How Parkview Foundation Pivoted, and Succeeded, in Online Auction Fundraising By Frances Brooks, MA, CFRE, and Heather Leas
This is a fundraising season like no other. Teams with deep, experienced benches nimbly shifted into appealing for support for our essential workers and patients’ needs as soon as the pandemic hit Washington state, New York City, and then the Midwest. They shifted focus from planning campaigns and grasped the COVID-19 challenge. Fundraising in a new landscape, they have achieved considerable success. If you and your team initially found yourselves without the resources or experience to quickly adapt to this awkward and uncomfortable new normal, it is not too late. Take a time out and put strategies in place to bring this season into the black. Redefining success in a season of COVID-19 requires teamwork and a focus on your organization’s strengths. Virtual events may finally bring changes to the fundraising sector which have been discussed for years. A new
appreciation for the philanthropy of individuals can emerge from this revised model. Our patients and co-workers will be the big winners.
Shifting Gears for COVID-19 At Parkview Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Parkview Health System in Indiana, the pandemic arrived in late March and a week later, our homes became our offices. Our first order of business was cancelling a legacy event we call Cookin’ Men, slated to be held in April. Historically, this in-person, well-sponsored event attracts high-profile executives and up-andcoming leaders alike for a fun evening that routinely realized over $200,000. This year’s edition would benefit a women’s health initiative. Event goers typically hear grateful patients share their stories and are asked to support efforts to treat—or prevent—devastating ailments like breast cancer and cardiovascular disease.
AHP Healthcare Philanthropy Journal|Winter 2021| 51
