Foundation Report
by Peter Coggan, MD, MSEd
2009–2010 Foundation President
Your Foundation enjoyed its best year yet in 2009–2010, despite the downturn in the national economy and its impact on higher education and health care.
With the assistance of a consultant, the Board of Trustees reviewed and revised the Foundation’s mission. One outcome of this process is a clarification of the purpose of the Foundation and tightening of the language within the bylaws in response to the Foundation’s evolution. The revised purpose statement reaffirms the commitment of the Foundation to support STFM’s mission and, to assist in realizing this commitment, a member of the Foundation Board of Trustees will be added to the STFM Board of Directors.
The Foundation Trustees have established a mechanism to accept legacy gifts from individuals who wish to donate to the Foundation in honor of living or deceased individuals. Gifts can be made to existing programs or to the Foundation's general fund in the name of the honoree. In the case of honorees who have died, the family will be notified of the gift. The Trustees also proposed that an opportunity be provided at the Annual Spring Conference to celebrate the lives of STFM members who are no longer with us. We welcome the addition to the conference calendar of “A Celebration of Life Memorial Gathering” for attendees to share memories with friends and family of STFM members who passed away in 2009.
The Bishop Fellowship continues to offer an exceptional leadership development program. This year's fellow is Victoria Kaprielian, MD, vice chair of the Department of Community and Family Medicine at Duke University. The Board of Trustees continues to seek candidates for the future. STFM members who are interested are encouraged to contact Foundation Board members or Robert Graham, MD, executive director of the Fellowship.
Three groups received Group Project Fund awards totaling $24,000 in 2009.
Despite the downturn in the economy, the STFM membership’s response to the Foundation’s giving campaign has been outstanding. The Board of Trustees set a goal of $90,000 for the year. Donations exceeded $100,000 for the second time. The record total of $102,493 handily surpassed the Board’s goal by 14%. We also achieved our goal of broadening the donor base, and the donor profile in the past year shows some gratifying changes. We increased the total number of donors by 17% and were delighted to see a 69% increase in new donors. We attribute this to better communication of the outcomes of our programs and projects to the STFM membership and more effective campaigning at the annual meeting. Thanks to all our 2009 donors for their generous contributions.
The Foundation booth, which was successful last year in providing attendees an opportunity to meet Foundation Trustees and staff, will be available again at the 2010 meeting. With the continuing generous support of the STFM members, we look forward to another banner year in 2010–2011.