dedicated doctors who faithfully serve our communities. Without question, we need to recognize physicians for their hard work and dedication during this COVID-19 pandemic. Let's all find a way to show appreciation and honor a doctor who is making a difference.