Philanthropy

Philanthropic dollars are not only nice to have, but also integral to the growth of most hospitals and health systems. This page offers research to support best-in-class development efforts. From virtual events on campaigns and market trends, to unique data sets around patient motivations and top gifts to healthcare, to case studies on partnering with boards and executives, this comprehensive set of resources will help you advance your organization’s mission.

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Learn about strategic planners’ most important priorities this year — and what they mean for development leaders

Learn about strategic planners' most important priorities for 2024, including improving clinical efficiency and addressing social determinants of health, and how they will impact philanthropy.

View the priorities

3 challenges and 3 opportunities for hospital philanthropy leaders

Hear the perspectives of senior development leaders on the current state of hospital philanthropy and the questions they have about ongoing funding for health equity initiatives.

Read the perspectives

Healthcare philanthropy in flux: 5 takeaways for senior development leaders

Over the past few years, the pandemic, economic instability, and workforce shortages have changed the way philanthropy leaders engage with donors, volunteers, and development allies. These five takeaways will help senior development leaders navigate the shifts.

Read the takeaways

Go deeper on our latest philanthropy insights

Research

Building a sustainable campaign pipeline

Read these two practice briefs to get strategic guidance and case examples for gaining visibility into pipeline performance to create sustainable campaigns.

Research

Curating donor-ready campaign priorities

Get six tactics for upgrading development teams’ approach to sourcing and communicating campaign priorities. Learn how to translate strategic needs into donor-ready opportunities and engage clinical stakeholders in that process.

Toolkit

Philanthropy-physician partnership toolkit

Discover a 10-step process for engaging clinicians as philanthropy partners and access tools to put each step into practice at your institution.

Research

Turning the tide on nurse-philanthropy partnerships

While physicians are valuable allies, nurses are more numerous, have more interactions with patients, and are atop the list of most trusted health care professionals. This report will detail eight proven steps to change the status quo and generate new major gifts through better nurse partnerships.

Toolkit

The grateful patient program resource suite

We've collected our best grateful patient resources all in one place. Browse our resource suite for best practices, implementation tools, and answers to questions about developing grateful patient programs.

Case Study

How joint fundraising advanced a childhood behavioral health program

Children’s National Hospital and MedStar Georgetown University Hospital teamed up to form the Early Childhood Innovation Network

Our Take

Using philanthropy to improve community partnerships

Expanding the value of health system development programs.

Expert Insight

3 lessons learned from health systems that turned to philanthropy to fund population health

See how three health systems funded population health projects related to capital investment, transportation, and community health at scale by working with their foundation and development partners

Research

8 tips on using predictive analytics in fundraising

Based on 30 interviews with industry leaders, learn 8 essential considerations for your predictive analytics strategy in health care fundraising.

Resource Library

Data and research-centered job descriptions for philanthropy teams

Browse 11 data and research-related job descriptions from your peers. Plus learn how to demonstrate the financial impact of hiring a non-fundraising FTE.

Resource Library

Philanthropy team organizational charts library

View our library of hospital and health system philanthropy team organizational charts to help compare and evaluate current structures.

Research

Philanthropy leaders – Challenge the three common concerns about remote work

Why embracing remote work may be critical to your retention and recruitment strategy.

Toolkit

The behavioral-based interviewing toolkit

It’s easy to understand the enthusiasm for behavioral-based interviewing, but implementation can be tricky. Here's everything you need to design, introduce, and sustain BBI at your institution.

Research

Transitioning from higher education to health care philanthropy part 1

Part 1 of 3 in a series designed to help fundraisers make the transition from higher education to health care. This part focuses on the single biggest difference between fundraising in higher education and healthcare: the donors.

Research

Why grateful patients donate

Learn how actual patient experiences and preferences compare to current grateful patient strategies.

Our Take

How generational change will upend donor strategy

Navigating shifting demographics in health care philanthropy.

Toolkit

Patient fundraising program toolkit

Use the toolkit's actionable diagnostics, strategic decision guides, and other resources to launch or enhance a grateful patient program.

Quick reads

Expert Insight

Hospitals' top strategic priorities — and what they mean for development leaders

As hospitals adapt their strategic priorities for 2024, development leaders need to understand how these changes will shape their fundraising efforts. Learn about strategic planners' most important priorities for 2024, including improving clinical efficiency and addressing social determinants of health, and how they will impact philanthropy.

Expert Insight

3 challenges and 3 opportunities for hospital philanthropy leaders

Hospital fundraisers face a unique set of challenges raised by fluctuating resources and funding priorities, but there are also successes that can be replicated. Hear the perspectives of senior development leaders on the current state of hospital philanthropy and the questions they have about ongoing funding for health equity initiatives.

Expert Insight

Healthcare philanthropy in flux: 5 takeaways for senior development leaders

These five takeaways from Advisory Board’s philanthropy research will help senior development leaders navigate shifts taking place in healthcare philanthropy.

Cheat Sheet

Fundraising for diversity, equity, and inclusion

How development teams can play a role in advancing DEI

Implementation resources

Case Study

How Sanford Health Foundation boosts portfolio productivity

Rightsizing portfolios, choosing appropriate goals, and creating live dashboards

Our Take

Engaging donors virtually as in-person options return

How to integrate virtual channels into your long-term strategy

Case Study

How Joint Fundraising Advanced a Childhood Behavioral Health Program

Children’s National Hospital and MedStar Georgetown University Hospital teamed up to form the Early Childhood Innovation Network

Case Study

How Texas Health Resources Foundation reconciles donor and health system goals to fund community partnerships

Using market intelligence to bridge C-suite and donor interests

Experts

Shay Pratt

Vice president, Research

Shay oversees research on industry sectors and market dynamics.

Erin Lanahan, MBA

Interim managing director, Philanthropy leadership council

Erin Lanahan oversees 2023 philanthropy research for Advisory Board.

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Philanthropy

Learn about strategic planners’ most important priorities this year — and what they mean for development leaders

3 challenges and 3 opportunities for hospital philanthropy leaders

Healthcare philanthropy in flux: 5 takeaways for senior development leaders

Building a sustainable campaign pipeline

Curating donor-ready campaign priorities

Philanthropy-physician partnership toolkit

Turning the tide on nurse-philanthropy partnerships

The grateful patient program resource suite

How joint fundraising advanced a childhood behavioral health program

Using philanthropy to improve community partnerships

3 lessons learned from health systems that turned to philanthropy to fund population health

8 tips on using predictive analytics in fundraising

Data and research-centered job descriptions for philanthropy teams

Philanthropy team organizational charts library

Philanthropy leaders – Challenge the three common concerns about remote work

The behavioral-based interviewing toolkit

Transitioning from higher education to health care philanthropy part 1

Why grateful patients donate

How generational change will upend donor strategy

Patient fundraising program toolkit

Hospitals' top strategic priorities — and what they mean for development leaders

3 challenges and 3 opportunities for hospital philanthropy leaders

Healthcare philanthropy in flux: 5 takeaways for senior development leaders

Fundraising for diversity, equity, and inclusion

How Sanford Health Foundation boosts portfolio productivity

Engaging donors virtually as in-person options return

How Joint Fundraising Advanced a Childhood Behavioral Health Program

How Texas Health Resources Foundation reconciles donor and health system goals to fund community partnerships

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Shay Pratt

Erin Lanahan, MBA

Product spotlight: Advisory Board Fellowship

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