Stewart Greenebaum, Hadassah Medical Center Board of Directors
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I have been in the building business all my adult life. Through the years, many of the projects I’ve undertaken have been of significant magnitude. I’ve also been involved with fundraising for many years, often with campaigns that raised great amounts of money for equally great causes. So nothing about development or fundraising surprises me much anymore. But I must tell you that I was awestruck by the magnitude of the challenge Hadassah accepted three years ago to build a new tower of healing. And I am awestruck today by what has been achieved since then—more than 184 million dollars in pledges and contributions from individuals who want to play a part in the history of this troubled region.
It’s now your turn to be the face and the voice, the heart and the soul of the campaign. It’s your turn to take the message into your communities, to inspire and to encourage.
Like the hospital, we are now at a crucial juncture in our fundraising campaign. Much of what has been raised so far has been from very major sponsors who have been solicited face-to-face through the tireless efforts of Judy and Sidney Swartz and Hadassah Medical Center Director General Prof. Shlomo Mor-Yosef, who have been traveling from city to city, country to country, over the past several years. What they have done redefines the definition of leadership! What they have accomplished is nothing short of miraculous! But, though they will remain very active in the campaign, we have moved into a phase which requires a far broader reach than a few individuals can possibly provide.
Only you can provide that reach. This is always the toughest part of a fundraising campaign. Many of the big donors, the folks we’ve counted on in the past, have already been approached. Now the heavy lifting begins--to identify and reach those potential big givers who have been overlooked, as well as the much larger number of potential smaller and medium-sized givers who will put this campaign over the top.
I’d like to offer a few suggestions which might help you achieve the goal:
My first suggestion is to take a new approach to fundraising this year. Typically, fundraisers start by looking at lists of who gave in the past and how much they might give in the future. There is nothing wrong with that. But don’t stop there. Look around your community for people who have never given to Hadassah before--maybe have never even heard of Hadassah. The reality is that, today, there are many people of all faiths and ethnic backgrounds who believe in Israel. They will respect the unique oasis that Hadassah is in this turbulent region. And they will support it--if you ask! When you start broadening your field of vision, you may find that the banker in your community is as willing to give as the folks who’ve been supporting Hadassah for years. He’s just never been asked! So, my second suggestion is never be afraid to ask anyone to give.
My third suggestion is to remind everyone on your team that soliciting funds for something as important as this medical tower is not begging. When the cause is as just and good as this one is, you are not really asking something from the people you solicit. You are offering them an opportunity to participate in something pretty amazing, something of lasting value which will quite literally impact the history of a region.
You know, people honestly want to make a difference. One of the most common complaints people have today is that they feel powerless to make the world a better place. They yearn for a role, for something they can do that matters. They don’t know where to start. They don’t know whom to trust. You can help them find their way. You can tell the Hadassah story. I guarantee you that the person in your town who’s never contributed to a cause like this in his life will thank you for asking once he realizes that you’ve made him a part of something so beautiful, so far-reaching, so monumental. This tower is about helping people who are sick or injured. It’s about reaffirming our own humanity.
I want to tell you about a fellow by the name of Alvin Lapidus. Several years ago, I asked Alvin Lapidus to make a donation to Sinai Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland. Not just a donation, a very major gift. He’d never done that before. But because he had been asked, he gave it some serious thought. And he decided to do it. He gave three million toward what we now know as the Alvin and Lois Lapidus Cancer Center.
I’m telling you this story today because of what happened next. Alvin Lapidus sent me a beautiful handwritten letter to thank me for asking him to give. He said that making that gift had changed his life. He felt so good, so proud about doing something with such a tangible result.
Just about everyone is drawn to the idea of immortality; the idea that something of us will remain when we are gone. In essence, that’s what you’re offering when you solicit support for this medical tower. A little bit of immortality.
My fourth suggestion is to give contributors a very tangible link to Hadassah Hospital, a tangible reflection of their participation. Familiarize them with all the naming possibilities—whether it is a patient’s room or a nurses’ station or physician’s consultation office.
Suggestion five: Set a quota for your area and start with your own financial commitment. Successful leaders lead by example. Give what you can afford. And give it now. Waiting until later in the campaign can undermine your credibility with potential givers who are looking to you for leadership. Every community, regardless of size, could meet a goal and take pride in playing its part.
Suggestion six: Remember, success breeds success. People give to winners. And we have a lot of success to talk about. For starters, of course, is the success of the campaign so far. People like to know they are in good company when they give. And in this case, they certainly are. Our major gifts—38 of them at $1 million or more—have come from some of the most prominent philanthropists. Another 251 individuals so far have given between $5,000 and $1 million.
We also have a great story to tell in terms of the progress of the project itself. This isn’t one of those cases where fundraising lasts a decade and then the project gets bogged down in bureaucracy, red tape, and never quite fulfills its promise. We’ve broken ground. All the permitting, land development, and design work is finished. The foundation has been dug. As a builder, I can tell you that these are critical but time-consuming elements, and I am very impressed that the project is on schedule and will be brilliantly executed.
My final suggestion is to take potential donors to the Hadassah Medical Center to witness the Hadassah miracle with their own eyes. Organize a mission. Let them see firsthand the quality medical care Hadassah provides to all regardless of religion or ethnicity. Let them hear firsthand about all the stunning research and development that has the world looking on in amazement. When individuals with good hearts, of any faith, see what is happening at Hadassah, and hear what Hadassah means to this troubled region and its people, they will want to make Hadassah a part of their legacy.
