Harvey Green, FAHP, CFRE (he/him)
Senior Vice President and Chief Development Officer
WellSpan Health
We caught up with Harvey Green to discover more about him, what he’s up to, and what we can learn from him.
Briefly describe your current role.
WellSpan Health is an integrated health delivery system serving South Central Pennsylvania and Northern Maryland. I provide executive and strategic leadership for philanthropy including planning, directing, and implementing a strategic fundraising development program for initiatives that help advance the delivery of innovative healthcare in the region.
Briefly describe your career journey and what led you to institutional advancement in academic medicine.
I have had the pleasure of working in institutional advancement in higher education since 2007, in which I started as an ambitious annual and special gifts officer. This new enlightenment came after serving in the U.S. Marine Corps and owning a small business in the fitness industry. I became curious about the idea and power of philanthropy at an early age. Growing up in Miami, I had a high school guidance counselor take me under her wing—who went above and beyond in helping me to identify financial resources to attend college. She was kind enough to “donate” to me her personal supply of pillows, sheets, and blankets to help me outfit my first college dorm room. I grew up in a disadvantaged neighborhood in a single parent household of four boys, and we were resource strapped. Since that experience, I have always had the intention to pay it forward, and a career in philanthropy, in my belief, fulfills that. I had the fortunate opportunity to pivot into a career in academic medicine and community hospital philanthropy and feel that being in healthcare represents the epitome of being in service to others.
What achievement in your current job are you proud of?
I am proud of the great healthcare that we deliver in the South Central Pennsylvania region. I am proud of the community benefit we provide and the vision of how we can re-imagine how we can deliver healthcare in this region. I am proud that healthcare philanthropy can be viewed within the continuum of care that we provide and that the process of expressing one’s gratitude—whether through one’s time, talent, or treasure—is a part of the healing process. I am proud that we take the time to listen to, acknowledge, and respond to the various needs of our patients and community members and, in doing so, we honor and respect their unique and individual needs.
What is a challenge that you/your unit/your institution are/is facing and how are you addressing it?
Akin to what healthcare philanthropy—and the entire healthcare industry—is dealing with, we face challenges recruiting team members. Like other industries, there’s an arms race occurring in the non-profit sector. There’s a saying that for every marketable fundraising professional, there are at least five jobs available. This imbalance drives up the market for compensation. A job posting that may be literally right across the street from my organization may pay 10-20% more in salary for the exact same role. That is a challenge!
We are trying to find the right strategies to attract the right people in this competitive environment. In addition, like others, we are faced with other nuances in the post-pandemic landscape. Many candidates want flexible and remote work options. The second or third question I usually get from candidates is “Can I work from home?”
In an industry that has traditionally been very much boots-on-the ground, requiring face-to-face and personal interactions, this adds another layer to reconcile. We try to be as flexible as possible to put ourselves in the running.
But recruiting is not a spectator sport. As managers and leaders, we should be proactive and creative in the search for talent. This may mean getting on an airplane to personally meet with the candidate you want on your team. We must continue to bring creativity to our recruiting process and get potential team members excited about joining us.
What innovation or trend in the field inspires or motivates you?
We need to recast philanthropy as being viewed as a “nice to have activity” to recognizing it as a viable way to diversify revenue within our organizations. Shifting mindsets and paradigms in this space will be exciting.
Traditionally, fundraising in community hospital/academic medicine settings was more of a one-off effort—raising money for equipment or programs through a golf tournament or annual fundraising drive. While these efforts created a warm and fuzzy feeling, they were not always strategic or focused on transformational giving.
We know philanthropy is not a panacea to the economic headwinds facing the healthcare sector; however, heightened awareness around the power of philanthropy can demonstrate impressive results. The cost to raise a dollar is much lower in the philanthropy department versus investments to run clinical operations.
WellSpan Health is on an upward trajectory in building its philanthropy program. While dollars are important, what underpins our efforts is fostering a culture that acknowledges gratitude.
Those grateful for the care received at WellSpan deserve a choice to honor their experience—whether by sharing their story, offering their expertise, or perhaps making a gift. We must help our caregivers be attuned to these cues, coach them on how to respond, and encourage them to work with us.
We as a philanthropy team are creating seamless ways for our caregivers to connect with us should they encounter someone who wants to give back. We believe giving back can be a form of healing and restoration for those we serve, and philanthropy can play a part in the continuum of care.
As philanthropy professionals, we are in a privileged position to help advance the health and well-being of our communities. Given this distinct honor, it is my hope we all rise to the challenge of finding innovative ways to enhance the impact of our efforts.
What advice do you have for other institutional advancement professionals in academic medicine?
Deep down inside, I think we all have a certain amount of ambition for progressing in our careers or assuming leadership responsibilities. I applaud that ambition, especially because you need to be in a somewhat vulnerable space to bring it out into the open and give voice to it. No matter where you stand in an organization, it’s never too early to start planning your growth as a leader. I think every role should come with both a job description and, in parallel, a growth plan. If you don’t currently have a growth plan, advocate for having one. A good leader should align your skill set with your current position while also being supportive of the trajectory you seek to be on.
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