Letter from the Chair of the Board of Directors

Throughout the pandemic, it has been wonderful to witness all of the changes our philanthropy staffs have made to be nimble, but also to see how this hardship has had the positive effect of sparking a return to the strong foundational elements of fundraising, which we are now seeing is reaping dividends. On the one hand, the pandemic is a monumental tipping point, writes Lori Cloniger Sweeney, but on the other write Les Matthews and Leah Murray, a patient’s gratitude, and a physician’s acceptance of it are the best possible motivators for philanthropic giving. While we need to continue to lay the ground work early for planned giving, writes Wm. David Smith, we also need to consider accepting new currency and think about the future of gift giving instruments, explains Matt Miller. I hope you will enjoy reading these and all seven of the articles within.

I also want to take this opportunity to showcase the many ways that professionals in healthcare philanthropy can strengthen those foundational skills through our association. In the past 12 months, there have been over 40 webinars, 3 virtual mini-courses, virtual conferences, and resources posted at AHP.org on COVID, fundraising in crisis, and diversity, equity, and inclusion to name a few.

For many of us, July 1 is the beginning of a new year of membership with AHP, and we hope you will continue to be a part of this vibrant community. In the coming 12 months, consider taking advantage of a virtual Madison Institute track, virtual content from this year’s International Conference, in-person attendance at Leading Forward – the Executive Summit, webinars, the Primer or Advanced course, the mentorship program, and more. There is so much to learn, and so many new ways to incorporate the building blocks of great fundraising into our continued creative solutions for the world we are in today.

As always, thank you for your membership and for your support of the work of this incredible profession.

Best, Fred

Fred Najjar

Chair of the Board of Directors at AHP, Executive Vice President & Chief Philanthropy Officer at CommonSpirit Health