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Warmest wishes as we launch into a new year. Each time I see the year 2010, I am amazed that we are already 10 years into the 21st Century. I look forward, as we go into this new year, to seeing AHP Canada continue to grow and thrive. As you read through this issue of Healthy Attitudes, you will see some of our 2009 activities, read some resourceful material and hear about a few of our upcoming events.
In my role as your regional director for the next two years, I look forward to working with the AHP Canada cabinet members and the many members, sponsors and staff at AHP International who dedicate their time and energy working with AHP Canada. I also want to take this opportunity to thank Linda Saunders, CFRE, for her strong leadership as regional director over the past two years. She did so much to move us forward and keep the spirit of philanthropy in front of us. Thank you Linda; and I will now turn it over to Linda for her “swan song.”
Nancy Hewat, FAHP
Regional Director
AHP Canada
My swan song
By Linda Saunders, CFRE, past regional director, AHP Canada
It has been an enormous privilege to serve as your regional director for AHP Canada for the past two years – I can’t believe how quickly the time has flown or how much I have learned from the experience and from all of you.
There have been so many high points. Were you in Montreal to catch the “renegade” spirit in June? If you were (or even if you weren't), be sure to see the memories captured in the AHP Canada Regional Conference photo album. Paulanne Jushkevich,CFRE, and her committee organized a conference which offered a thought-provoking educational program highlighting innovation and best practices and, on the social side, an opportunity to sample Quebec culture and a bit of the history of Montreal. C’était superbe!
Speaking of superb, KCI Philanthropy, a long standing supporter of AHP Canada, raised its support to a new level this year by becoming the first presenting sponsor of the AHP Canada Regional Conference. Very special thanks to Marnie Spears and the team at KCI! I would also like to thank the rest of the AHP Canada Regional Conference sponsors, including McLean Budden, Blue Lemon, Blackbaud, Johnson Inc, Legacy Leaders, Crawford Connect, PHN, The Offord Group and Blakely & Associates. If you see of any of their smiling faces, please be sure to express your gratitude for all they do for us. As regional director I have come to understand even more than I did before how very important our many sponsors are to the success of our organization, and I thank each of them for their commitment to our region and our profession.
Another first at the 2009 AHP Canada Regional Conference was the presentation of the first AHP Canada Leadership Award. I was thrilled to accept it on behalf of my friend and colleague, Tim Cameron, CFRE, but wished he could have been there. Typical of Tim, he changed his plans to attend the conference when he realized the dates conflicted with a volunteer commitment he had made.The volunteer work came first. Congratulations, too, to the recipient of the AHP Culture of Philanthropy Award, Hamilton Health Sciences Foundation.
Of course, if I am recalling highlights of the past two years, the wonderful voyage that Captain Bill Bean and his crew took us on at the 2008 AHP Canada Regional Conference in Halifax immediately springs to mind. Another highlight was the recent AHP Annual International Conference in San Francisco, which provided a wonderful opportunity to connect to all of you in person and collectively demonstrate the strength and passion of the AHP Canada region. Thanks to the leadership of annual fund chair, Nancy Hewat, FAHP and the generosity of all of you who made gifts to the AHP Canada Annual Fund (HDEF) this year, AHP Canada even won three of the four AHP Foundation Awards at the conference!
Over the past two years your cabinet has worked hard to flesh out an annual plan, based on AHP’s strategic plan, and to implement it and monitor progress on a regular basis. One of the prime tenets of that plan was to enhance the value of membership at the provincial level. A key issue identified by provincial representatives in achieving that aim has been the geographic difficulty in organizing regional or provincial face-to-face roundtable meetings. I am pleased to report that the AHP International staff and leadership have, given thought to this challenge, and I have been part of a task force which has been exploring virtual alternatives for distance communication and I expect concrete solutions will be available very soon.
Another plank in the plan is to strengthen the AHP Awards program. The value of the program is two-fold – the awards not only recognize outstanding leadership, innovation and best practices; they are also a very tangible way of sharing knowledge. I urge you to consider submitting an entry today!
When I was preparing to write this article I started to make a list of the people I wanted to recognize for their service to AHP during my tenure as regional director. As it grew and grew, I came to two realizations: first, I couldn't possibly list everyone I needed to, and second, even if I did, I think Andrea Page, CFRE, our communications chair, wouldn't appreciate my taking up the entire newsletter for that purpose!
Cabinet members, conference chairs, sponsors, committee members, track deans, conference presenters, roundtable leaders … thank you all for giving back to our profession!
