Philanthropy alive and well

Partnership, collaboration leading to provincial health care impact

One of my favorite things about the charitable sector is our willingness to share and help one another.

This shouldn’t come as a major surprise, given that helping is in our DNA as charities.

In Nova Scotia, we have more than 30 active hospital foundations supporting health care in our communities, stretching from Yarmouth to Glace Bay and everywhere in between.

For years, this group of hospital foundations have worked together to help deal with issues, provide support for one another, and to advocate for our unique needs on behalf of our donors and communities. Over the past 7 years, this group has evolved and has created a sense of purpose built around relationship building and advocacy on behalf of our donors and our communities.

As our group has formalized, we are now known as the Health Care Foundations of Nova Scotia (HCFNS). Our purpose is simple – to create the environment for robust philanthropy in Nova Scotia that has a significant impact on health care. I am excited to have recently been voted in by my peers as the chair of HCFNS after serving as the vice chair for the last two years.

We are a group that understands collaboration. Working in partnership with the Nova Scotia Health Authority and the provincial government, our foundations play a major role in helping match our donors’ interests and desires with the health care priorities and needs in our communities.

As a collective, our impact is impressive, as evidenced by the following statistics:

•On average, more than $70,000,000 is raised annually by our foundations

•617 volunteer board members across Nova Scotia, representing our communities business leaders

•More than 5,000 people across Nova Scotia volunteer with our foundations

•More than 500,000 Nova Scotians are donors (55 per cent of our provincial population).

As the CEO of the Cape Breton Regional Hospital Foundation for the past six years and a member of our board of directors, I have been fortunate to have worked with some amazing volunteers, who demonstrate their commitment and passion for advancing health care. This degree of volunteer commitment is evident across Nova Scotia. As a province, we are lucky to have this tremendous resource.

As the HCFNS, we are connected to the health care delivery model as a partner. There is no question there are significant challenges. However, our group is quick to point to the hundreds of success stories each and every day that donors make possible through their philanthropy. We have amazing doctors, nurses and health care providers on the front lines across Nova Scotia providing great care. In an environment focused on challenges, we take the opposite approach, and tell positive stories every day.

At our most recent meeting, each of the 30 plus foundations took one minute to tell a positive story that their foundation and donors have impacted. I wish all Nova Scotian’s could have heard the conversation – you would have been proud. The level to which our foundations are having a positive impact on health outcomes and peoples’ lives is simply inspiring.

We will continue to tell these positive stories, because quite frankly, our donors and communities deserve to hear about them. Our donors are having tremendous impact in this province. We will continue to use our collaboration skills in the days ahead, as we help navigate the healthcare impact made by more than 500,000 Nova Scotians’ generosity.

To the volunteers that continue to serve on our foundation boards across Nova Scotia, thank you for your commitment! And to our donors, more than 500,000 strong, thank you for your continued support and belief in our desire to make a difference in the lives of those we serve.

To our partners with the Nova Scotia Heath Authority, we look forward to our continued partnership. With the increased role of philanthropy, we appreciate the opportunity to become increasingly involved as we strive to work together to serve more Nova Scotians.

I look forward to working with my colleagues across the province over the next two years as Chair of the HCFNS. Our continued collaboration is setting a great example for our volunteers, donors and stakeholders, and is a statement to all Nova Scotians that we stand stronger together.

Brad Jacobs (@Brasco23) is the CEO of the Cape Breton Regional Hospital Foundation (@becauseucare) and board chair of the Health Care Foundations of Nova Scotia (@ HCFofNS). He has more than 20 years of leadership experience in the charitable sector and lives in Sydney River. E-mail brad. jacobs@nshealth.ca.