Patient Giving – a program for patient gratitude, is an opportunity for hospitals and healthcare organizations to grow their donor database with a highly targeted audience. Often forgotten, these individuals are either not solicited or solicited long after they have been discharged. In many cases, patient lists are rolled in with a standard donor appeal as an effort to save time and money. However, studies and experience has taught us that patients have the strongest emotional connection with their healthcare organization within the first few months following discharge. Therefore, if you are not soliciting patients in a timely manner, then you are missing a huge fundraising opportunity and not using your resources effectively.

As a leader in donor giving programs, Lyons Direct has developed a proven program that harnesses this opportunity and provides patients with a vehicle for gratitude giving. Considering HIPAA regulations and understanding that time is crucial to patients giving, Lyons Directs’ cost-effective Grateful Giving Program gives hospitals and healthcare organizations the ability to increase revenue and response while reducing staff time.

What will the Grateful Giving Program do for your organization?

  • Provide your patients with a personalized response driven device for giving;
  • Build your donor database with this highly targeted and familiar audience;
  • Reduce staff time with a program that has proven results;
  • Encourage future participation and build relationships that are essential to future fundraising;
  • Start immediately.

How does it work?
Lyons Directs’ Grateful Giving - A program for patient gratitude is a three pronged approach: 1) Information 2) Solicitation and 3) Cultivation.
Our experience have indicated that all three steps are essential to achieving successful results.

 

Information A Grateful Giving self-mailer envelope encourages patients to make a gift to your hospital or healthcare organization, honoring a nurse, doctor, or other caregiver. The envelope is personalized with your logo and shipped to you within 8 business days following approval of your personalized proof. The envelope is then inserted into discharge packages for each patient.
 

Solicitation The next step is essential to the programs success. Lyons Direct will mail a letter with a reply slip and return envelope utilizing the similar design elements as the self-mailer envelope. This letter will be mailed to patients, within 30 days of discharge, who have not yet made a gift to your hospital. The letter will encourage giving highlighting the benefit to both the hospital and patient. Responses significantly increase in patient giving when consistency and timely asks are received.
 

Cultivation The final element of this program is a follow-up mailing to individuals who have not yet responded. The format is the same as in step two but the letter is shorter and a nice reminder.

 

Here are some real results:

$12,500 income
.53% response rate
$153 average gift
81 new donors

and these results are from just one month. Imagine the income from one year of patient solicitation, $150,000 plus the long-term benefits!
 

“It’s a pleasure to work with Lyons Direct. They understand the healthcare marketplace and the specific challenges - appealing to and securing those hard-to-reach, first-time donors.”

ES, Director of Annual Giving

© Copyright 2010 Lyons Direct Communications, Inc.