Listening to Build A Donor Community

How to Rally your Major Gift Donors for Your Organization

After a speaking engagement on listening to donors at the AHP Southeast regional conference outside of Jacksonville, Florida I was asked the following question:

“What can we do with donors for two hospitals who recently merged? The two hospitals had very different cultures and sets of donors. And, of course many in the community who didn’t give to either one. We’re trying to build a culture of philanthropy. What could we be doing through listening?”

We thought together and came up with a good idea. Write a overview case for support of the newly merged hospital system and foundation. List 5 to 7 projects that might need support over the next 2 to 3 years (hopefully longer). Then mail out a request for interview letter with this information to 50 to 100 of the new hospital foundation’s best potential donors — probably a mixture of past donors to each of the old hospitals plus community members never asked before.

Basically, conduct a donor engagement study to see how the new foundation is perceived and which projects would excite all donors collectively and specific donors.

Go listen to your major gift donors. Let them help you rally themselves around the newly energized healthcare system for their community.

Do try this at home. Listening is fun.

Tom Wilson

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