Measuring the Results of Spending on Fund Raising

A new study by the Association of Healthcare Philanthropy shows that spending more on fund raising produces a significant increase in revenue. And trying a diversity of fund-raising approaches works better than sticking to just one or two fund-raising techniques, researchers say.

Study findings indicate that for every $1 a hospital spends to raise money, it receives a median $4.45 in return — meaning that half do better and half do worse.

The return on investment for each organization studied ranged from $1.63 per dollar spent to $23.80 per dollar spent, according to William McGinly, the association’s chief executive.

Full-text blog post by Elizabeth Schwinn is available via the Chronicle of Philanthropy's Prospecting Blog, 4.16.08.