Philanthropy Leadership Council

The Philanthropy Leadership Council provides best practice research, benchmarking analysis, and strategic advice to leading foundations and development offices. The council aims to improve alignment of philanthropy with institutional strategy and to elevate fundraising performance. Its research approach includes special emphasis on rigorous, data-driven analysis of the art and science of hospital development.

Sample of Recent Research

Bridges to Prosperity: Strengthening Donor Ties Through Personal and Patient Connections

Research agenda for 2007 on achieving the potential of two extremely valuable but commonly underleveraged assets—development volunteers and patient interactions. With fundraising goals on the rise, executives can no longer afford to let these opportunities to connect with donors and prospects go unrealized.

Leveraging the Influence of Volunteers—Inspiring Allegiance and Maximizing Engagement
Leveraging the Patient Experience—Identifying Opportunities in the Course of Care and Executing Flawlessly

Top Relationships: Fostering and Sustaining Commitment from Principal Donors

Research on the donors and development activities associated with hospitals’ largest gifts, including guidelines for investing strategically in relationships with high-capacity prospects.

Analyzing Hospitals’ Largest Gifts
Avoiding Mistakes with Million-Dollar Prospects
Positioning the Foundation for Success

Raising the Bar: Best Practices for Managing Major Gifts Officers to Exceptional Performance

Research on levers to enhance performance of professional fundraising staff, particularly major gifts officers (MGOs), through improved focus on core major giving activities

Benchmarks for MGO productivity
Prerequisites for implementing a successful performance management system
Best practices for setting clear goals, reinforcing priorities and ensuring sustained success

Examples of Tools and Resources for Members

Performance Analyzer

Online database of development revenues and expenses for nearly 100 foundations and development offices
Allows users to customize a cohort for analysis based on nine characteristics including staff size, market affluence, and program maturity
Benchmarks available include funds raised, return on investment, average gift size, number of gifts, and many more

Constituent Education

Resources for educating and enfranchising allies from executive suite, medical staff, and board
Key Constituency Reports—short publications designed for non-development audiences
Multimedia Presentation—one-hour narrated presentation on CD covering philanthropy’s role in hospital economics, primacy of major gifts, and importance of top-down participation in development
On-Site Seminars—one- to two-hour presentations delivered at member institutions

Development Benchmarks

Financial Benchmarks—revenues, expenses, return on investment
Fundraising Programs—major giving, planned giving, corporate giving
MGO Productivity—visits, solicitations, funds raised
Largest Gifts—gift size, cultivation time frame, involvement of allies