Gratitude

Posted by [email protected] on Nov. 24, 2019  /  Subscribe 0

Showing gratitude this Thanksgiving

Your year-end appeal is out, or ready to drop at the appointed time. Maybe your planned giving mailing is also out or ready to go. What’s next? Catch your breath (probably not)? Final planning for the holiday tree lighting, boutique or other event? So much to do. Yet…

It is almost Thanksgiving, the uniquely American holiday that calls each of us to sit back, take that deep breath and reflect on our blessings. There’s turkey - or other family-tradition foods, football, that wacky uncle who always manages to share too many opinions or say the wrong thing, prepping for Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Above all, it is a time of giving thanks.

Who is more deserving of our gratitude than our constituents? Thanking them should be an important part of our holiday agendas. To tell them we appreciate them and think about them when there is no request or special event. To tell them that they are special.

Indeed, there are many whom we should thank. Your major donors and Foundation or Development Board – no brainers. Here are some others to consider for your list:

• Members of the hospital or organizational board who contribute to your philanthropic successes like your own board members
• Donors below the major gift level
• Your volunteers
• The organization’s volunteers by whatever name – Auxiliary, Friends, Advisory Board, etc.
• The maintenance, food service, housekeeping and buildings and grounds staffs
• The organization’s senior leadership team and their assistants who make the C-suite hum – and your job easier
• Members of the medical and clinical staffs who help tell your story
• Your vendors and suppliers
• Anyone else who plays a significant role in your fundraising enterprise
• And, last but by no means least, your staff

Here are some examples that might inspire you:

• Personalized Notes – I worked with a foundation president who has special Thanksgiving cards printed each October. She clears her calendar the Friday and Monday before Thanksgiving and devotes those days to writing personal notes of thanks to her board members and major donors. This year nearly 200 will receive her hand-written, hand-addressed cards. Those days wrap up with a well-deserved glass of wine.
  
  
• Thank-you Reception – Another foundation president holds a traditional holiday cocktail reception for his major donors, members of both the foundation and hospital boards and members of the C-suite. During the reception, he takes about three minutes to thank the guests for what they have enabled the hospital to accomplish. Then the hospital president has three or four minutes for a quick thanks and look ahead at plans for the new year. That’s the entire program, six minutes. The purpose of the evening is thanks and celebration.
  
  
• January Soiree – When I worked in higher education, we did a brief year-end thank-you to our major donors. Then, in the third week of January, we hosted a cocktail party for those donors, the board, our C-suite colleagues and our main vendors. The invitation to our “Beat the Post-holiday Blues” party dropped right after the first of the year as the glitter and rush of the holidays began to fade. We always had a good turnout thanks to minimal conflicts and life being a bit more relaxed.

However you choose to express your gratitude, remember your success is a team effort. Thanking your major players is “easy” because you know how to most effectively reach them. The others? You are only limited by the creativity of you and your staff.

Perhaps you could send a blast email to donors below the major gift level. Or, send individual emails to those inside your organization who make your efforts go smoothly. Maybe a couple of strategic phone calls. Postings on your website and social media to reach a much broader audience.

Finally, one last, critically important group deserves acknowledgment:  You.

Make no mistake, your impact is significant. Industry studies show that for every dollar invested in the fundraising enterprise the return is four-fold. On behalf of NEAHP, thank you for all you do for the patients and clients served by your institutions and organizations. And, for all you do to make NEAHP the robust, vibrant organization that it is.

Congratulations on jobs well done. And above all – thank you.

About John
Retiring in 2018 after 26 years as Vice-President with Ghiorsi & Sorrenti, Inc. (GSI), John worked with healthcare providers, secondary and higher education institutions, religious orders and museums to raise nearly $500 million. His areas of expertise include capital campaigns, annual fund development, special events,  government and foundation grants and much more.  Prior to joining GSI, John was Vice-President for Institutional Advancement at Mercy College, and Chief Development Officer at Carlow University. In retirement, John stays busy keeping in touch with GSI and NEAHP friends, colleagues and former clients with whom he enjoys answering questions and discussing gift strategy or career path options. 

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