Writing a Hospital Foundation Annual Report

Writing healthcare content is all about knowing your audience. You might be writing for patients and their families one day, and physicians or scientists the next. While everything you write needs to be medically accurate, understanding your audience is key to how you communicate. It’s what decides whether your tone is breezy or formal, whether you focus on symptoms or studies, and whether you use complex science terms or plain English.

There’s another healthcare audience that’s often overlooked: donors. Hospital foundations play a vital role in delivering medical care to their communities. They do everything from sponsoring the purchase of new equipment to underwriting free screening programs for the uninsured. To do this good work, foundations need to communicate their mission, needs, and successes to the donors who support them. One important tool for delivering that message is the hospital foundation annual report.

 

Writing a Hospital Foundation Annual Report

A key goal of the annual report is to update donors on what the foundation has been doing, reassure them that their money has been well spent, and keep them informed about upcoming needs and campaigns. Other goals can include:

• Share achievements from the past year
• Detail current projects, campaigns, and goals
• Remind supporters of the foundation’s mission
• Introduce donors to foundation leaders
• Highlight important service lines supported by the foundation
• Spotlight major donors and the impact of their gifts
• Inform donors about upcoming fundraiser or events
• Deliver a call to action, such as asking donors to give

Beyond the charts and graphs of last year’s spending, and the long lists of donors, the hospital foundation annual report can put a human face on the foundation. Most donors want to know they’re helping people, not just a large foundation. For example, the Maui Memorial Medical Center Foundation used case studies in its 2018 annual report. Each cases study highlights a service line from the perspective of a patient, a caregiver, and a donor. By sharing the personal stories and photos of patients who received lifesaving treatment, the clinicians who go beyond the call to deliver compassionate care, the donors who see themselves making a difference in the community, and dedicated volunteers who give the gift of time, a strong annual report brings the foundation’s mission to life.

 

Are you looking for a writer who can deliver healthcare content that speaks to hospital foundation donors? Check out my portfolio for examples of my work, or contact me to schedule a consultation.