#USA #Hoag Hospital #Kindsight #Orange County, California #Grateful Patient Program

Major Fundraising Breakthrough for Hoag Hospital Foundation

In an impressive display of philanthropic achievement, Hoag Hospital Foundation has surpassed expectations by raising over $5 million in just the first six months of 2026 via its Grateful Patient Program. This achievement is indicative of the Foundation's efficient use of Kindsight's Ascend fundraising platform, which has dramatically streamlined their fundraising process.

Kindsight's Impact on Fundraising Efficiency

Before implementing Kindsight's technology, Hoag Hospital Foundation faced a cumbersome 24-step manual workflow for their fundraising initiatives. The team spent hours every week navigating through different platforms for data processing, including Power BI and Excel, resulting in an estimate of up to 13 hours spent on data preparation alone. However, with the deployment of the Ascend Fundraising CRM, the entire approach has transformed.

The Ascend platform has automated a majority of these steps; the workflow is now condensed to only seven automated steps, saving the team hundreds of hours. Through real-time integration with Epic EMR via the Ascend system, the Foundation has cut its weekly data processing time from 13 hours to a mere 10-15 minutes, an incredible leap in productivity.

Fundraising Achievements

From January to June 2026, Hoag Hospital Foundation has generated substantial results including:

• - $5.1 million raised, outpacing their entire GPP revenue from 2025 months ahead of schedule.
• - Achieved major gifts from 38 individual donors including 7 contributions over $100,000.
• - Successfully established a pipeline of 12 major gift proposals, ranging between $100,000 to $1 million.
• - Identified over 50,000 potential GPP prospects for future outreach.
• - Secured a significant $250,000 gift shortly after the Ascend GPP module went live.

Alyce De La Cruz, Executive Director of Advancement Services at Hoag Hospital Foundation, remarked on the major transformation, stating, "Implementing a formal grateful patient program and automating our workflow with Kindsight has already led to significant major gifts. It has transformed how we identify and engage potential donors."

Speeding Up Engagement with Patients

Timeliness in reaching out to grateful patients is crucial for fundraising success. Research by Kindsight indicates that only 25% of donors receive outreach promptly after experiencing health events. With the new automated data processing, Hoag Hospital can now contact patients immediately post-care—which is essential for cultivating donor relationships while their gratitude is still fresh.

Rebekah Kurisu, Grateful Patient Program Manager at Hoag, noted the dramatic reduction in steps necessary for outreach, which has massively affected the team's overall productivity: "What once took roughly 24 steps now requires only about seven. The efficiency gained has allowed us to focus our efforts on relationship-building rather than administrative burdens."

A Foundation Built for Growth

The continued success of Hoag Hospital Foundation in 2026 is not just a one-off event; it sets a new standard for their fundraising endeavors. Having generated over 900 records automatically linked between patients and past donors in just six months, they are poised for a record year ahead. Moreover, the Foundation's expansion plans are backed by its Boldly Hoag campaign focused on enhancing healthcare facilities on the Irvine campus, slated for completion in 2026.

As Hoag prepares to share its journey at KindCon, Kindsight's annual customer conference, the narrative is clear: adopting advanced fundraising technology has not merely improved efficiency; it has reshaped the entire approach to donor engagement and philanthropy in healthcare.

About Kindsight

Founded on three decades of technological innovation, Kindsight has emerged as a leader in fundraising and donor intelligence, serving over 4,500 organizations worldwide. Its platform exemplifies what modern fundraising infrastructure can achieve.

Through advanced tools like its Ascend CRM and data insights from iWave, Kindsight empowers organizations to build and sustain meaningful relationships with donors, all while maximizing their impact. This partnership with the Hoag Hospital Foundation highlights the essence of effective fundraising—connecting genuine community support to healthcare advancements.

For further information about Kindsight or Hoag Hospital, visit their respective websites and witness how innovation is paving the future of healthcare philanthropy.