Highlights of the 2019 AHP International Conference

If you had the chance to travel to D.C. for the annual AHP International Conference last week, many of the highlights below will resonate––and hopefully bring you fond memories!

Over 1,000 of you travelled into D.C. (during the World Series, no less) and participated in 70+ educational sessions and meeting with 60+ exhibitors between Wednesday evening and Saturday. 

Keynotes

(Ty Bennett, Founder, Leadership Inc.)

We had the pleasure of hosting Ty Bennett, founder of Leadership Inc., to kick off the 2019 conference with his keynote speech. He offered attendees a fresh perspective on storytelling, and its ability to create strong emotional connections between prospective donors and the organization.

We also heard the story of Rep. Steve Scalise, Majority Whip, about his grateful patient story after the tragic Congressional Baseball shooting in 2017. He was accompanied on stage by Bruce Bartoo, Senior Vice President & Chief Philanthropy Officer, MedStar Health, Jack Sava, MD, FACS, Director of Trauma at MedStar Washington Hospital Center, and Susan Kennedy, RN, BSN, Senior Director of Trauma at MedStar Health.

40 Under 40 Awards Breakfast

For the second year in a row, we had the privilege of hosting some of the most influential healthcare philanthropy professionals––under the age of 40. These rock stars were nominated by their peers and supervisors based on their impact on the profession. Listening to some of their individual accomplishments––like fundraising to build a new hospital wing––and their collective impact––like raising over $800 million dollars in their short careers––gave the rest of us in the room goosebumps.

Interactive Educational Sessions

The 70-some sessions this year were both content-heavy and interactive, with sessions on topics ranging from the work of philanthropy operations to crisis readiness to strategies for major gift officers to lessons from leading health care philanthropy executives.

Mixing and Mingling

One of the best parts of this conference is getting to meet other like-minded individuals who share the same challenges and experiences that you do, as a healthcare philanthropy professional. 

Not only are peers met, but friends are made––and it’s wonderful to see that happen.

Recognitions

At the Si Seymour Awards Dinner, attendees witnessed the recognition of several special individuals for their accomplishments and impact on the profession this past year. Jolene Francis, Director of Advancement & Communications at Enloe Medical Center, wrote an award-winning article for the AHP Healthcare Philanthropy Journal, titled “The Crisis Pivot: Fundraising Disaster Planning” about fundraising to help California communities in the midst of the tragic wildfires.

(Left to right: Robert Nolan, MS, FAHP, CFRE. Amy Day, FAHP, CFRE. Erin Stitzel, FAHP, CFRE. Amanda Stevens, MBA, FAHP. Michael Delzotti, FAHP, CFRE, CSPG, FCEP. John Drake, FAHP, CFRE.)

The above six individuals became Fellows of the Association for Healthcare Philanthropy (FAHP) this year, receiving the prestigious medal and certificate. Congratulations!

(Left to right: Alice Ayres, President and CEO of AHP. David L. Flood, President, Intermountain Foundation; Senior Vice President and Chief Development Officer, Intermountain Healthcare. Randy Varju, Chairman of the AHP Board of Directors and Foundation President and Chief Development Officer at AdvocateAurora Health.)

The highlight of the night was honoring David Flood for his incredible contributions to healthcare philanthropy and the Salt Lake City community. As President of the Intermountain Foundation, David has met and exceeded the philanthropic and research needs of Intermountain’s 23 hospitals and healthcare-related services. The list of his accomplishments throughout his professional career feel almost endless, but David brought along his most prized accomplishments of all: his family.

Congratulations, David, and thank you for your leadership in healthcare philanthropy!