Healthcare and education employ different financial models and yet the increasing costs in both sectors have led to intense pressure on fundraising staff. The pace can be harrowing, and the pressure intense. This interactive session will explore what we in education can learn from our counterparts in healthcare fundraising.

In general, hospital fundraisers operate in a world of need and speed. There is typically a shorter cultivation period as compared to the time we take building a relationship with alumni or parents. Development professionals may connect with patient prospects the day they are admitted for medical care or shortly thereafter. We will demonstrate how shortening the cultivation period with certain constituents can be just as successful in a school setting.

Urgent fundraising is also necessary as hospitals experience fluctuating revenue from their payers, from insurance companies to government contracts, and so many aging hospitals are in desperate need of renovation and replacement. What can we learn from the way hospitals managers and fundraisers respond to these pressures? We will look at short cuts and disruptive techniques some healthcare fundraisers have applied, from mini feasibility studies and mini campaigns, to the creative use of volunteers, the elimination of volunteer groups and heavier reliance on professional fundraisers.

Finally, participants will explore the transferable benefits of grateful patient programs and related family fundraising strategies. These programs provide a pathway that connects clinicians and hospital executives to fundraising. We will explore how your own school's life transforming student stories can provide a foundation to engage Heads of Schools and leadership in philanthropy training that feels authentic to all.