Venture Philanthropy

During its 50 year history, HealthCare Chaplaincy has relied heavily for its financial support on its funders: individual donors, charitable foundations, and corporate philanthropy.

All of our funders are concerned with basic organizational issues:  leadership, clarity of mission, visionary ideas, innovative programs, active board of trustees, and measurable, sustainable, and scalable goals.  An increasing number of donors today are playing a more activist role in their philanthropy.  Beyond providing funding, today’s “venture philanthropists” are choosing to become personally involved in their philanthropy and are lending their support to organizations which will provide them with the most promising social return on their charitable investments.

Defining Venture Philanthropy

Borrowed from the world of venture capital financing and business development, the term ”venture philanthropy” has come to define contemporary attitudes towards charitable grant-making in which funders take a more active role.  Another term for this heightened degree of involvement is “high-engagement philanthropy.”

Venture philanthropists want to strengthen an organization’s ability to be a socially transformative agent. They want to know first-hand what their commitments have made possible.  They want measurable results.

At HealthCare Chaplaincy, trustees have become high-engagement partners by investing their time, skills, experience and resources. They have helped our leaders build and sustain a high-performance not-for-profit organization.  They help foster a climate of careful business planning, tactical implementation, and continuous assessment.  Above all they form a governing board that is strongly committed to a common mission.  They believe passionately in the power of innovation and creativity to transform the profession of pastoral care and to ensure an appropriate place for spirituality in the contemporary practice of medical care.

HealthCare Chaplaincy welcomes engagement with Venture Philanthropists.

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