16 Jul A Partnership Built on Community Care
Strong partnerships are at the heart of the McPherson County Community Foundation’s (MCCF) mission. By working alongside donors, nonprofit organizations, and fund holders, the Foundation helps make giving simple while providing the tools and support organizations need to focus on serving their communities.
One organization that has benefited from that partnership for more than a decade is the McPherson Healthcare Foundation.
The McPherson Healthcare Foundation, which supports McPherson Center for Health, transferred the management of its funds to the McPherson County Community Foundation in 2015. The move gave the organization access to the Foundation’s expertise in fund management, gift processing, grant administration, and financial reporting, allowing its staff to spend more time focused on improving healthcare in McPherson.
“When I started in 2015, the hospital was in the middle of a building campaign,” said Amy Bower, executive director of the McPherson Healthcare Foundation. “(MCCF) was immediately helpful with the management of those pledges and gifts.”
That early collaboration has grown into a lasting partnership. Today, the McPherson Healthcare Foundation holds 15 funds with the Community Foundation, each dedicated to improving healthcare and quality of life in McPherson.
Those funds support a wide range of needs. The AED Endowment has helped place lifesaving automated external defibrillators throughout the community. The Tobin Room Fund assists patients and families who must travel to receive specialized medical care. The McPherson Healthcare Foundation Endowment provides a permanent source of support for the hospital, ensuring resources will be available well into the future.
“We utilize the Foundation for about 90 percent of our donations,” Bower said. “That includes gifts to our endowed fund.”
Each year, the Healthcare Foundation reviews its funds and determines where those dollars can make the greatest impact. The Community Foundation provides detailed reporting and oversees the grantmaking process, making it easy for funds to be distributed quickly when needs arise.
“When a department needs equipment, we typically start with those dollars first,” Bower said.
Bower noted that grant requests are straightforward and are often processed within a week, allowing hospital departments to access funding without unnecessary delays.
Over the years, Foundation-managed funds have supported everything from major capital projects to the hospital’s transition from paper charts to an electronic medical records system, helping ensure healthcare providers have the tools they need to care for patients efficiently and effectively.
For Bower, the value of the partnership extends well beyond financial management.
“I think the knowledge at (MCCF) has always been a resource for me,” she said. “Between all the staff, they have plenty of ways of answering the questions I may have.”
After more than a decade of working together, the relationship between the two organizations continues to demonstrate what can happen when local nonprofits partner with a community foundation that shares their mission.
“It’s been a great partnership,” Bower said.
Partnerships like this are one of the ways the McPherson County Community Foundation helps local organizations maximize every charitable dollar. By handling the behind-the-scenes work of fund management and grant administration, the Foundation allows nonprofits like the McPherson Healthcare Foundation to stay focused on what they do best: caring for the people of McPherson County.