Research: The Charitable Foundation of ARMC

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1 Research: The Charitable Foundation of ARMC 1. Executive Summary After conducting thorough secondary research and some primary research, data was collected and examined in order to help determine the main challenges that the Foundation needs to address. The main issues that the Foundation struggles with include public awareness and community relations, media relations, and competing with other philanthropic organizations for donations. Key questions were answered in an effort to gain a deeper understanding of not only the weaknesses of the Foundation, but also the strengths and successes that the Foundation has achieved over its history. Due to the fact that the Foundation is very young in relation to many competitors, it still has much room for improvement and growth. Research was conducted through Internet searches, a visit to ARMC, examining pamphlets and brochures, and an interview with foundation leaders. This research formed the basis for creating a strategic campaign to improve the Foundation s competitive standing and current situation. Some key information that we discovered included: The Foundation allows donors to have a say in how their contribution will be spent. Among the most popular funds are those that serve breast cancer patients and the Patricia Bynum Fund for Cancer Patients The Foundation continually reaches its set funding goal and continues to increase this goal annually. The 2010 goal is $400,000 Two main fundraising events raise the most funds: the Blizzard Blast and the Pink Ribbon

2 Luncheon (both of these events are closed to the public) There is very limited information about the Charitable Foundation on the ARMC Web Site The Foundation mainly targets wealthy and influential members of Alamance Community ARMC has poor media relations with the Times News. This relationship negatively affects the Foundation The general public of Alamance County and surrounding areas know very little about the Foundation and what it does The Foundation would like to have a pool of unrestricted money, increased community awareness and stronger media relations Compared to major surrounding competitors, the Foundation is relatively unknown and does not receive much community support These were just some of many questions answered through in-depth research conducted about the Foundation, its competitors and its parent company, ARMC. These findings will shape the next steps taken in the campaign to strengthen the Foundation. 2. Statement of the Problem The Charitable Foundation of Alamance Regional Medical Center lacks community awareness and involvement that is necessary to make the foundation a profitable and successful asset to the hospital and most importantly, its patients. This project has been undertaken to determine what methodologies and strategies can most benefit the foundation in reaching and exceeding funding goals. This research has been compiled to successfully identify the target groups the hospital already

3 pulls funding from, and the ones from which they have yet to reach. Furthermore, the research identifies tactics that have already been exhausted or ones that failed to initiate community action. By identifying target groups within the community we will develop a plan that appeals to the values of these groups. Further, we will create collateral materials which enhance visibility of the foundation and encourage community action through donations. 3. Research Questions/Hypothesis In conducting research relating to the Foundation, many questions needed to be answered in order to determine steps that needed to be taken to improve the organization funding and community awareness. Research attempted to answer the following questions: What efforts has the Foundation made in the past to market itself? Which of these have been successful, unsuccessful? What is the community perception of the Foundation? How is the relationship of the Foundation and ARMC with local media? What is the structure of the Foundation? Who are the main publics of the Foundation? What kind of funding does the Foundation have available? How has this changed during the Foundation s history? What is the purpose of the Foundation? What would the Foundation like to see happen? Where would they hypothetically like to be in five years? What competition does the Foundation face? Where is the Foundation now in conjunction to where it wants to be in the future What are the possible challenges/obstacles that might hinder positive efforts?

4 All of the questions that we attempted to answer in our research highlighted specific strengths and weaknesses of the Foundation as well as inside and outside factors that may shape the campaign. There was very little primary research to be conducted; therefore, most research came directly from case studies, hospital and foundation resources. One on one interviews were also conducted with foundation leaders. These research methods produced reliable background and current information pertaining to the client s position in Alamance County in relation to similar organizations. Being aware of the Foundation s internal and external functions and growth will help shape a strong, informed campaign. 4. Method We conducted secondary research to obtain our information. We referred to the Alamance Regional Medical Center website, the census information in Alamance county as well as competitors websites. We used ARMC s website to gather information about what the hospital has done to try to promote the Foundation and to obtain information about the hospital. We thought it important to gain demographic information by consulting a census so as to have a better understanding of the type of income people are bringing in. This is important to targeting potential donors and also to gain a greater understanding of why and why not many people do or do not donate. It allows us to potentially make a connection between amount of income per household, and if that influences whether or not that household donates or not. Coral Erickson, the Foundation director, provided results from the 2010 PRC Consumer Perception Study that was conducted in Alamance County to gain a better understanding of the public perception of ARMC in relation to surrounding hospitals. These research findings illustrated the poor public perception that surrounds ARMC and lack of awareness about its new, innovative technology.

5 A content analysis of ARMC s website was also conducted to evaluate message effectiveness and user friendliness. Overall, the website seemed relatively easy to navigate, although it lacked much information about the Charitable Foundation. We referenced competitors websites to analyze how they were marketing their charitable foundations as well as the services they offer in their hospital. By doing this we can better understand things that our competitors, or other hospitals are doing to succeed so that we can perhaps implement some of their ideas at ARMC. 5. Analysis The data collected was used to form further research questions and build upon pre-existing information. New and interesting findings were shared with other groups to better serve the Foundation through complete research recording. The collected data has been thoroughly examined to gain a fuller understanding of the client needs and challenges. These findings will later be used as the basis for formulating proposals and strategies that the Foundation may use to improve their organization and community/media relations. The Internet was used to access US Census Bureau reports and other relevant data pertaining to the Foundation or ARMC. 6. Findings After conducting both primary and secondary research, our team has compiled a significant amount of information on the Charitable Foundation of the Alamance Regional Medical Center. Established in 1999, the Charitable Foundation seeks to provide funding for hospital programs as well as support for the surrounding community. Comprised of 19 separate funds that

