Methodist Health System recently broke ground on its new $108-million Charles A. Sammons Trauma and Critical Care Tower at Methodist Dallas Medical Center, and a part of its cost was covered through fundraising.
April Box Chamberlain, president and CEO of Methodist Health System Foundation, has led the foundation for 10 years, during which time she increased its endowment from $25 million to over $85 million in assets. Ms. Box Chamberlain discusses some of the challenges of raising funds for capital projects and how her team overcame them.
1. Establishing a goal. “Establishing an initial capital campaign goal is both an art and a science,” says Ms. Box Chamberlain. The goal needs to be challenging for the organization yet attainable. Philanthropic campaigns are typically designed to raise 10 percent of the total cost, she says. However, in some cases, philantrophy covers more or less than that amount. The rest is covered by the hospital through other means.
For the trauma center, Methodist Health would have had to raise around $11 million, if it set its goal at 10 percent of construction costs. However, early on, the health system received a gift of $5 million from the Dallas Sammons Foundation. This gave them the confidence to commit to the goal of raising $20 million. This is a historic sum for Methodist Health, as they had no history of raising that amount, says Ms. Box Chamberlain.
For organizations that do not have the benefit of a substantial lead gift, Ms. Box Chamberlain suggests that they look at the past and examine their fundraising efforts. Looking at whether they have exceeded fundraising goals before might help inform their decisions on setting the goal for a new campaign.
2. Establishing campaign leadership. The leaders set the tone for the campaign and serve as its ambassadors, says Ms. Box Chamberlain. In establishing a campaign committee, Methodist Health looked for a diverse mix of Dallas leaders. Some of these leaders had established relationships with Methodist Health hospitals and the philanthropic community, while some were just beginning to get involved in community volunteerism and leadership. It took two years to establish the campaign chairman and a committee of 21 people, she says.
3. Educating donors. Educating the donors about the state of emergency and trauma services in Dallas and why a new facility was needed was an important aspect of the campaign, says Ms. Box Chamberlain. In order for donors to become true advocates for the campaign, they need to fully understand the project.
Most of the donors and the larger community didn’t realize that the trauma center at Methodist Dallas Medical Center was one of only three adult trauma centers in Dallas. “There is a 30 percent chance they or someone they love will need the specialized care Methodist Dallas Medical Center provides,” says Ms. Box Chamberlain. “Methodist Dallas is a critical safety net hospital for all of Dallas.” Methodist Health educated its donors and also invited them on personal tours of its emergency department and campus, she says.
“As much thought and careful planning should be devoted to the design of the philanthropic campaign as has been devoted the design of the building it will support,” says Ms. Box Chamberlain. Part of this planning process involves fully understanding the challenges the campaign poses and working through them, with support from the organization’s senior leadership and board members.
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