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IN THIS ISSUE: Raising the bar for health care philanthropy Demystifying the CFRE and FAHP process AHP PACIFIC |
AHP Pacific Regional News
I am honored to serve as your AHP Pacific Regional Director for 2006-2007. In that role I have the pleasure and responsibility to serve on the AHP International Board, and through this e-mail newsletter I will keep you informed of our activities. I'm pleased to share with you that our first AHP Pacific Regional Cabinet conference call had 18 members participate, which AHP says broke all previous records. Your AHP Cabinet is active and involved, and we want to represent you well at AHP! Our focus in 2007 will continue to be based on AHP's Strategic Initiatives:
You and your organization are the backbone of AHP. I know that working together we will have an exciting and fulfilling year. I hope you will feel free to contact me or any member of the AHP Pacific Cabinet with any suggestions.
By Kelly Van Elswyk, Chair, AHP Pacific Regional Conference 2007 is upon us, and now is the time to mark your calendars for the AHP Pacific Regional Conference, June 24 – 26, in Monterey, California at the Portola Plaza Hotel. For the upcoming regional conference, we asked our members what they wanted to hear, hoped to learn more about, and to take back to their institutions. The consensus was “best practices.” So, this year’s theme is Best Practices in Health Care: Raising the Bar for Philanthropy. The conference committee has been working diligently putting together an outstanding educational program for you.
We are pleased that our Keynote Speaker is James A. Rice, Ph.D., FACHE, Vice Chairman of the Governance Institute, to speak on the topic “Philanthropy 2020: Raising Friends and Funds for the Hospital of the Future.” And of course, this year’s conference in Monterey, California wouldn’t quite be complete without an exclusive event at the Monterey Bay Aquarium. After the aquarium closes for the day to the public, AHP members and family guests will take pleasure in touring the premises while enjoying a strolling dinner. Conference information is scheduled to be mailed and posted on the AHP Web site in mid-February and I encourage you to make your reservations early. You can make hotel reservations now by calling the hotel directly at (866) 711-1534 or visit them online at www.portolaplazahotel.com. Please mention you are with AHP to receive the special conference rate. The Portola Plaza Hotel is located just 10 minutes from the Monterey Peninsula Airport (MRY). Airlines servicing the airport include American, United, Delta, and US Airways/America West for a total of more than 40 flights daily. Other travel options include flying into San Jose International Airport (SJC), a quick one-hour drive or San Francisco International Airport (SFO), a 1/5 hour drive down the picturesque California coast. To learn more about the AHP Pacific Regional Conference, visit the AHP Pacific Web site.
By Janet DeWolfe, CFRE, AHP Chair, Membership & Communications Faced with massive capital needs and ongoing financial constraints, our hospitals and health systems are elevating the expectations of our philanthropic programs like never before. This intensified pressure is causing most of us to critically assess our fundraising operations and seek opportunities to be more effective and efficient with our resources. Fortunately if you’re looking to “ramp up” your development efforts, there are several AHP organizations in our region that are nationally recognized as “best practice” institutions that are willing to share their journey and successes with other AHP members. Not too long ago, many of these same organizations reached difficult and challenging points in their development programs and needed to revitalize their efforts. What were some of the common initiatives that they implemented that led to their success? The four that stand out are:
In all cases, philanthropy was fully integrated into their hospital and or health system strategic plan, making the philanthropic program just as important to their organizations’ success as safety, quality and patient satisfaction. They engaged and involved senior executives, boards, management teams, and staff through training and orientations so that they understood the importance of philanthropy and could articulate its need for their organization to their public. A key initiative of these best practice organizations was they spent significant time with physicians to build referral streams that would bridge the grateful patient-donor gap. This allowed them the opportunity to include physicians in the philanthropic process from crafting case statements to participating in major gift solicitations. A critical component for each best practice philanthropic program was creating infrastructure that sought opportunities to distribute limited resources more effectively and efficiently. This included developing clear and well-defined job descriptions; setting realistic goals and performance expectations; establishing well-defined policies (gift acceptance, investments, donor recognition, etc.), and providing support resources for prospect research, database management and effective tracking systems. With all of this in place, each organization then created the platform for major gifts by implementing a disciplined and rigorous “moves management” process. This process included prospect identification and tracking systems that created prospect strategies and effectively managed relationships. The final initiative common among these best practice organizations was that they implemented appropriate performance standards for their professional staff. This included setting individual and or team goals (including activity and outcome); developing metrics for evaluation; collaborating among team members and key allies; and promoting constructive competition balanced by a long-term donor focus. The results for each organization were impressive. The benefits included increased funds raised, stronger grateful-patient referrals from physicians, higher retention from professional staff, and most of all, a high-performance development program. If you are looking to maximize your development performance and become more effective and efficient with your resources, now may be the time to seek out these best practice organizations. Many of these organizations have presented at AHP Regional and International conferences or have been published in the AHP Journal. I encourage you to use the resources on the AHP website to find further information on best practice AHP organizations.
