Kara Wagner is incredibly passionate about healthcare philanthropy and believes that the generosity of just one donor can change the lives of countless patients and families. While most of her career has been focused on healthcare development, her experiences span all facets of fundraising. Her varied career has allowed her to see all aspects of the fundraising field, but most importantly, to see that when multiplied, the power of philanthropy is endless.
At BWF, Kara is an associate vice president with a focus on academic healthcare philanthropy. Kara excels at inspiring and leading teams of driven professionals to meet fundraising and organizational goals. Her years of involvement in healthcare fundraising have allowed her to become skilled at building and managing long-term relationships, developing thoughtful strategic donor and campaign plans, and creating new fundraising opportunities to increase philanthropic support.
“A team aligned behind a vision will move mountains.” Kevin Rose
Kara has served on committees such as The Association of Zoos and Aquariums and was previously active in NACCDO. In her free time, Kara, her husband, Jeff, and their three children enjoy traveling together, being outdoors, snorkeling, fishing, and enjoying the beaches that surround Florida. She will always be an OSU Buckeye at heart and continues to cheer on her alma mater every Saturday in the fall.
iWave and BWF have partnered to provide guidance on embracing AI technologies for healthcare organizations to elevate their fundraising initiatives, ultimately driving greater support for critical medical research and advancements.
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In today’s healthcare landscape, academic medical centers (AMCs) play a critical role in advancing research, education, and patient care. Those who are familiar with AMCs understand the opportunities afforded to the community through these unique healthcare models. However, educating potential donors on the importance of AMCs and addressing the other challenges facing today’s academic healthcare organizations can be tricky. In this guide, we review everything you need to know to effectively engage donors in fundraising, communications, strategic planning, and relationship building to support the mission of academic medical centers.
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Whether you are building a new grateful patient program or simply evolving one, the best prescription is a healthy dose of trust. It is not always easy to build trust with development professionals so that physicians feel comfortable entrusting fundraisers with the precious relationships they hold so dear when caring for a patient. BWF’s Kara Wagner describes potential obstacles and ways to overcome them.
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