I said this was my swan song but it isn’t, really. I am looking forward to continuing to serve on the cabinet under the leadership of Nancy Hewat, FAHP. As past regional director, I will be taking on the government relations portfolio and welcome your input on government issues relevant to our work.
Linda Saunders, CFRE
Past Regional Director
AHP Canada
AHP Canada Regional Conference
The AHP Canada conference committee has been working diligently to assemble a top-notch education program for the AHP Canada Regional Conference April 18-20, 2010 in Toronto, ON. The conference, "Reaching the Top: Sharing Best Practices in Health Care Fundraising and Public Relations Programs," will be in association with HCPRA again and will spotlight important trends in building relationships, leadership and public relations. The conference is being held at the Hyatt Regency on King Street in downtown Toronto. The Hotel rate is $168 single/double and the conference fee early bird is $395. Registration will be available in the next couple of weeks so mark your calendar and check back to the AHP Web site soon!
In the meantime, consider applying for an AHP Foundation Scholarship. The application deadline to apply for a scholarship (covering attendance at any of AHP's 2010 educational events) is February 12, 2010. Bursary applications (also covering 2010 AHP education) will be available soon.
Read testimonials from last year's Bursary Award Winners.
Tim Cameron, CFRE receives AHP Leadership Award
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Tim Cameron, CFRE, executive director of the Saint John Regional Hospital Foundation, was awarded the AHP Canada Leadership Award. This national award recognizes an individual who has made an outstanding contribution to his or her community, institution and the fundraising profession.
Cameron served as education chair at two national conferences, served for four years as NB representative on the AHP Canada cabinet and chaired regular meetings of the NB and PEI roundtable. Although his term has expired, he continues to serve as roundtable chair. |
In 2000, Tim earned his professional designation as a Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE). “Tim Cameron has demonstrated exemplary leadership, dedication and vision throughout his career and is most deserving of this prestigious honour,” says Linda Saunders, CFRE.
Cameron is no stranger to volunteer work. He has left his mark on many groups, including: Canadian Association of Gift Planners, World Food Day Association, Human Development Council, Association for Community Living, Amnesty International, Canadian Red Cross and the New Brunswick Lung Association.
John K. F. Irving, past chair of the Saint John Regional Hospital Foundation board of directors, is delighted that Cameron is being recognized for his extraordinary work in the field, saying “I can think of no worthier recipient of the first AHP Canada Leadership Award than Tim Cameron.”
Perspectives on Canadian philanthropy
The Offord Group recently published its fourth issue of "Perspectives on Canadian Philanthropy." This yearly publication focuses on providing the charitable sector with relevant information on current issues and trends. The following is a synopsis of their findings:
Women & philanthropy. Women are behind more major workplace and home decisions; as well they are also living longer and are expected to be in charge of much of the $41 trillion that will pass from generation to generation over the next 50 years. According to an article by Prabha Mattappally, to capitalize on this gender evolution, charities should strive to develop programs specifically to meet the needs of women.
Courageous leadership. Leadership is about making difficult choices, about changing the status quo and about challenging sacred cows. Many charities are now seeking leaders from other sectors; leaders who, in addition to proven leadership capabilities and passion for the cause, bring a different perspective on the future of the organization. Being a top fundraiser in the organization doesn’t automatically qualify you for the top job, especially if the Board demands a different skill set. According to Sharon Rudy, a highly respected search consultant, the top qualities she looks for in charitable sector leaders includes: compelling communication, quiet confidence, humility, and most importantly, excellent judgement to lead, plan, recruit, train and execute.
Advanced technology. With the rise of electronic communications and social networking, a charity can essentially reach out to its community from anywhere, at anytime. We are all familiar with the Obama effect; the Obama campaign extensively used (and continues to use) the internet as both an outreach and fundraising tool...and fundraise they did! During the 21-month campaign, the team raised more than half a billion dollars. This is more than five times what John McCain’s team raised.
According to an article by Andrea Belanger, who has consulted on communications and government relations for more than 20 years, political campaigns are not the same as fundraising campaigns; however we can still learn much from the Obama effect, most importantly, that providing someone with information that is of interest to them and allowing them to back up their interest with a donation can yield significant results.
Going green. More and more corporations are adopting "green" initiatives in response to consumer demand. Eighty percent of Canadians list "environmental impact" in their product purchasing considerations and 50 percent of all consumers favour businesses that employ environmentally responsible initiatives. So how green is your charity?
Incorporating consumer trends should be an important facet of a charity’s marketability. Although environmental measures are often perceived as too costly for charities, adopting some greener habits can, in fact, cost you next-to-nothing. According to an article by Diane Scrafield, a few examples include: turning off equipment at night and using power saver features, printing double-sided documents or using scrap paper to print draft documents, and lowering the heat in the winter and using fans in the summer. These simple organizational changes can have a significant impact on the environment.
