Archives: Insights

When your fundraising team thrives, your organization thrives. But in a high-pressure, fast-paced healthcare fundraising environment, attracting and keeping top fundraising talent can be challenging. High turnover disrupts donor relationships, stalls campaigns, and drains both time and resources. Understanding what motivates staff, what drives engagement, and how to provide meaningful support is key to creating a stable, high-performing team.

“Hospital and health system fundraisers carry a unique emotional load. Creating space for them to process, connect, and celebrate is essential to keeping talented people engaged in a deeply human profession that is often driven by critical moments for themselves or their families,” CCS Fundraising Managing Director Ted Blackburn says. 

Retaining fundraising talent in healthcare nonprofits requires approaches that address both the universal needs of employees and the distinct pressures of working in a healthcare environment such as hospitals or health systems. Healthcare fundraisers often balance high-stakes donor conversations with complex medical situations and emotionally charged patient stories.  

In a CCS survey of nonprofit leaders, just 24% of participating healthcare institutions reported increasing fundraising staff in 2024, down from 34% in 2023, while roughly half said they increased staff pay over the past three years. These findings highlight the sector-specific staffing pressures that make targeted retention strategies essential. 

“Burnout has long been a top concern for healthcare staff, but the COVID-19 pandemic pushed it to a breaking point. It’s clear that the traditional business model for healthcare nonprofits is not designed to meet the modern needs these organizations face,” says Katlyn Torgerson, Executive Vice President at CCS. “These are complex ecosystems, and fundraisers need clarity on clinical priorities, partnership with medical teams, and defined growth paths within the institution to stay committed and effective.” 

Here are a few strategies tailored specifically for healthcare organizations to help retain and motivate your team. 

Wellbeing & Resilience 

Fundraising in healthcare can be emotionally intense and high-pressure. Supporting your team’s wellbeing ensures they can stay engaged, avoid burnout, and thrive even during crisis peaks. 

1. Recognize the Emotional Weight of the Work 

Fundraising in healthcare often means engaging with stories of illness, loss, and resilience. This emotional intensity can take a toll on staff wellbeing if not supported. Acknowledging this reality—and equipping staff with coping resources—helps prevent burnout. 

Implementation Idea: Offer counseling, resilience training, or peer support circles specifically for staff who work closely with patient families.  

2. Prioritize Wellbeing During Crisis Peaks 

Hospitals and health systems operate under intense cycles—from flu season to public health emergencies. During these times, philanthropy teams often face heightened donor demands and institutional pressure. Supporting staff resilience during crisis peaks is essential for retention. 

Implementation Idea: Provide flexible scheduling, wellness stipends, or redistribute workloads temporarily during high-pressure periods so staff feel supported, not overwhelmed.  

3. Promote Transparency Across the Organization 

Transparency fosters confidence, reinforces shared purpose, and builds a culture where employees feel valued and included. When leadership communicates openly about organizational challenges, financial realities, and upcoming changes, it builds trust, reinforces shared purpose, and helps healthcare workers feel respected and included. Open communication fosters confidence, reduces disengagement, and strengthens unity across the institution, including philanthropy teams.  

Implementation Idea: Share consistent, candid updates about performance, staffing, and strategic priorities through town halls, internal newsletters, or staff forums. 

Growth & Career Development 

Fundraisers are more likely to stay when they see clear paths for growth and opportunities to build skills that strengthen both their role and the organization.  

4. Build Specialized Career Pathways 

Healthcare philanthropy is a highly specialized field. Staff are more likely to stay if they see a clear path for growth within the system rather than feeling they must leave for advancement opportunities. 

Implementation Idea: Create defined career ladders that align with the specific needs of healthcare organizations, such as grateful patient fundraising, major gifts for capital projects, or planned giving for research endowments. 

5. Create Cross-Department Mentorship 

Healthcare organizations are vast ecosystems where philanthropy can sometimes feel siloed. Connecting fundraisers with mentors across departments helps them understand operations more fully and fosters stronger institutional loyalty. 

Implementation Idea: Pair philanthropy staff with mentors in finance, patient services, or clinical departments to provide perspective and build internal networks. 

6. Align Fundraising Goals With Clinical Priorities 

Philanthropy staff thrive when their goals clearly connect to urgent healthcare needs. Misalignment can lead to frustration and disengagement if staff feel their efforts aren’t driving real impact. 

Implementation Idea: Hold quarterly joint planning sessions with philanthropy leaders and clinical leadership to ensure fundraising priorities reflect the most pressing initiatives. 

7. Provide Access to Healthcare Philanthropy Networks 

Retention improves when staff feel part of a professional community beyond their organization. Access to sector-specific networks affirms the importance of their work and expands learning opportunities. 

Implementation Idea: Cover memberships in the Association for Healthcare Philanthropy (AHP), or similar organizations, and provide budget for staff to attend healthcare-specific fundraising conferences. 

Strengthening Connections Across the Organization 

Retention is also about how your team interacts with the broader institution, including clinicians, donors, and organizational culture. Building these connections reinforces purpose, recognition, and engagement. 

8. Connect Staff Directly to Mission Impact 

Healthcare fundraising can sometimes feel abstract, especially for staff who aren’t on the clinical front lines. Creating opportunities for fundraisers to witness how philanthropy directly affects patient care reinforces their sense of purpose and pride in the work. 

Implementation Idea: Invite fundraisers to shadow clinicians, attend patient-family gratitude events, or tour facilities built with philanthropic support. These experiences deepen staff understanding and strengthen their connection to the organization’s mission.  

9. Offer Clinical Immersion Opportunities 

Fundraisers must often explain complex medical initiatives to donors. Without sufficient context, they may feel unprepared or disconnected from the cause. Providing staff with access to clinicians and researchers helps them communicate impact with confidence and authenticity. 

Implementation Idea: Host quarterly “lunch and learns” or Q&A sessions with physicians, nurses, or researchers so philanthropy staff can better understand the science, treatments, and innovations that donors support. 

10. Foster a Culture of Gratitude Across the Organization 

Recognition shouldn’t come only from within the philanthropy team. Staff feel valued when appreciation also comes from healthcare organization executives, clinical leaders, and the broader institution. 

Implementation Idea: Encourage leadership to spotlight philanthropy achievements in newsletters, town halls, or unit celebrations. A visible culture of gratitude reinforces retention. 

11. Celebrate Patient-Driven Philanthropy Wins 

One of the most rewarding aspects of healthcare fundraising is seeing grateful patients and families turn their experiences into meaningful gifts. Celebrating these moments boosts morale and reminds staff of the impact their work facilitates. 

Implementation Idea: Share donor and patient stories internally, highlighting how gifts transformed care or research. Recognize staff contributions in making those connections possible. 

Sustaining a Thriving Fundraising Team 

Retention strategies are not just administrative tasks; they shape the culture and success of your fundraising team. Healthcare organizations that intentionally support, develop, and recognize their staff are more likely to retain top talent, foster engagement, and sustain fundraising excellence.  

By focusing on meaningful connections to mission, targeted professional growth, staff wellbeing, and recognition, organizations can create an environment that nurtures talent, builds loyalty, and strengthens the impact of every fundraising initiative. The result is a resilient team ready to meet donor expectations, advance organizational goals, and contribute to the broader mission of their hospitals or health systems and the communities they serve.