How Children's National Health System in Washington, DC, is leveraging sponsors from its $10.9 million Children's Ball through creative communications and stewardship strategies. Learn how the corporate, event, and communications teams worked together to engage donors in new and innovative ways to increase the event from $2 million to more than $10 million while carefully managing financial and staff resources.

1. Your Fundraising Event is
the Beginning, Not the End:
Leveraging Event Sponsors to Build
Long-Term Partnerships
The 2014 Children’s Ball
Mark Miller and Julie Butler,
Children’s National Health System

2. Children’s National Health System
• Founded
in
1870.
• Only
freestanding
children’s
hospital
in
Washington,
DC
metropolitan
area.
• Ranked
among
top
children’s
hospitals
in
every
specialty
area
measured
by
US
News
&
World
Report.
• Raised
$56
million
in
philanthropy
in
FY14.

3. Unrestricted Revenue
• Unrestricted
revenue
is
increasingly
important
to
close
the
gap
between
paNent
revenues
and
expenses.
• Many
specialty
services
that
are
parNcularly
important
at
a
children’s
hospital
are
not
covered
by
insurance.
• Important
sources
of
unrestricted
revenue
include
fundraising
events,
corporate
partnerships,
and
annual
giving
(online
and
mail).

5. Donors
and
board
members
Bret
and
Amy
Baier,
with
their
sons
at
the
2013
Race
for
Every
Child,
which
raised
money
for
Children’s
NaNonal.

6. Abeer
and
Yousef
Al
Otaiba,
UAE
Ambassador
to
the
United
States

7. The
Baiers
and
Al
Otaibas,
grateful
families
and
co-­‐chairs
of
the
2014
Children’s
Ball

8. Challenges
• How
do
we
meet
the
expectaNons
of
our
chairs,
commiee
members,
and
sponsors
while
managing
our
budget
and
staff
resources
to
maximize
our
net
revenue?
• How
can
we
engage
new
sponsors
in
our
mission,
demonstrate
impact,
and
inspire
them
to
conNnue
their
involvement?
• What
are
ways
we
can
begin
recogniNon
and
stewardship
immediately,
even
before
the
Ball?

9. Sponsors

10. What
We
Did
• AcNvaNon
phone
calls
with
the
25
top
sponsors
-­‐-­‐
introduced
new
partners
to
our
mission,
and
learned
about
their
needs
and
expectaNons.
• Follow-­‐up
calls
to
plan
external
communicaNons
together
(with
the
foundaNon’s
communicaNons
team
and
the
appropriate
representaNve
of
the
sponsor
–
usually
an
internal
PR
team
or
a
PR
agency).
• Exclusive
dinner
with
the
co-­‐chairs
and
our
CEO
for
the
top
25
sponsors
one
month
before
the
event.
• Signage
opportunity
for
top
donors
($250,000
and
up).

11. Sign
unveiling
for
execuNves
from
the
four
$250,000
corporate
sponsors,
with
Bret
Baier,
Ambassador
Al
Otaiba,
and
President
and
CEO
Dr.
Kurt
Newman.

12. With
our
help,
ENhad
Airways
leveraged
its
sponsorship
to
include
the
unveiling
event,
and
their
“Flying
Nannies”
at
the
Ball
and
a
play
date
with
children
at
the
hospital.

13. Communica4ons
• Two
communicaNons
plans
–
US
and
UAE
• Goal
was
to
build
buzz,
show
our
graNtude
to
co-­‐chairs
and
partners,
and
elevate
the
reputaNon
of
Children’s
NaNonal
as
a
charity.
• In
UAE,
goal
was
to
leverage
the
ambassador’s
involvement
to
demonstrate
the
impact
of
our
longNme
partnership.
• Plan
included
adverNsing,
media
outreach,
social
media,
and
on-­‐site
recogniNon.
13

14. Capital
Business,
April
14
Washington
Post,
half
page,
April
11

15. Washington
Life,
full
page,
May
2014

16. Select Media and Online Coverage

17. Feature
on
Amy
Baier
and
Abeer
Al
Otaiba
in
Washingtonian
Mom.
Full-­‐page
arNcle
in
ENhad
Airways’
in-­‐flight
magazine,
in
English
and
Arabic

18. Editorial:
“For parents of sick children, the partnership means they can obtain world-class care while
staying where they ought to be – close to home, with the support of their wider families around
them and making a scary process a little less intimidating. Sheikh Zayed would approve.”

19. Social
Media
33
million
impressions

22. ExxonMobil
(85.5K
followers)
leveraged
the
Children’s
handle
and
sponsor
video
on
TwiFer.

23. On-­‐Site
Recogni4on
• PaNent
video:
The
Al
Otaibas’
story
• Sponsor
thank-­‐you
video:
hp://bit.ly/sponsorvideo14

24. Follow-­‐Up
• Partnership
plan
for
every
sponsor
• Impact
report
• Customized
photo
books
• Private,
tailored
tours
and
visits

25. What
We
Learned
• The
value
of
a
fundraising
event
is
not
just
in
the
dollars
raised
in
one
night,
but
in
the
rela5onships
and
engagement
it
can
inspire.
• Don’t
underes5mate
the
passion
and
commitment
of
your
grateful
families.
• Your
supporters
want
to
help
you.
• Ask
what
your
partners
want.
• Follow
up.

26. Thanks!
Julie
Butler
Associate
Vice
President,
Corporate
and
Community
Giving
Children’s
Hospital
FoundaNon
Children’s
NaNonal
Health
System
jbutler@childrensnaNonal.org
301-­‐565-­‐8508
Mark
Miller
Associate
Vice
President,
CommunicaNons
Children’s
Hospital
FoundaNon
Children’s
NaNonal
Health
System
MRMiller@childrensnaNonal.org
301-­‐565-­‐8507