Coming challenges. The coming decade is sure to bring upon us great change. In addition to changes that will come as a result of women’s increasing role in philanthropy and the evolution of charitable communications, we are sure to be impacted (to what degree is still unknown) by such factors as the ongoing challenges of the Canadian health care system and sustainability issues, volunteerism, global instability and shifting personal priorities for social change. A charity’s ability to effectively address these "shifts" and position itself accordingly will protect itself from, if not potentially capitalize on, these issues.
For more on these topics, as well as additional articles, you can download a complimentary copy of The Offord Group: Perspectives on Canadian Philanthropy – Volume IV.
AHP Resource Center needs fresh Canadian content!
A revitalized AHP Web site and online resource center environment will support easy access to an extensive library of information and samples. Please help keep the Canadian information current by sending AHP your latest marketing and direct mail samples, policies, program strategy documents, job descriptions, organizational charts and anything else that could be of help to your colleagues! We encourage you to submit samples of your work to resource@ahp.org. Thank you!
Did you know?
Did You Know? Canadians plan on giving more time and money in 2010
According to a January poll conducted by Harris/Decima, 29 percent of Canadians report they are planning to give more time to worthwhile causes in 2010, and 19 percent indicate they are planning to donate more money. With regards to how they like to give, 69 percent of respondents say they would rather donate time than money, and 89 percent indicate that they prefer to volunteer locally in their community. Another 82 percent say they donate to local charities and causes.
Did You Know? Just 1 percent of baby boomers budget giving with a financial planner
An August 2009 survey of Canadian boomers by Ipsos Reid shows that 44 percent of boomers donate to charities on impulse, without a plan or budget, and just 1 percent donate to charity as part of a plan or budget, with the help of a financial advisor.
Did You Know? Medical and children's charities remain on top in Canada
A January 2010 Ipsos Reid study indicates that the biggest beneficiaries of Canadian online giving are medical charities (77 percent), followed by poverty and international development charities (51 percent). Others are less likely to be the recipients of donations, with 41 percent donating to children’s charities, 33 percent to social charities such as places of worship or the arts, 31 percent to environmental charities and 7 percent to political/justice causes. Donations to medical and children’s charities tend to increase with household income.
New Year's resolutions of a fundraiser
- I will take the time to celebrate the small successes.
- I will be a mentor.
- I will spend more time talking to board members and volunteers and go that extra mile in thanking them.
- I will make more phone calls (each and every day) to connect with donors, volunteers and board members.
- I will spend more time planning, instead of reacting.
- I will encourage more “fun” time with staff, talk more about issues or just surprise them with pizza, treats or flowers.
- I will ensure a healthy work/life balance.
Philanthropy quotes
"The deed is everything, the glory naught." ―Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
"Many persons have a wrong idea of what constitutes true happiness. It is not attained through self-gratification but through fidelity to a worthy purpose."―Helen Keller
"In the four decades of philanthropy that have paralleled my business career, I’ve found that the same principles apply whether you’re providing access to capital to grow a business, creating a new paradigm for medical research, or pioneering innovative approaches to education: Empower the most talented people in each field and encourage them to pursue their passions."
―Michael Milken
"Life begets life. Energy becomes energy. It is by spending oneself that one becomes rich." ―Sarah Bernhardt
"It is one of the most beautiful compensations of this life that no man can sincerely try to help another without helping himself… Serve and thou shall be served."―Ralph Waldo Emerson
A note from the communications chair
This publication will be what you want it to be! In order for that to happen, we need your input, your sage advice and even your criticism. Our aim is to ensure the information is topical, interesting, thought provoking and value added. But we need your help.
Here is your chance! We are especially seeking stories, ideas, photographs or even short tips on philanthropic ideas that have worked for you and your organization.
Have you found a wonderful way to turn your special events into an amazing way to garner long-term supporters? Do you have important ideas on cultivating major gifts? On involving board members? On creating awareness of your organization? How has gaining your certification (CFRE, FAHP) helped you in your work? Tell us about your e-philanthropy program, about your direct mail program or about your annual campaign. What is working for you?
In order to make this newsletter the best it can be, more submissions from AHP members from throughout Canada are needed.
Our deadline for copy for Healthy Attitudes is:
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| December |
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Wishing you success in your philanthropic endeavours! And most importantly…a balanced life with time for your families...
Andrea Page, CFRE
AHP Canada Regional Communications Chair
andrea.page@hpha.ca