It’s no secret that the pandemic tested the healthcare field more than any other industry. With unprecedented demand on services, leaders had to pivot to reach their goals. Bethesda Hospitals’ fundraising arm rose to meet this historic moment, raising more money in 2020 than in any recent year. But how did they do it?
Bethesda Hospitals’ foundation team successfully navigated many challenges in the years before 2020. There wasn’t a curve ball they couldn’t see coming. Then the pandemic hit. “We had to throw the fundraising rulebook out. Our team knew we had a small window of opportunity to pivot and embrace new goals and means of achieving them,” said Barbara James, Assistant Vice President of the Baptist Health Foundation and Chief Development Officer of Bethesda Hospital, whose team was one of the early adopters of virtual events. “We had a greater need for funding than ever. We would even call it a moral obligation to continue to provide the finest healthcare available in our area. We were blocked by the pandemic with what we could do to raise the crucial funds needed to execute emergency services at the level our community deserved and came to expect from us. We had to find a way through. No was never an option.”
So the Bethesda Hospitals’ fundraising team started to think outside the box – literally. James credits her team for pivoting immediately to unique ways of engaging donors and thinks that quick timing made all the difference. Baptist Health Foundation at Bethesda Hospitals planned two virtual events, multiple virtual speaker series, amped up electronic communications and secured in-kind partners to directly address front-line worker needs. “I think we were the first team to provide elevated party boxes for our gala events.We were also one of the first to work with partners to distribute fresh produce to healthcare workers. These small touches went a long way to take care of our incredible frontline workers and thank our donors for supporting those that were there for our community when we needed them the most.”
The creative efforts of Baptist Health Foundation at Bethesda Hospitals enabled them to have their most successful year on record raising $9.2M from the community in 2020 that is pledged to go directly back into the community. Modernizing the hospital’s emergency department to support the unprecedented need for treatment is next on the agenda. James sees this multimillion dollar renovation project as another victory waiting to happen for Palm Beach County. “Our services are a reflection of our amazingly resilient and generous community who support our work. If we can pull together during the worst of times, there is nothing we can’t accomplish.” Good advice for all of us.