b'CONCORCDO H HASNPNIT A RATFI | H NHDR A CE O S 51NOCSOPRIDTALO UAALL RNENPUOARLTRE|POF L I ATPIOINLSA NA T OCPCI RERDEISTIALTI I NNCERaising Funds During a Pandemic When the pandemic hit, some New Hampshire hospitals avoided fundraising activities, even furloughing employees who secure \x1dnancial donations and carry out important fundraising events. At Concord Hospital, those tasks fall to Concord Hospital Trust, which literally wiped its strategic planning whiteboard clean, resetting goals to \x1dnd new ways to help the Hospital support the community and help the community support the Hospital.Some of our colleagues at other hospitals postponed fundraising e\x1eorts, said Gail Dexter, the Trusts Director of Annual Giving. They didnt want to ask, but we found that the community wanted to help.As the Hospital sacri\x1dced income by suspending non-emergency services, Trust sta\x1eers could not meet with potential donors, fundraising events were in jeopardy and the Hospital struggled, like those around the country, to obtain essential materials that were in short supply. With support from generous residents, businesses and Hospital employees, the Trust successfully achieved fundraising goals for the year by broadening its fundraising appeals and converting charitable community events into virtual events. Equally important, it helped channel the communitys generosity to bene\x1et the Hospital and made hundreds of calls to thank or check in on supporters. People were saying We have no idea of what is going to happen and you, Concord Hospital, are our rock, said Deanne Pelletier, Senior Philanthropy O\x1fcer.Early on, the Trust asked for support for three important funds: the Hospitals COVID-19 Response Fund; the Navigating Forward Fund for low-income, uninsured and underinsured patients; and the Helping Hands Fund to support Hospital employees with unforeseen \x1dnancial challenges. People responded positively, particularly to the Employees Helping Hands Fund, because our community wanted to help frontline healthcare workers, said Dexter.The phones rang constantly with o\x1eers of help.People were asking What can I do? What do you need? There were small \x1dnancial donations, large \x1dnancial donations, then donations of masks, hand sanitizer, food, gifts to the frontline workers. Businesses got involved. It was really like a wave, said Senior Philanthropy O\x1fcer Susan Chase.Some residents even donated their government stimulus checks. Most said they wished they could do more.A large part of the Trusts success came because Trust employees shared duties with the Public A\x1eairs Department in the Hospitals Incident Command Center, which helped direct the pandemic response. That meant the Trust had a clear understanding of the Hospitals needs and could explain those needs to businesses and residents who wanted to help, \x1dnancially or otherwise.We did pivot from focusing on raising funds to in-kind donations or materials, said Philanthropy O\x1fcer Marci DeCarli. We changed our mindset, saying, Yes, well take the 10 N-95 masks that you have. We knew that at times we had two weeks of masks left or ten days left. It wasnt necessarily just the bottom dollar amount that we were pushing for. In the midst of its daily pandemic work, the Trust transformed some fundraising gatherings into virtual events and safely held others in person, such as the annual Pedaling for Payson bicycling event.It was one of the only cycling events that stayed on the calendar in New Hampshire, DeCarli said. The riders were so happy to have something to do and give to.The Trust is grateful that Hospital supporters stepped up in a challenging year and said its ability to o\x1eer multiple ways for them to help was important.We understood that the community needs the Hospital and needs to be involved in a positive way, said Chase. We also understood we can be a vehicle for them and that we shouldnt shy away from that.'