Leadership in Healthcare: Strategies for Fundraising Success at the Highest Gift Levels

GOAL: As philanthropy becomes an increasingly important revenue source for healthcare institutions, fundraising skills emerge as a crucial competency for executives and administrators, as well as physicians, nurses, researchers, and educators. Despite its significance, healthcare training seldom includes fundraising, and peer-reviewed healthcare literature offers limited guidance. This report aims to provide a practical and ethically and theoretically grounded guide to successful fundraising, with a focus on securing gifts of $1 million or more. METHODS: We analyzed a major academic hospital system's customer relationship management system and reviewed the growth of the organization's fundraising program. The relevancy of the findings was verified through a review of healthcare, medical, academic, and fundraising publications. We also gathered and contributed personal observations and experiences of the program from executives, physicians, and other healthcare professionals, academics, and fundraisers. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Over 21 years (2003-2023), the organization's fundraising program secured more than $1 billion and increased philanthropic revenue from an average of less than $10 million annually to an average of more than $100 million annually. Key components to this growth included: (a) increasing new commitments of $1 million and above from an average of 7.5 annually (2013-2016) to an average of 19 annually (2017-2020) by demonstrating organizational excellence, creating and implementing strategic plans, engaging the president and CEO as a lead fundraiser, and employing matching challenging initiatives; (b) establishing a pipeline of more than 1,000 donors giving $1,000 and above annually; and (c) engaging physicians in the fundraising process while protecting the physician-patient relationship. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: Informed by these findings and practical examples, current and emerging leaders in healthcare and their fundraising teams can collaboratively evaluate, strengthen, and secure increased philanthropic revenue, including $1 million gifts and higher.