When our new team of development professionals was recruited to the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, philanthropy was not a part of the picture. The board of directors were not expected to make a donation or ask someone for a donation. They would, however, receive healthcare at one of the nation’s best hospitals. Our job was to introduce philanthropy – to the board and throughout the medical group practice.
To create a culture of philanthropy, we recruited a small, impactful committee of the board of Directors. It included the chair of Eaton Corporation and the Managing Partner of a Venture Capital firm, the CEO of a division of Berkshire Hathaway and a Senior Vice President of a regional bank. We also worked with division and department chairs to quantify gift opportunities and identify potential donors.
We got access to these board volunteers because of the tremendous respect they had for their physicians and surgeons. We leveraged that respect into opportunities to support the critical and innovative research and education the clinical team conducted. In one case, a board member suggested that we fly to DC and get money from the NIH. While not a bad idea, my response was that on this morning I was there to talk about a personal investment in the enterprise – not a government grant.
Starting from a short of list of qualified patients, identified by members of the medical team, we connected these prospective donors to the board major gift committee. Whether a round of golf, a dinner, a tennis match, a tour of a production plant, we were able to confirm the philanthropic interests of the donors, and tie them to initiatives at the clinic. The first 6 figure gift was for cancer research, “so no one will have to suffer the way my wife suffered.” From those small beginnings a culture of philanthropy emerged that engaged the board, patients and clinicians in improving the quality of healthcare delivery in Cleveland and by extension the nation and the world.
Philos. Anthropos. Love of Humankind so nobly expressed and demonstrated though Philanthropy.
For more information contact: scott@visionaryphilanthropy.com
Walking into the Judge’s office (that is the name given County Commissioners in Dallas County Texas- lest you get the wrong idea), I was uncertain of what to expect. It was my first interaction with a government official on a fundraising project. The question he asked was, “Will the philanthropic community of Dallas support the construction of a Charity Hospital to the tune of $50 million? That is what we want to know.”
Parkland Hospital’s history as a charity hospital was long and storied. The first hospital was constructed in 1929, the current facility in 1954. It was known as the place where President John F. Kennedy died. It was recognized for its trauma center, and because most of the children born to undocumented immigrants happened to arrive into the world in Parkland’s maternity ward.
A blue ribbon panel of architects, engineers, and business people ascertained that it was not realistic to renovate the current building. The demands of modern technology and way modern hospitals were configured for increased efficiency, and improved patient care required new construction. It was a once in a generation opportunity to address the population health needs of the city and region.
The problem was a new building would require just south of $1 Billion. Hospital Leadership (the late Dr. Ron Anderson at the time) thought they could generate $300 Million from operations over time, $50 Million was sought from philanthropy and the rest would come from a bond initiative financed by a property tax increase.
We conducted wealth screening and donor analytics and discovered that potential existed. However, the vice chair of the board, registered some skepticism. “I am accustomed to drilling an occasional dry well, and I don’t mind that if the rest of them hit oil. We use Monte Carlo Analysis in our work, would you mind if I had my guy look at your data?” Heck no. He was the client. His analyst took the data and ran his models. He ended up with a .98 correlation to what our forecast has projected. We earned his trust.
During the course of the feasibility study, we met with the leadership of the Dallas community, Philanthropists all. Included in the conversation were the Meadows Foundation, Mr. Paul Bass, Mr. Simmons, Mr. & Mrs. Reese-Jones, Mr. Bobby Lisle, Mr. Mike Myers and the Perot family. From them and others we heard the same thing, someone they knew was saved at Parkland Hospital. This included the husband of the associate vice president for development, who chose to work at Parkland Foundation because of it.
During the feasibility study two lead gifts were secured. One was a challenge gift of $50 Million from Mr. Simmons’ who said, “If we don’t step up to do this who will?” The second was from the Reese-Jones Foundation for $25 Million, which was contingent on the successful passing of the bond initiative.
Our recommendation to the Judges: Not only was $50 Million feasible, you have $75 Million in advance commitments and your goal should be $150 Million. The recommendation was accepted. That November the citizens of Dallas County passed the third consecutive property tax increase to finance the Charity Hospital. They did so with 82% of the vote. This launched the nation’s first public/private partnership in healthcare. Unfortunately, a recession hit, and it took a little longer to secure the final gifts. But the campaign was successful based on the dedication and generosity of the community. Philos. Anthropos. Love of Human Kind.
For more information contact: david@visionaryphilanthropy.com or scott@visionaryphilanthropy.com
The Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum (NASM) was created to preserve and celebrate the historical development of flight before and after the Wright brothers’ historic flight on December 16, 1903 in Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. A wonderful museum and exhibit was created on the National Mall in Washington, DC.
As the collection grew, there was more inventory of important historic significance to aviation and space travel than could be displayed in the existing museum. There was limited space to restore and preserve key artifacts in the collection. An SR-71 reconnaissance jet, a supersonic Concorde, and the Enola Gay, were just an example of the aircraft stored off-site, and out of view in Suitland, Maryland. Smithsonian leadership realized that building a companion museum to the one on the National Mall was a critical need if the mission of chronicling the history of flight was to be accomplished. After careful planning and thought, a philanthropic goal of $240 million was established to construct a new facility.
The Director of NASM recruited corporate leaders in the aviation and space industry for their commitment and involvement, as well as to serve on an advisory board for the museum. Top individuals from all the airlines, manufacturers like Boeing and Lockheed Martin, and several astronauts including John Glenn, Gene Cernan, and Jim Lovell became active members of the board.
An early focus of the campaign was to secure a cornerstone gift that would inspire and challenge the aviation industry and individuals. A board member identified Mr. Steven F. Udvar-Hazy, one of the most respected men in aviation, as a potential donor for the campaign. He was born in Hungary, immigrated to the United States with his parents and built a successful career buying and then leasing aircraft to airlines. Since his early childhood, he had a passion for flight.
Persistent efforts to reach Mr. Udvar-Hazy resulted in his visit to the National Air & Space Museum, a tour, and a review of the plans. He was fascinated by the concept. And he appreciated the opportunity to do something significant for the Nation and the aeronautics industry. I can still remember his statement, “I would like to make a commitment in the range of $60 million.” Those of us around the lunch table, the curator, board members, and I all got up and hugged him in appreciation.
His was the commitment that essentially launched the campaign and made the companion museum in Chantilly Virginia a reality. At the time, it was the largest donation ever given to a museum. Based on this transformational gift, which served as the catalyst, the campaign concluded by exceeding the goal in 2003. The Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center was opened in 2010, and includes the aircraft mentioned above as well as a dedicated space for the restoration of aircraft.
In short: There was a problem. There was a vision. An opportunity was presented, and a philanthropist responded.
For more information contact johnf@visionaryphilanthropy.com