WASHINGTON, D.C., (November 30, 2009) – The Association for Healthcare Philanthropy (AHP) recognized Sharon A. Jones of HPC Healthcare, Inc., Tampa, Fla., for achieving the AHP Fellow designation (FAHP). Jones is in the 35th class of Fellows to be honored.
Elevation to the status of Fellow in AHP is the highest level of achievement in the field of health care philanthropy. Conferring of the Fellow designation is not so much an award, as it is recognition of individual professional distinction, well earned through dedication and continual self-advancement.
Sharon A. Jones, FAHP, CFRE, joined HPC Healthcare in August 2005 as the vice president of development. Prior to that, she served as vice president of development for the Munroe Foundation of the Munroe Regional Medical Center in Ocala, Fla.
Jones is a Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE), a Certified Hospice Administrator and a 2008 graduate of Leadership Tampa. She is a graduate of the University of Florida. Jones is the regional director-elect and a member of the AHP Southeast Regional Cabinet, where she co-chaired the AHP Southeast and Rockies & Southwest Joint Regional Conference. She also served as a trustee of the AHP Foundation Board and acted as the Annual Fund Chair from 2007-2008. In addition, Jones is a member of the New Tampa Evening Rotary Club and is past president of the Ocala Rotary Club, of which she was named Rotarian of the Year in 1997.
The Association for Healthcare Philanthropy is dedicated to the advancement of health care institutions and organizations through the enhancement of its members' performance and professionalism. To this end, AHP sets professional standards for health care development officers, offers comprehensive educational programs to help them achieve those standards, and examines them to determine who meets those standards. Professionals who successfully complete the Fellow examination earn the designation "Fellow of the Association for Healthcare Philanthropy," or FAHP.
Successful applicants must have earned the Certified Fundraising Executive (CFRE) designation, have at least eight years of experience in raising and managing philanthropic funds for a health care organization, and pledge in writing to adhere to the AHP Statement of Professional Standards and Conduct and to uphold the AHP-endorsed Donor Bill of Rights. To achieve the status of Fellow, applicants must pass a written and oral exam.
AHP, established in 1967, is a not-for-profit organization whose 4,800+ members manage philanthropic programs in 2,000 of the nation's 3,400 not-for-profit health care providers.
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