Demystifying the CFRE and FAHP Process By Dena Cochran, FAHP, AHP Pacific Education/Certification Chair
Here are a few facts about the Certified Fundraising Executive (CFRE) and AHP Fellow (FAHP) certification programs... Both programs have requirements based on numbers of years experience in the fundraising profession, continuing education hours, fundraising performance achievements, and service to philanthropy. Both also have an exam. AHP offers a point tracker service for most of its conferences in the past two to three years to help you keep track of your educational hours. CFRE is the first certification level and must be renewed every five years. You must be a CFRE before you can become an AHP Fellow. To qualify for CFRE certification you must have at least five years fundraising experience. For the AHP Fellow program you need at least eight years. The CFRE program is operated by the independent CFRE Professional Certification Board which consists of representatives of the partnering organizations, including AHP. The Fellow designation is an AHP specific program. So, why put yourself through all of this? Because earning certification gives you professional recognition by documenting your experience and testing your knowledge of health care resource development. It establishes your fundraising credentials in a way that will make you a more effective fundraiser who is more valuable to your institution and more desirable should you decide to change jobs. To mitigate fear of failure and demystify the preparation process, AHP offers the Advanced Course in Health Care Fundraising to assist health care development professionals master key competencies and review for the CFRE exam. It is offered several times a year, including at the Pacific Regional Conference in Monterrey during late June. There is a preparation booklet for the course that can be purchased from the AHP Web site. You can also find several other CFRE exam prep courses by clicking on the Prep Courses key at the CFRE Web site. AHP also offers a core curriculum series of review materials which can help you prepare for either the CFRE or the AHP Fellow exam. AHP also provides a recommended reading list for preparation for the AHP Fellow exam. You can request the reading list by e-mailing AHP. A great way to demystify preparation for the FAHP exam is to use the AHP Fellow mentor program which is available to you even if you are just thinking about pursuing Fellow certification. If you would like to discuss the possibility or if you are already pursuing your FAHP designation, please call Dorothy (Dottie) Allen, AHP Fellow Mentor Program Chair, at (321) 637-2606. She can help you! The CFRE exam will be offered four times in 2007. The first exam is in March and applications are due 60 days in advance. For more CFRE exam information please visit www.cfre.org The AHP Fellow exam will be offered twice in 2007 - once at the AHP Madison Institute in July and once at the AHP International Conference in the fall. I’ll provide more information about test dates, sites, and exam format in the next AHP Pacific Regional newsletter. In the meantime if you have questions, please call me at (559) 624-2359. Dena Cochran, FAHP
Life Balance: Do What You Love By Mark McCampbell, AHP Pacific RIC/Communications Chair Resolutions are easier made than kept. More than 60% of those surveyed in a recent poll include weight loss and exercise in their New Year’s plans, yet for most those are temporary fixes at best. It’s easy to say “no” to dessert after weeks of holiday feasting, but come Valentine’s Day that sweet tooth is ready to be satisfied once more. For many, these minor changes seem meaningless in light of the much more significant changes that are needed to bring life into balance. At the core of a balanced life is our enjoyment of what we do for a living. More of our waking hours are spent at work than in any other activity. Development professionals who manage projects, people and prospects may find themselves away from home for twelve to fourteen hours a day. If you’re not enjoying what you’re doing, that pace can lead to burnout and dissatisfaction. How do you find fulfillment in what you do? It’s a simple truth so obvious it seems trite and cliché: Do what you love. Unfortunately, too many people spend too many years doing too many things they don’t enjoy doing. This happens when we fail to Measure, Assess and Correct. As you begin a new year, take time to think about and write down some specifics toward enjoying what you do professionally. Measure Assess Correct Taking time at the beginning of the year to measure, assess and correct will help you on the way to enjoying your profession more than you ever imagined possible. Our work is important in meeting others’ needs. Be sure you’re not missing your own needs. Do what you love. Mark McCampbell
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