Originally published in the April 15, 2016 AHP Connect
The following article is based on an AHP webinar presented on February 17, 2016, by Cindy Reynolds, chief development officer for Bon Secours Health System, and Darrell Godfrey, senior vice president for Advancement Resources.
The relationship between physicians and their patients is a sacred one—and development professionals are fully aware of this. How then can your team effectively educate caregivers to establish trust, rapport and regular patient referrals to your development office? How can trust and understanding be mutually established between caregivers and development staff?
Continuous research has shown that after a meaningful health care experience, patients and families often express gratitude by giving back as part of their healing process. Reynolds and Godfrey say the key to successful physician engagement is twofold: 1) provide caregivers with knowledge on the benefits of philanthropy and their appropriate and ethical roles; and 2) overcome the obstacles that stand in the way of physician engagement.
Reynolds introduces five common hurdles related to caregiver engagement and how to strategically address them:
1. Common myths about philanthropy
When it comes to philanthropy, caregivers assume they are being asked to get a donation out of their patients. The development team has to clarify that caregivers are not by any means asked to be fundraisers, says Reynolds. Start by introducing the concept of philanthropy. Then, doctors and nurses can begin to understand how meaningful and healing the giving process can be for patients.
The role of caregivers is as simple as listening and watching for cues when a patient expresses a desire to engage further, such as giving thanks in a grateful manner. If that happens, the caregiver can make referrals to the development office. Philanthropy is all about engagement— and that may be just what patients need in order to heal.
2. Professional differences between development and health care
Most physicians and nurses decide on their profession at a young age, sacrificing to make it to where they are, whereas development professionals likely had a different career first and then “kind of fell into it.” Reynolds and Godfrey suggest you prepare answers for the following questions from caregivers: What about development makes you passionate? What about this career is fulfilling to you?