A hospice organization can grow major gifts by identifying donors with both capacity and a personal connection to the mission, then building a disciplined cultivation process around those relationships. For many hospices, the best opportunities come from grateful families, board connections, community leaders, business owners, former donors, and people who have experienced the value of hospice care firsthand.

The key is to move beyond broad annual appeals and event-based fundraising into a structured major gifts program. That means qualifying prospects, clarifying funding priorities, engaging board members as connectors, building personalized cultivation plans, making specific asks, and stewarding donors well after the gift. PRIDE helps hospice teams build the strategy, messaging, pipeline, and staff confidence needed to make major gifts a consistent source of growth.

Yes, most hospices should conduct a feasibility study before launching a capital campaign, especially if the goal is significant, the donor base has not been tested recently, or the organization needs board confidence before moving forward. A feasibility study helps determine whether donors understand the need, believe in the proposed project, trust the organization’s leadership, and are willing to consider meaningful campaign gifts.

For hospice organizations, a feasibility study can also test which priorities resonate most with donors, such as inpatient care, grief support, palliative care, family services, endowment, facility expansion, or expanded community access. The study gives leadership a clearer view of campaign readiness, realistic goal potential, donor concerns, volunteer leadership, and the steps needed before launching publicly.

Hospice fundraisers can engage grateful families ethically by leading with sensitivity, timing, consent, and respect for the family’s experience. The goal is not to pressure families during grief. The goal is to create thoughtful opportunities for people who already feel gratitude to honor a loved one, support other families, or strengthen care in the community.

A strong grateful family program usually includes clear coordination between care teams and development staff, appropriate timing after a patient’s passing, compassionate language, privacy safeguards, and multiple ways for families to participate. Some may make a memorial gift. Others may share a story, attend an event, introduce a potential donor, or become long-term advocates. Ethical grateful family fundraising keeps the family’s dignity and experience at the center.

Hospice donors often respond to priorities that are personal, tangible, and connected to compassionate care. Common priorities include inpatient hospice care, grief and bereavement services, charity care, palliative care, caregiver support, family comfort, spiritual care, veteran services, community education, staff training, and endowment support.

The strongest fundraising priorities usually connect a donor’s gift to a clear human outcome. Donors want to understand who will be helped, why the need matters now, and how their gift will improve the experience of patients and families. Before launching a major campaign, PRIDE often helps hospice organizations test which priorities are most compelling through donor conversations and feasibility study interviews.

Hospice board members do not all need to be direct solicitors. Many are most effective as connectors, cultivators, advocates, and stewards. A board member can help fundraising by introducing community leaders, identifying potential donors, hosting small conversations, thanking current supporters, sharing why the mission matters, attending donor meetings, or lending credibility to a campaign.

The mistake many organizations make is assuming every board member must ask for money in the same way. A better approach is to match each board member with a role that fits their relationships, comfort level, and influence. PRIDE helps hospice boards understand how they can support fundraising in practical ways, including opening doors, strengthening donor confidence, and participating in major gift and campaign strategy.