WASHINGTON, March 1 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Escalating globalization, the growing economic importance of small businesses and the need to develop innovative sources of funding are among the major dynamics expected to converge in the near future which will drive new approaches to supporting nonprofit hospitals and health care systems, says a new Emerging Trends study released today by the Association for Healthcare Philanthropy (AHP, www.ahp.org).

"Small businesses, the economic engines of the future, are highly motivated to provide hands-on support to organizations that benefit their workers and their communities," said AHP President and CEO William C. McGinly. "Hospital development professionals will need to be more entrepreneurial in their efforts to nurture productive relationships with this sector, such as co-sponsoring wellness programs with small business associations."

Likewise, the AHP study sees increased globalization of health care through telemedicine, cross-border medical cooperation and international medical travel changing how grateful patient donors view their ties to medical institutions. Fundraisers in North America will need to foster cross-border and multinational alliances. An additional factor is the emergence of immigrant households as new philanthropic sources and the opportunity to strengthen these relationships through ties to medical facilities in their native lands.

"American fundraisers need to realize that even local community fundraising efforts will increasingly reflect global considerations. 'Cultural awareness,' the ability to understand the attitudes and behaviors of other cultures, will become a key factor to promote donor awareness," said J. Gregory Pope, FAHP, CFRE, AHP chairman and vice president of philanthropy for the Saint Thomas Health Services Foundation in Nashville, Tenn.

A copy of the AHP report, "Emerging Trends: The Changing Landscape of Health Care Philanthropy - Redefining the Profession, Donors and Communities," is available to the media by contacting Kathy Renzetti at (703) 532-6243 or via e-mail at kathy@ahp.org. AHP members can download a copy of the report from the AHP Web site at http://www.ahp.org

The Association for Healthcare Philanthropy, established in 1967, is a not-for-profit organization whose more than 4,700 members direct philanthropic programs in 2,000 of North America's not-for-profit health care providers. AHP's members include fundraising professionals, development staff, public relations professionals, trustees, marketing professionals, administrators, and executives interested in health care fundraising. In 2003, AHP launched its Performance Benchmarking Service, which establishes standard metrics and industry best practices for fundraising success.

SOURCE Association for Healthcare Philanthropy

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