Two Toronto hospitals are ditching capital campaigns in favor of smaller, more personal fundraising drives, according to a “Chronicle of Philanthropy” study released by The Advisory Board this week.
The study found smaller campaigns have the added benefit of retaining staff, due to less burnout and lower turnover rates.
Toronto Western Hospital Campaign Director Anette Larsson said not being tied to a capital project has allowed her to spend more time with donors, board members, physicians, and other hospital and community leaders, according to the study.
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New gifts and pledges have increased from $16 million annually in 2000, before the fundraising switch, to more than $100 million last year, according to the Advisory Board’s report. This year, the hospital is expected to raise nearly $145 million, it said.
At Toronto General & Western Hospital Foundation, donations have increased by at least 8 percent annually under the new strategy, according to President Tennys Hanson. That’s roughly the same amount that would have been raised through a capital campaign for the two facilities, he said in the study.
Instead of a capital campaign, the foundation pairs 10 senior development officers with trustees who can act as a "board champion," to help raise money for areas of health care in which they have interest, according to the study.
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In addition, fundraisers work more closely with the physicians and medical researchers that donations will most affect. For instance, Larsson is currently looking for at least $100,000 in donations to support the foundation's Campaign to Cure Arthritis and works next door to researchers leading the charge to find prevention and treatment methods.
Ten surgeons have each given $125,000 to the arthritis campaign, and one patient matched the doctors' donations, with a gift of $1.25 million, according to the study. The campaign raised $35 million.
"When people heard the doctors are putting their own gifts on the table, it really surprises people," Larsson said in the study. The foundation has been able to hire higher-level fundraisers -- including individuals who previously held high-pressure jobs like development officer -- because the lower-stress environment is more palatable, according to the study.
Integration with a hospital’s business planning process allows philanthropy leaders to identify and commit to fundable projects that also support the institution’s highest strategic priorities.
Twitter: @SusanMorseHFN