Coordinating operations in a multi-foundation health care system.

When Sid Mallory took the helm in 2005 as executive vice president for philanthropy at Allina Hospitals & Clinics, he immediately recognized a key challenge. Although fundraising across the 11-hospital system was solid, there were substantive differences in strategies, reporting and day-to-day operations that were making it difficult to leverage best practices and individual foundation successes within the system as a whole. With ambitious fundraising goals set for the next several years, Mallory knew that change was needed, and soon. If you are fundraising for a hospital that is part of a broader system, this conundrum may sound familiar. If you raise funds for an independent health care organization, the lessons shared by your system peers can improve your own practices as well.