6 serve various functions, the Charitable Foundation allows donors to have a say in how their contribution will be spent. Among the most popular funds are those that serve breast cancer patients and the Patricia Bynum Fund for Cancer Patients. The Foundation is governed by the same administrative board and board of directors as Alamance Regional Medical Center and Over the past 11 years, the Foundation has raised over $2.9 million for these worthy causes. Each year, the Charitable Foundation sets a funding goal. In 2009 that number was $375,000, which they exceeded, prompting them to raise their goal for 2010 to $400,000. In order to meet their annual goals, the Foundation relies primarily on two major fundraising events. Currently these events, the Blizzard Blast and the Pink Ribbon Luncheon, are open to only a select number of potential donors, but Coral Erikson, the Director of the Charitable Foundation, has expressed an interest in attracting a wider audience in the future. A Google search of ARMC s major fundraising events returned minimal information; most of with was located on the main page of the Charitable Foundation. This is a reflection of both ARMC s lack of media coverage and inadequate web presence. A content analysis was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of ARMC s website. While the website has a significant amount of content and opportunities for user interaction, the Charitable Foundation s pages are limited and, in some cases, outdated. The site lists each of the funds that the Charitable Foundation contributes to, but offers no details about the specific recipients or projects associated with those funds. The page on the Board of Directors fails to identify a chairperson or provide any information about committee members. During our client meeting, Tracy Grayzer expressed concerns about press relations in the past. It was her opinion that the Charitable Foundation and their fundraising events had been shortchanged in terms of the amount of media coverage they received from local papers and

7 stations. They hope to improve their media outreach in the future in order to reap the benefits of a favorable relationship with the press. The Foundation faces competition for both funding and community support from multiple sources. Their main competition, outside of national charitable organizations, is other mid-size hospitals in the area. These include High Point Regional Health System, Morehead Memorial Hospital and Moses Cone Health System. All of these institutions have financial resources greater than those of ARMC (see Figure B) with the assets of Moses Cone dwarfing every other figure in comparison. Even when contrasted with the financial figures for the corresponding foundations for these institutions ARMC is still comparatively underfunded (see Figure C). We have, however, identified at least two possible funding opportunities. When we spoke with the Foundation representatives they mentioned that they hadn t pursued many grants, which represents a huge untapped resource. In particular, the Smith Family Foundation and New Directions International, Inc. are two locally based charities that have identified healthcare interests as one of their areas of giving. Obtaining a grant from one of these organizations would provide the Charitable Foundation with a significant lump sum contribution. Representatives from the Charitable Foundation have identified several goals for the immediate future of the organization. They would like to create a pool of unrestricted money; donations that can be used for unspecified purposes on a need-to-need basis and accrue interest. They would also like to encourage the growth of their giving society membership. The nameless society currently has no sponsorship levels or means of recognition. Primarily, however, the Foundation feels that in order to continue to best serve the Alamance community, it must raise its public profile in order to do so.

8 7. Interpretation/Application With all of the information gathered through secondary research, we can now assess how to use and apply it to our campaign. The Background research shows us that ARMC s charitable foundation has come a long way since it was developed more than 10 years ago. However the Current Situation research shows that there is much more to be done. The purpose of the foundation is to provide funding for hospital programs for the patients. Therefore, we have to center our campaign on the patients needs. Through our research, we ve learned a lot about the demographics of our publics. In addition to the current economic crisis, the average income of those in Alamance County is lower than the average of the state and the poverty rate is significantly higher. When developing strategies we have got to keep in mind the status of the community members. We must reach the areas and the people that we feel will be most beneficial to our campaign. We should not be too selective but we cannot waste our efforts because of being overly optimistic. We know that two main fundraising events occur each year; the Blizzard Blast and the Pink Ribbon Luncheons. The Lights of Love Campaign was a considerably large event that no longer takes place. From that we can take away that the campaign wasn t as successful as the Blizzard Blast and the Pink Ribbon Luncheons have been. When developing our campaign strategies, we will be able to add to the success the foundation has had in the past by applying what we ve learned about the strengths and weaknesses of each fundraising event. In addition to raising money through fundraising events, we know that money can also be accessed through grants; grants that the foundation hasn t tapped into in the past. The Smith Family Foundation out of Burlington and New Directions International out of Greensboro are two grant makers that we will be looking into.

9 When looking into grant opportunities as well as improving the overall community image, the foundation is indirectly competing with several local nonprofits including The Susan G. Komen Foundation, United Way and Loaves for Fishes. We have to figure out a way for the Charitable Foundation to stand out from its competitors. Possible strategies include appointing a local spokesperson or changing the name of the foundation; creating a title that is more unique and has an emotional appeal. The foundation needs a face or some sort of image and right now it doesn t have either. Through our research, we found that the relationships the hospital holds with the local media are weak. It s very important to try to mend those relationships, with the Times News especially. Positive media relations will lead to more coverage and a higher likelihood of being shown in a positive light. We also have to anticipate future challenges for the foundation. Very soon UNC will be opening up a facility in Hillsborough. Being so close, this facility will inevitably take patients away from ARMC. We must foresee the changes that could potentially come out of this and act now. We must give our publics reason to trust ARMC and to stay loyal so that the hospital will continue to thrive and the foundation can go on fulfilling its purpose of assisting the patients and their needs.