Southwest washington Medical center
With the assistance of Campbell & Company, the SWMC Foundation transformed from a struggling to a thriving organization with two $15 million campaign gifts in hand.
A recognized leader in caring for its community, Southwest Washington Medical Center (SWMC) has been named by Solucient as one of the nation’s 100 Top Hospitals® five times, making it one of only 60 hospitals in the nation to receive the award five times or more. With a visionary chief executive officer at the helm and dedicated Medical Center and Foundation Board members, SWMC was ready to take the next step toward becoming one of the finest regional medical centers in the United States.
However, demand for service outpaced SWMC’s ability to provide care. The institution, located in Vancouver, Washington, just across the Columbia River from Portland, Oregon, is one of the busiest hospitals in a quickly growing region. After deliberate and thoughtful planning, SWMC began building a new eight-story patient tower incorporating cutting-edge healthcare design.
“We knew that philanthropy would be required to enable SWMC to provide the most advanced medicine and compassionate care to the community,” said Jean Rahn, executive director of the Southwest Washington Medical Center Foundation. The Foundation’s goal: to raise $15 million for the patient tower. This goal was a significant increase from the $800,000 to $1 million the Foundation was raising annually and five times the goal of the Foundation’s largest campaign to date. “We knew the philanthropic support was available, but the Foundation had not yet tapped into it,” said Rahn.
Tapping into Healthcare Experience
Rahn, appointed executive director of the Foundation shortly before the campaign began, had recently moved back to Washington after a 25-year development career at several universities. While she could have continued her career in higher education, she was intrigued by the possibility of moving into a different sector. “Although I knew how to fundraise, I had never raised money in a healthcare context,” said Rahn. “I needed someone with experience in healthcare fundraising to give me advice and serve as a sounding board during the campaign.” She found an ideal partner in Campbell & Company.
Engaging Key Constituents
To ensure a successful campaign, the Foundation needed to quickly engage its top donor prospects. Founded in 1853, SWMC had a long history in the community but had rarely asked for major gift support. Campbell & Company consultants Tom Wilson and Craig Hightower helped prepare a concise campaign case for support document and conducted nearly 50 one-on-one leadership briefings to cultivate top major gift donor prospects, test and refine the campaign case and recruit volunteer campaign leadership.
Campbell & Company then worked with SWMC engage and train internal constituents in fundraising activity, including President and CEO Joseph M. Kortum, who continues to be personally involved in fundraising efforts, and Foundation and Medical Center Board members, who were supportive of fundraising efforts but had little prior campaign experience. The firm also produced an eight-minute campaign DVD to help tell SWMC’s story.
Strategically Approaching Donors
It quickly became obvious that two individuals had the interest and ability to make significant gifts to SWMC’s campaign. David Nierenberg, campaign co-chair and vice president of the Medical Center Board, wanted to both make a substantial difference at SWMC and leverage his support. In consultation with the Foundation, he and his wife Patricia issued a $15 challenge grant to E. W. and Mary Firstenburg, the retired founders of a community bank. “We would get $30 million or nothing,” said Rahn. “Campbell & Company consultant Tom Wilson and I worked together to determine how to sequence the gifts and approach the donors to make sure they happened.”
With $30 million in hand from the two gifts—proving that lightning can indeed strike twice—the Foundation gained instant credibility in the philanthropic community and significant fundraising momentum. The Foundation broadened the scope of the campaign beyond the patient tower and began to raise funds to strengthen SWMC’s five centers of excellence and expand programs serving vulnerable populations. By late summer 2005, the campaign goal was raised from the original $15 million to $50 million. In addition to the two $15 million gifts, an additional $10 million has been pledged to date, and the Foundation is working to raise the final $10 million by December 2007.
Building for the Future
With the help of Campbell & Company, the Foundation is creating a comprehensive fundraising program, including a strong ongoing major gifts effort. “SWMC now has attention and support of the community,” said Rahn. “Thanks to Campbell & Company and many hours of work by staff and volunteers, we will be able to create a full-fledged development program and ensure that the Medical Center continues to have the resources to provide the best, advanced medical care to the community.”
