New High Reached in Canadian Health Care Philanthropy

WASHINGTON, Oct. 1, 2013 /CNW/ - Canadian citizens, foundations, corporations and government agencies last year donated the largest amount of cash and pledges, more than $1.4 billion, in support of the nation's health care institutions, according to the Report on Giving, Canada, issued today by the Association for Healthcare Philanthropy (AHP).

Fiscal year 2012 saw a 4.9% increase in donations over 2011. It was the fourth consecutive year of advances in philanthropic giving to Canadian health care institutions since 2008, when during the recession, such donations plunged 20% from year-earlier levels.

"As the Canadian economy recovers and grows, philanthropy directed towards meeting the vital needs of hospitals, clinics, health care systems, hospices, long-term care facilities and home care providers is steadily increasing," said William C. McGinly, Ph.D., CAE, president and CEO of the 5000-member association of fundraisers who work on behalf of more than 2,000 nonprofit health care organizations in Canada and the U.S.

"The median amount these organizations raised last year came to about $4.2 million, and that is a testament to both the generosity of Canadian donors and the hard work of fundraisers," noted Jory Pritchard-Kerr, FAHP, CFRE, the association's regional director for Canada and executive director of the Collingwood General and Marine Hospital Foundation in Collingwood, Ont.

There was wide variation among institutions in both how and how much money was raised in cash and pledges. Teaching and academic hospitals raised a median of $8.46 million, while the median for community hospitals was $3.1 million. The highest median amount of $10.73 million was raised by a category of organizations that include psychiatric and specialty hospitals, clinics and health care systems.

The most productive fundraising activities were major gifts (gifts of $10,000 or more), annual giving, special events and gifts from corporations and foundations. Major gifts accounted for 25.9% of the FY 2012 donations of cash or pledges, annual giving 20.2%, special events 14.5% and corporate and foundation gifts 14.1%. The remaining 25% was attributed to government grants (3.7%), planned giving (10.1%), and sources such as lotteries, income from gift shops and other collaborative efforts.

In general, approximately 50 cents of every donated dollar went towards the purchase of capital equipment, while 16 cents was spent on construction and renovation projects, 11 cents on patient care and 9 cents on research. The remaining 14% funded educational programs, long-term, hospice and home care services, general operations and community support programs.

The AHP Report on Giving examines characteristics of the top 25% health care organizations in terms of total production. Development programs in these high-performing organizations last year were those with sufficient talent and resources to make significant investments in philanthropy, raising a median amount of $21.1 million, five times higher than the survey average. More than 84% of these programs, for example, devoted at least $2 million to fundraising and had seven or more full-time employees. They also depended more on corporate and foundation gifts and less on annual giving than programs in the lower quintiles.

For 29 years, AHP has annually sponsored a detailed survey of the development programs of U.S. and Canadian health care institutions. In Canada, the response rate in FY 2012 topped 29% of 212 organizations that were queried.

The fiscal year 2012 survey for the first time incorporated elements of AHP's signature performance benchmarking service. It is designed to facilitate useful comparisons among philanthropy programs of varying sizes and financial footings, from large hospital systems to community hospitals and long-term, hospice and home care facilities. The survey adheres to AHP's standards for reporting fundraising revenue and expenses, as published in the AHP Standards Manual.

Quick facts about the AHP Report on Giving are available for free on the AHP website at www.ahp.org/reportongivingca. The complete report is available for a fee, or for free to AHP members who completed the survey.

The Association for Healthcare Philanthropy, established in 1967, is a nonprofit organization whose more than 5,000 members direct philanthropic programs in 2,000 of North America's nonprofit health care providers. Hospitals, health care systems and related facilities for which AHP members raise charitable funds provide essential, comprehensive medical services to their communities, as well as wellness programs, mobile health vans, mammography screenings, hearing and eye exams and other community-based health care services.

AHP's members include fundraising professionals, development staff, public relations professionals, trustees, marketing professionals, administrators and executives interested in health care fundraising.

www.ahp.org

CONTACT: Kathy Renzetti, [phone], [phone], [e-mail]

SOURCE: Association for Healthcare Philanthropy

For further information:

http://www.ahp.org