One of the questions I get very often from candidates in higher education is how I made the transition from higher-ed to healthcare philanthropy. Often, higher-ed candidates tell me they feel overlooked and not fully seen when going for fundraising jobs in healthcare. And some healthcare clients can be quite strict that experience in healthcare fundraising is a “must have.”
As someone who has worked on both sides of that divide, I can say that it’s not as wide as some may think. Fundraisers in higher-ed bring a lot to the table that could benefit healthcare institutions – which often struggle to staff up their growing philanthropy teams. So those candidates should not shy away from applying for jobs in the healthcare sector. At the same time, healthcare institutions should keep an open mind about such candidates, because much of the work in higher-ed fundraising is applicable to healthcare, even if candidates don’t have experience directly in a hospital or medical center.
First, philanthropy in higher-ed has been around for hundreds of years, at least since John Harvard gave the founding gift for Harvard College in 1636. Healthcare philanthropy is very young by comparison. Higher-ed institutions operate a very well-oiled fundraising machine, with all the same critical capabilities as healthcare institutions: annual giving, major gifts, events, planned giving, grant writing, and even transformational giving. Most major higher-ed institutions are also active in research, and even if it’s not clinical research, the ongoing funding challenges are very similar.
Second, higher-ed and healthcare philanthropy teams are both out in the field, meeting with donors, running campaigns, and engaging diverse communities in support of the institution’s mission, and both groups work with similar types of donors. These donors are mission-driven and passionate about the institutions they support, committed to the idea that their gift will benefit others far into the future, people they will likely never meet. Whether it’s grateful patients or grateful alumni, they often give because of personal experience or a personal connection to the institution – of their own or a loved one. And giving is often based on long-term relationships built on trust and consistent engagement.
Third, to do their work, both groups of fundraisers have to engage with diverse constituencies and build solid working relationships within their organizations. Higher-ed fundraisers need to work with faculty, researchers, Board members, institute directors, and many others. Healthcare fundraisers, often work directly with front-line caregivers (doctors and nurses), as well as clinical research teams, clinic directors, and research fellows.
The few areas where I have seen some difference between healthcare and higher-ed philanthropy are in the sense of urgency in healthcare, the sector’s inherent complexity, and the importance of internal engagement. Because healthcare institutions are fighting to deliver care and cures literally right now, there can be a higher sense of urgency to their fundraising efforts. And because healthcare organizations can be very complex and hierarchical, not to mention highly regulated, the process of soliciting, securing, and directing a gift can involve a lot of bureaucracy and stringent federal/administrative processes – much more so than in higher-ed. Clinical teams are also the gatekeepers to grateful patients, and one cannot successfully engage the patient community without the full support of clinicians.
But those differences are small and easily overcome, compared to the relationship-building skills required to run a philanthropy program and successfully engage donors. If one has the requisite humility, compassion, respect, and willingness to listen – the hallmarks of all good fundraising – then the transition from higher-ed to healthcare fundraising should not be very difficult, at all.
So, for higher-ed candidates looking to make the switch: make sure your cover letter and resume highlight skills that are translatable to healthcare. Make sure that, in your interview, you have stories to share, highlighting the commonalities with healthcare philanthropy. That is, talk about the types of donors you have engaged, and the successful outcomes of those relationships, not just for the institution, but also for the donor. How did you identify the donor’s personal stake in the issue? How did you take that passion and personal motivation and connect it to the institution’s mission, in such a way that it led to a gift? Did your relationships with internal constituencies help facilitate the relationship with the donor and ultimately help secure a gift?
If you are early in your career, express a willingness to do discovery and qualification, as well as prospect cold calling – or better yet, demonstrate success in these tasks, as they are essential to healthcare institutions. For candidates going for more senior roles, you’ll need to demonstrate major gift experience (six- and seven-figure gifts) as well as strategic planning. It would also help to have familiarity with the more complex gifting strategies common in healthcare philanthropy, such as real estate gifts, gifts of securities, and “blended gifts” of cash and securities. And everyone new to healthcare philanthropy must be ready to walk the halls, building relationships with the doctors, nurses, clinical researchers, and others who are the gatekeepers to patients and potentially your more compelling spokespeople, when it comes to engaging donors and making the case for a gift.
For healthcare institutions looking in the market for highly talented fundraisers – a scarce and valuable resource these days – don’t overlook candidates in higher-ed. With the right support and onboarding, they can absolutely make the transition and be very successful in a healthcare environment. Be open minded, and in the interview process, look for broad commonalities in skills, mission, and goals, rather than small discrepancies that may take an otherwise excellent candidate out of the running. Your next successful fundraiser may be right in front of you. The foundation of their philanthropic success may be a result of their training and experience in higher education.
Contributing author:
Steven Wallace, Senior Consultant and Vice President for Stewardship and Strategic Partnerships, Aspen Leadership Group
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