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AHP Mid-Atlantic Regional News
Your 2002-2003 AHP Mid-Atlantic Region Cabinet looks forward to working with you to help you get the most out of your AHP membership this year. The cabinet and the AHP staff in Falls Church, Va. are already busy on a wide variety of initiatives, but ultimately what you get out of your AHP membership is up to you. A growing body of information from sources including a survey of AHP members who attended the San Antonio conference, a recent Guidestar member survey and conversations with many you indicate that fundraising professionals could be experiencing one of the most challenging periods in recent memory. There is increasing pressure to provide meaningful financial support for our hospitals, just when factors such as a balky economy and HIPAA seem to be conspiring to make our jobs more difficult. Yet, our professionalism, perseverance and commitment to our institutions are getting us through. Most of the same conversations that reference colleagues' challenges are also laced with tales of victory. So, let's hang in there. Continue to do your jobs well, serve your community and make time for your family and friends. Find ways to get together with your AHP colleagues. If your area has enough AHP members to support a roundtable, be a part of it — if you don't have a roundtable, start one (a small group is better than no group!). Meet some colleagues for coffee or for a drink after work. Get on the AHP Listserv and check out the AHP Web site. Call a colleague and compare notes. Make new friends and keep your old friends. Like almost everything else, health care philanthropy has a competitive aspect, and we are bound by ethics not to discuss private information about our donors with colleagues from other institutions. Nonetheless, there is still much we can share for the mutual benefit of ourselves and our colleagues - even the colleagues with whom we compete for donors and dollars. Please remember to mark your calendar for April 27-29 - the dates of the 2003 AHP Mid-Atlantic Region Conference in Alexandria, Va. Call your Mid-Atlantic Region Cabinet if you want to compare notes or ask questions. And, keep checking the AHP. Web site (www.ahp.org) for local, national and international health care fundraising information.
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