Photo I Courtesy of Milford Regional Healthcare Foundation
Emily Quinn, vice president of philanthropy and executive director at the Milford Regional Healthcare Foundation
Updated: December 9, 2024
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How to set a fundraising record: Q&A with Milford Regional
Photo I Courtesy of Milford Regional Healthcare Foundation
(From left): Dr. Catherine Jones, assistant professor at UMass Chan Medical School in Worcester; Dr. Eric Dickson, president and CEO of UMass Memorial Health in Worcester; Ed Kelly, president of UMass Memorial Health – Milford Regional Medical Center; and Emily Quinn, Milford Regional vice president for philanthropy
On Nov. 2, the Milford Regional Healthcare Foundation raised $1.3 million at its annual Mélange Gala and Live Auction, the most the foundation had ever raised in the event’s 20-year history. Proceeds from the gala and auction will support major renovations of a suite of eight operating rooms at UMass Memorial Health – Milford Regional Medical Center.
Emily Quinn, vice president of philanthropy and executive director at the Milford Regional Healthcare Foundation, said what makes the organization’s Mélange event so unique is it brings together hospital workers, donors, and the community as a whole to raise funds for their common goal: supporting the delivery of care at their local hospital.
What led to the Mélange raising a record-breaking $1.3 million this year?
It was the 20th anniversary of our Mélange, and that certainly led to some increased excitement for the event.
The theme this year also really contributed to its success: In celebration of our anniversary, we went with an emerald theme inspired by “The Wizard of Oz”. The theme really generated excitement this year with people wondering what it was going to look like, and that generated enthusiasm for fundraising.
What was your fundraising goal?
We had set our sights on raising $1 million. If you look back over the trajectory of the event, it has grown every year. The first time we hit $1 million was in 2018, which was a banner year for us, and then we said “Now how are we going to maintain it?”
So every year, we set our sights on that $1 million goal.
Mélange Gala and Live Auction chart
How do you go about building lasting relationships with donors and make them feel valued?
Our team is always focused on making sure we take care of our donor relationships as any other relationship: by thanking them, by making sure we're celebrating their birthdays or anniversaries, or reaching out to them for important occasions in their lives.
It's the maintenance of those relationships that really matter, and we're genuinely grateful for their support. Philanthropy is a decision, and it's a personal decision; and one that no one should take for granted.
So we make sure that our donors feel that in whatever form.
Have you seen post-COVID economic challenges impact your fundraising?
COVID was challenging for so many different reasons, but we always like to say that we saw the best part of that challenging time because we were always on the receiving end of people's goodness. People who were taking time out of their day during very difficult circumstances for them personally to say “What do you need? What can I do to help?”
How some people determined their philanthropy changed for a period of time. For example, changing their contribution from a gift at the end of the year to something more in kind. There was a bottom line impact, but in terms of people giving, that did not change.
Photo I Courtesy of Milford Regional Healthcare Foundation
Event guests pose with "The Wizard of Oz"-themed characters during the cocktail reception.
How do you and your team select which initiatives the event is going to raise money for? How do you pick which projects to push to the forefront of your fundraising efforts?
We take a really comprehensive approach to making that decision. It involves a number of important people, the operating room in particular. It's the nurses, physicians, the board, senior leadership. And there is definitely some thought in terms of reaching out to our donors, to our key stakeholders to ask what resonates with them.
It involves our internal community to come together and decide what is the immediate priority in front of us that could use the resources fundraising can provide. There is an incredible level of trust that we are making the decisions in the very best interest of our community.
Our donors trust the need that we are putting in front of them is, in fact, a need that is most important or most urgent to the needs of those around us.
What kind of experiences do you envision for your guests when choosing themes for the Mélange?
We try to come up with a theme to inspire people and create a little bit of mystery to the evening. We don't tell people exactly what the colors are going to be inside or exactly what the entertainment is going to be because we want them to have a little bit of surprise when they walk in.
Fortunately, we've been able to create that. It's not an easy thing to do, but we're so inspired by what is going to happen that night in terms of the fundraising and how generous people are that it just certainly motivates us moving forward.
This interview was conducted and edited for length and clarity by WBJ Staff Writer Mica Kanner-Mascolo.
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