12 Things You May Be Surprised to Learn About Fundraising and Development at VNS Health

Meet the Development team! From outreach to donors and foundations throughout the year, to planning and putting on the annual VNS Health Benefit Gala in the fall and the Golf Classic in the spring, the VNS Health Development team raises money to help fund our Community Impact programs that address health disparities in the communities we serve. These include our Veterans program, the Chinatown NNORC and Community Center, Hospice Care, Nurse-Family Partnership, Behavioral Health, LGBTQ+ Outreach, and charitable care for those who are either under- or uninsured. (To learn more about VNS Health’s Community Impact programs, click here. )

Here are 12 things you may be surprised to learn about the VNS Health team that raises money to support our Community Impact programs:

1. The Development team raises millions of dollars each year, which benefits tens of thousands of vulnerable New Yorkers.

In 2021, VNS Health—together with donors, community partners and government grants—provided over $51 million in charitable care and community benefit programs, a portion of which came through funding sources cultivated by the Development team. These wide-ranging programs improve the lives of our neighbors most in need, young and old.

2. While the Development team has a big impact, the team itself is relatively small.

In fact, the team consists of just nine people, most of whom work out of our 107 East 70th Street office when they’re not out and about in New York City meeting with donors.

3. Speaking of our 70th Street office, did you know it was a donation?

It’s true! Our 70th Street office, between Park and Lexington, was once the home of the banker, Thomas Lamont. The brownstone was gifted to the organization by his wife, Florence, in 1954. Built in 1922, this beautiful former residence is home to the Development team as well as the VNS Health historical library. It’s also used for Board meetings, trainings, team gatherings, and meetings with donors. To read more about the history of our 70th Street building, click here.

4. The Development team raises money from individual donors, businesses and institutional grants.

Last year, 8,753 individuals contributed $5.6 million in 11,597 donations of all sizes including $1.7 million from fundraising events. An additional $1.3 million came from 24 private foundation and corporate grants (government grants and contracts are managed separately).

5. VNS Health raised $1.4 million at last year’s Benefit Gala.

Every November, VNS Health holds an annual fundraising Benefit Gala. The funds raised by the Benefit Gala go to support our Community Impact programs. This evening honors individuals with the prestigious Lillian D. Wald Award. Named after the first public health nurse and the founder of VNS Health, the award is presented annually to those who have made significant contributions to the health and welfare of others. This year’s Benefit Gala – “The Future of Care. The Comfort of Home.” – which will take place in person for the first time since the COVID pandemic began, is honoring two outstanding individuals: Eugenie F. Doyle, MD, Board Member Emerita (who turns 101 this fall) and Stephen A. Warnke, who is a partner at the global law firm Ropes & Gray.

6. There’s also an annual Golf Classic in the Spring.

The Special Events team, which oversees the Benefit Gala, also plans and puts on a golf outing in the spring. This past May’s Golf Classic raised over $300,000 for our Veterans program.

7. About 85% of our donors were either once VNS Health patients or else they know someone who received compassionate care from VNS Health.

That’s why it’s so important to make sure every patient, member or client has a positive consumer experience!

8. Each year, hundreds of grateful patients or their family members make a gift in honor of a VNS Health team member who’s provided exceptional care.

And each time a patient makes a donation in honor of a clinician, home health aide or other VNS Health team member, that individual receives special recognition via the Gifts of Gratitude program. Once three gifts are made in honor of a VNS Health team member, that individual receives a special Lillian Wald Distinguished Service Pin.  

9. While every gift is important and donations come in all sizes, VNS Health has received some particularly sizable gifts over the years, including the following:

• Bob and Joan Easton pledged $650,000 in 2021 in support of VNS Health’s Nurse-Family Partnership (NFP) and to establish the Nurse-Family Partnership Alumni Alliance. Joan is a former pre-school teacher and has been an active supporter of the NFP Program for more than 15 years.
• A $3.9 million bequest was made by VNS Health volunteer Kay Frankel in 2009. She was a dedicated VNSNY volunteer during her lifetime and remembered the organization in her will.
• The Levan-Ross Bequest Challenge, established by a grateful VNS Health hospice spouse, made immediate contributions of $500 to the organization when donors made a planned gift in their will.

10. Foundations and corporate donors are also making a difference:

• The Robin Hood Foundation, which works to alleviate problems caused by poverty in New York, supports our NFP Program.
• The expansion of our HOPE Program from Harlem to the Bronx was made possible by a $500,000 grant from the Mother Cabrini Health Foundation.
• Cartier Philanthropy ($600,000) and the Book of the Month ($59,000) matching gift program both supported the VNS Health Coronavirus Response Fund.

11. You can help support our Community Impact programs, too! 

Many VNS Health team members make donations to our Community Impact programs through our annual Strength from Within Employee Giving Campaign. In 2021, hundreds of VNS Health team members contributed gifts totaling over $125,000. Each donating team member’s name is featured in the VNS Health Community Impact Report.

12. Keep in mind, every dollar raised from donors goes directly to VNS Health’s Community Impact programs.

When you make a donation to VNS Health, you can specify which Community Impact program you’d like your gift to support. And here’s something else to remember:  Donations raised through the Strength from Within Employee Giving Campaign will be matched by CEO Dan Savitt and the Executive Leadership Team’s matching gift program!

The 2022 Strength from Within Employee Giving Campaign is about to kick off soon. So please keep an eye out for an email announcement about it!