MedStar Health In partnership with MedStar Health, Orr Group delivered strategic support and helped design a transformative philanthropy program, leading to successful major gift campaigns and a collaborative initiative with Georgetown University Medical Center.
Challenge MedStar Health, a $4.2 billion healthcare system serving patients across Washington, DC, and Maryland, faced significant challenges due to turnover in its fundraising staff at Washington Hospital Center (WHC), its largest hospital. This disruption left a gap in leadership and hindered the hospital’s philanthropic efforts, necessitating a strategic approach to stabilize and grow its fundraising capabilities.
Solution Orr Group partnered with MedStar Health on an embedded basis for over six years, initially stepping in as the Interim Chief Development Officer (CDO) for WHC. In this role, Orr Group not only led fundraising efforts for the WHC Foundation but also conducted a comprehensive assessment of the organization’s philanthropic endeavors. Our support included major gift, foundation, corporate, and board fundraising initiatives, along with the creation of training modules for MedStar’s philanthropy staff and board training sessions. As the partnership grew, Orr Group expanded its role to provide executive management support and strategic counsel across MedStar’s philanthropy program. This included preparing for visionary growth campaigns, such as a $30 million campaign for the WHC Heart & Vascular Institute. Orr Group engaged key stakeholders in discussions about enhancing the role of philanthropy within MedStar, analyzed trends and best practices in medical philanthropy, and provided recommendations to position MedStar for transformational growth in its fundraising efforts.
Impact Orr Group’s efforts led to a series of strategic improvements across MedStar’s fundraising operations. We conducted a major gifts fundraising assessment across the MedStar hospital system, leading to actionable recommendations tailored to MedStar’s existing infrastructure. These recommendations were implemented at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital (MGUH), where Orr Group managed a prospective donor portfolio exceeding $10 million. Furthermore, Orr Group collaborated with MGUH to launch a campaign aimed at engaging grateful patients in philanthropy. This involved conducting research on MGUH’s top 200 prospects, developing physician testimonials, and designing a strategy to prioritize and cultivate high-potential donors. In partnership with Georgetown University Medical Center, Orr Group took on a coordinating role in designing and operationalizing a $500 million joint comprehensive campaign. This campaign aimed to fund the construction of a new surgical pavilion on the Georgetown campus and support clinical care, research, and educational initiatives, marking a significant step forward in MedStar’s philanthropic journey.