By Alex S The Personal And Professional Impacts of Schreiber Pediatrics
- Tower After Hours
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It’s hard to believe we have reached the end of Season 1! We’ve had such a great time recording with so many different industries and people from the Lancaster community. We thought there was no better choice for our season finale than James Debord and Danielle Sunday from the Schreiber Center for Pediatric Development.
We’re so excited to be partnering with Schreiber Pediatrics to host our first annual charity golf tournament this August. In this episode, you’ll get a glimpse of some of the reasoning behind our decision to partner with them, because of their passion and dedication to ensuring every kiddo that comes to Schreiber is positively impacted.
Alright, let’s dive in!
Getting Into The Non-Profit World
{5:45} If you’ve talked to either James or Danielle, you know that they’re passionate about Schreiber and the non-profit world. So to start the episode, we wanted to take a moment for them to share their journeys before Schreiber and how they ultimately ended up there.
Danielle: With active parents in the community, Danielle was surrounded by community events and the importance of surrounding herself with others. In college, she became a Public Relations major and fell in love with non-profit work that she did through an ad agency.
After working in the for-profit industry for a little while, Danielle found herself back at the non-profit company that she initially worked for in college. (A full circle moment!) Her love language is acts of service and describes herself as a helper, so she feels fulfilled to be able to serve others regularly.
James: Always an ambitious thinker, James thought he would save the world in college by becoming the President (not of Schreiber, of the United States.) For years, James worked in politics and wrote campaigns for politicians from various statuses.
A friend then referred him into the non-profit world and he’s been in the industry ever since. After a slue different jobs, he got connected with Schreiber Pediatrics from mutual friends and it just so happened that the previous President was also retiring.
Growing up, James was the recipient of a lot of great community organizations in Lancaster. So for him, he wanted to make a difference because he was directly impacted by the non-profits and got to where he is today because of these organizations.
Getting Funds & Organizing Events
{16:55} Because Schreiber Pediatrics has been growing, financial funding has been a priority for them and has put pressure on staff to make sure there are enough resources to fund new programs, staff, and equipment.
So although Schreiber has grown, reimbursements from Medicare have not. This is where Danielle puts her time and energy as the Director of Fund Development. The main priority for James and Danielle is to create goals that are attainable and realistic so it doesn’t cause staff and volunteer burnout.
In the past, they were hosting and running 12-plus events a year and it was at a point where it wasn’t providing the best bang for their buck.
Charity Event Tip #1: Find a balance between the number of events you host, the amount of staff/volunteers you have, and the goals you’re trying to achieve. Because too much can cause burnout and more loss than gain.
Factors That Decide What Events To Host
{19:15} We asked James and Danielle what factors they use to decide what events will be most beneficial financially and for the good of their clients and staff.
One of the things James talked about was considering how much time is being spent to plan, organize, and host the event versus how much money is being raised. If your staff is spending months planning and then 10-plus hours hosting the event but not receiving enough funds, it may be time to cut that event.
However, Danielle touches on the fact that they’ll never say no to an organization supporting Schreiber at their event. For example, Tower is planning the event but the proceeds will go to Schreiber.
Charity Event Tip #2: The key is to find companies that are looking for beneficiaries so they can do the planning, and your non-profit can reap the benefits.
{21:35} Charity Event Tip #3: Ask yourself, is your event-based fundraising strategy going to provide long-term sustainability for your non-profit?
Danielle mentions that Schreiber has to raise 2.5 million dollars annually so they want to make sure they’re putting their best foot forward when it comes to event-based fundraising.
Remember when James said they used to host over 12 events a year? Danielle has shrunken this number to two. And on average, these two events bring in $400,000 annually. For Danielle, she wanted to focus on events that create the most impact.
{24:34} Schreiber’s Gala and Duckie Race have been two key events for the last 35-plus years, so we asked Danielle what makes these events so successful and what changes have been made to continue their success.
One of the biggest challenges of the Duckie Race was making sure the ducks that were dumped into the river were picked out and weren’t causing more harm to the environment and river water. So, this year, they’re changing things to not only be more sustainable but also more engaging for volunteers and participants.
Learn more about the Duckie Race and how you can get involved by visiting Schreiber’s website!
Balancing The Emotional Impact Of A Non-Profit
Commonly, non-profits will be able to tug at emotional appeal to bring in volunteers, donors, and fundraisers. However, as marketers, we have to make sure we aren’t overbearing these messages and forcing only emotional appeal when highlighting a non-profit.
{30:14} James knows that there are emotional stories of kids and families of Schreiber, but he also wants to emphasize the financial domino effect that Schreiber services provide. If an adult grows up with an untreated disability or does not receive pediatric care or therapy, they develop more severe disabilities or health conditions that ultimately cost taxpayers up to 2 million dollars a year in additional services.
At its core, Schreiber is working to ensure every child can fulfill their best life – whatever that looks like.
Charity Event Tip #4. Combine the facts and the stories to create a powerful message that engages the audience with your organization and events.
The Future Of Schreiber Pediatrics
To round out the episode, we asked James and Danielle what the future of Schreiber Pediatrics looks like.
{37:40} When James first started, it was a two-year waiting list to get into Schreiber and use services. And the reality is, if a child had to wait two years for something like a speech evaluation service, they likely wouldn’t be able to overcome this speech delay.
So, as an initial goal when he stepped into the role of President, James wanted to make sure that families wouldn’t be waiting for Schreiber services and could be proactive about their child’s developmental health.
James is happy to say that since the addition of the new therapy spaces, they can accommodate more services and get families in faster. In this next era, he hopes to provide staff financial support and nurture the bigger donors.
Similar to James, Danielle is hoping to create a more sustainable financial model for Schreiber. Also, she wants to be on top of medical trends and be proactive when therapists are coming to the executive team and talking about common problems they are seeing with their patients.
Check out the full episode: How Schreiber Transforms Lives Through Non-Profit Initiatives
Lily