Advancing Health – Episode Summary
Podcast: Advancing Health
Host: American Hospital Association
Episode: Philanthropy as Strategy: Elevating Hospitals Through Community Support
Date: September 22, 2025
Guests:
- Michelle Hood – Executive Vice President & COO, American Hospital Association
- Alice Ayers – President & CEO, Association for Healthcare Philanthropy
Episode Overview
In this launch episode of a four-part series on philanthropy’s strategic role in health care, Michelle Hood and Alice Ayers explore why—and how—philanthropic initiatives are being increasingly integrated into hospital and health system strategies. Their discussion covers the evolving financial and operational realities facing health care, the vital relationship between foundation leaders and executive teams, and innovative philanthropy trends that are directly shaping patient care and community engagement.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
Philanthropy’s Evolving Strategic Importance
- Unpredictable Environment: Hospitals face rapid shifts in science, business, and community needs, making strategic planning more challenging than ever.
“Our hospitals and health systems are really shifting their strategic priorities. Seems like almost daily, weekly these days…The environment is changing so much…” – Michelle Hood [01:33]
- Philanthropy as a Reliable Revenue Stream: Unlike the past, philanthropy is now measurable, trackable, and can be “baked into” organizational financial planning.
“Our chief philanthropy officers and their teams are following really careful quantitative numbers…So we can count on these revenue streams.” – Alice Ayers [02:55]
- Community Voice in Strategy: Philanthropy leaders often bring the crucial perspective of the community into executive discussions, guiding strategic priorities to align with community needs and values.
“I always want the chief philanthropy officer at my executive leadership table, because they're the ones that have that voice of the community.” – (Recalling advice from a former Intermountain CEO) Alice Ayers [04:47]
Integration of Philanthropy and Hospital Leadership
- From Separation to Integration: Historically, philanthropy was siloed, often organized through separate hospital foundations with their own boards. Today, there’s a push for true integration into the C-suite and board-level strategy.
“To make it work for philanthropy really to be woven into strategy and operations, there has to be that presence of the leader of the foundation with the rest of the C suite. Right. And that has not always been the case.” – Michelle Hood [04:55]
- Leadership Culture & Example: Hospitals where all leaders—volunteer and employed—donate and openly support the organization signal to donors and the community that internal commitment is strong, improving philanthropic outcomes.
“When they give at 100%, it actually increases the overall likelihood of the hospital or health system being a high performer...” – Alice Ayers [05:39]
- Culture of Gratitude: Building gratitude internally and externally is foundational to effective philanthropy, starting with senior leadership partnership and buy-in.
“It's partly just building a culture of gratitude. And you can't do that without the leadership really being a part of it…” – Alice Ayers [05:54]
Getting Started with Strategic Philanthropy Integration
- Building Relationships: Integration starts with mutual relationship-building between foundation leaders and the rest of the executive team, focusing on understanding each group’s priorities, challenges, and value propositions.
“They start with just getting to know each other and figuring out what it is that they can do for the philanthropy team and vice versa.” – Alice Ayers [07:14]
- Role Clarity: Foundation and philanthropy staff are the experts at donor engagement and solicitation, whereas executive leaders and board members support by opening doors and strengthening connections.
“Let the expert do the ask because they know what they're doing.” – Alice Ayers [09:21]
- Creative Solutions: When philanthropy officers understand pressing operational issues, they can propose creative strategies that leverage donor and community support; openness from the C-suite is crucial for this.
“Giving them the space and the information to be able to be that kind of creative is really important.” – Alice Ayers [07:58]
Philanthropy as a Catalyst for Transformation
- Pandemic-Era Change: The COVID-19 pandemic reshaped both donor preferences and fundraising priorities. Donors now support broader needs beyond patient care, including employee assistance, behavioral health, health equity, and community access initiatives.
“During the pandemic, we saw donors changing their perspectives on the kinds of things they'd support…They were very eager to be supportive.” – Alice Ayers [11:18]
- Bold New Areas for Fundraising: Hospitals and foundations are moving beyond the traditional “grateful patient” model and increasingly funding innovative programs like mobile health units and community partnerships.
“We also sort of moved into a space where suddenly we were able to think more about community partnerships and about donors who cared about the community in ways that maybe they had not ever associated with hospital work before…” – Alice Ayers [12:42]
- Leadership’s Role: Supportive and visible C-suite leaders make it easier to cultivate donors, who want to feel connected to hospital leadership and vision even if they are not being asked directly for financial gifts.
“If you just say, we just need your presence, even just your presence can go a long way.” – Michelle Hood [10:27]
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
- “…Our chief philanthropy officers and their teams are following really careful quantitative numbers in order to understand exactly how much money is coming in and how it's all going to play out…and so we can count on these revenue streams.”
– Alice Ayers [02:48] - “When the leadership...give at 100%, it actually increases the overall likelihood of the hospital...being a high performer in our philanthropic data, because it's a message to the community that the people who know the organization best are putting their money where their mouth is.”
– Alice Ayers [05:39] - “It's partly just building a culture of gratitude. And you can't do that without the leadership really being a part of it and understanding why it is that we encourage gratitude...”
– Alice Ayers [05:54] - “Let the expert do the ask because they know what they're doing.”
– Alice Ayers [09:21] - “Transformation is incremental…But I feel like philanthropy, because of the creativity associated with the profession, really has the ability to contribute to transformation, bringing forth bold ideas and opening unusual doors for participation.”
– Michelle Hood [10:38] - “During the pandemic, we saw donors changing their perspectives...they were very eager to be supportive.”
– Alice Ayers [11:18]
Timestamps for Major Segments
- [00:01–01:33] – Introduction and framing of the need for philanthropy in strategic planning
- [01:33–04:55] – The value of philanthropy in organizational strategy and the importance of including foundation leaders in executive planning
- [04:55–06:57] – Integrating philanthropy at the board and leadership level, and building a high-performing culture
- [06:57–09:38] – First steps for hospitals getting started: building relationships and clarifying roles in the philanthropy process
- [09:38–11:15] – Overcoming discomfort around fundraising and strategies to engage C-suite leaders
- [11:15–12:53] – How philanthropy supports transformation, especially post-pandemic trends and opportunities
- [12:53–13:17] – Closing reflections and series preview
Conclusion
This episode underscores how hospitals are increasingly recognizing philanthropy as a foundational part of both financial sustainability and community engagement—no longer a “nice to have” but a mission-critical strategy. Listeners hear tangible advice for shifting toward integration, building internal cultures of gratitude, and embracing bold, new partnerships for the benefit of health and community transformation.