$1 Million Quick Launch and New Foundation

Situation and Goals

Kennestone Regional Foundation began a 20+ year partnership with PRIDE Philanthropy in 1990, when the firm was engaged to create the first-ever Kennestone Foundation in conjunction with Kennestone Hospital’s 40th anniversary. In 1993, the medical center merged with five other major metro Atlanta medical centers to form Northwest Georgia Health System, which then became Wellstar Health System in 1998.

Strategy

• After crafting initial philanthropic messaging about “need” in a community unfamiliar with the concept of a hospital needing a foundation, continually evolving communication remained key during the health system's evolution

• Develop a volunteer-based Foundation structure, engaging with diverse community leaders through multiple giving programs to meet growing needs both financially and geographically 

• Initial campaign as a “quick-launch $1 Million success” to focus on emergency services expansion, followed by four multi-year larger campaigns for other service lines to support much higher patient volumes

Results

• From the outset, PRIDE’s goal was to create a Foundation structure and philanthropy system that would be sustaining, growing along with the system on a permanent basis. Those first two successful decades launched Wellstar as a major philanthropic player throughout the metro area