We recently conducted our 2nd annual consumer survey to understand how patients perceive the hospital or health system foundation and, in turn, how that impacts their donation behavior. The goal of the survey is to gain a better understanding of how patients engage in philanthropic efforts and help healthcare foundations identify overlooked prospects that are likely to donate.

Some highlights include:

The continued rise of the mid-level donor

In our 2020 survey, it wasn’t surprising that as the income levels rose, so did the contribution amount. However, in 2021, annual household incomes of less than $100K saw an increase of 142% for donations over $500 over the past year.

Education and awareness about the foundation remain critical

This year’s survey uncovered that most consumers are not very informed nor are they involved with their local health system’s foundation, but improvement has been made since 2020. Awareness of the hospital foundation increased by 13.6% from 2020.

Younger consumers and consumers with lower incomes are mistakenly overlooked

2020 was truly a year that challenged household incomes of all sizes in some capacity. However, in this year’s survey, one household income showed the most growth in charitable donations: those within $100 – 150K which saw a 48.4% increase in likelihood to donate over the next few years. Most of our participants in the $100 – 150K range are under 55 or 71.9%.

Consumer communication preferences move to digital outreach

In our 2020 survey, direct mail was the preferred method of communication by older generations whereas email was the preferred method of younger generations. In 2021, the preferred methods of communication changed away from direct mail for most age groups (9.7%). The preference for electronic outreach for hospital foundations is increasing.

What does this tell us?

It is time to think outside of the box to see improvements in donations: traditional wealth screening methods and outreach you used previously need a refresh. Data is a powerful tool that can help your foundation create fundraising and educational campaigns that will help you reach donors who are excited to support your mission. You just have to know how to find them and typical wealth screening can’t do that.

Click here for a copy of our annual patient survey white paper.

Connect with us to learn more about how to deploy an economical and secure screening process using your patient data.