Nicklaus Children’s Hospital Creates Cause Connected Experiences for Partners and Programs
Written by: Allison Baker
President, Nicklaus Children’s Hospital Foundation
In November 2023, I moved 1,000 miles south to Miami and started as CDO at Nicklaus Children’s Hospital, after being at Johns Hopkins for 18 years and serving as CDO of Johns Hopkins Children’s Center for five years. Since then, I have immersed myself in all things Miami and Nicklaus Children’s and have been very impressed with our Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals team’s incredible attention to cause connection. Our amazing team focuses on unique ways to engage partners and programs within the hospital and at their locations, making it all about the experience.
Patient Engagement Activities
Our CMN Hospitals team collaborates with the hospital’s Children and Family Experience department to incorporate partners and programs into select events throughout the year. The Experience team hosts these patient engagement events in the main lobby, the “heart” of the hospital, at 1:30 pm daily, and our team saw this as an opportunity to simply plug-and-play our donors while helping to elevate these events.
The CMN Hosptials team meets monthly with the Experience team to review CMN Hospitals campaigns and events, confirm future available dates, and brainstorm logistics for upcoming events.
The CMN Hospitals team works directly with their respective partners and programs to confirm details, complete a special event form, and coordinate any in-kind support for the event. They encourage the donors to bring branded swag, mascots, and needed supplies.
On event day, the lead Program Director and Experience team will welcome guests, train them on the craft, take photos, and obtain media consents. Our CMN Hospitals team will also offer a tour of the hospital.
The events take place in a high-traffic area and are accessible for patients that are admitted or with outpatient appointments. If a patient wants to participate, but is unable to come to the lobby, they can request a bedside kit so that they can be part of the fun.
Post-event, our partners and programs receive photos and a social media recap post across our digital channels.
Bringing Patient Experiences to Partners and Programs
The Nicklaus Children’s CMN Hospitals team has partnered with our pet therapy volunteers and Healthy Humor Red Nose Docs to include them as part of visits, kickoff, and Dance Marathon events. This is a great alternative or add-on to a Champion visit and gives us the opportunity to highlight non-clinical, but impactful, services at the hospital. These are considered exclusive experiences and often times are promoted as incentives for top fundraising locations.
Since hosting our donors at the in-hospital events is more restrictive and may not be feasible for all partners, the team meets our donors where they are to make as much of an impact as possible.
Overall, we believe this level of engagement really increases cause connection for our partners and programs. Our events are engaging for our patients and allow us to educate our families, staff, and local community about Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals, and our incredible partners and programs.
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