Friends of Children's Hospital

aka Friends of Children's Hospital   |   Flowood, MS   |  friendsofch.org

Mission

We elevate the healthcare experience for children in Mississippi to create hope, smiles and a place where patients can be kids. We are dedicated to improving health care for Mississippi children by fundraising and building awareness of the state's only Children's Hospital.

Ruling year info

1991

Principal Officer

Rochelle Hicks

Main address

3900 Lakeland Dr. Ste 205

Flowood, MS 39232 USA

Show more contact info

EIN

58-1921769

NTEE code info

Single Organization Support (E11)

IRS filing requirement

This organization is required to file an IRS Form 990 or 990-EZ.

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Communication

Programs and results

What we aim to solve

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Mississippi has only one Children's Hospital and it requires community support to not only sustain itself but to expand and meet the health care needs of a growing population. With construction completed in November 2020, Children's of Mississippi added its first-ever pediatric imaging center, larger newborn and pediatric intensive care units with private rooms, specialty clinic space, a center for the treatment of congenital heart defects and surgical suites to care for sick children. It's critical for Mississippi's kids to have access to state-of-the-art health care and philanthropy support is the only way the hospital can meet the needs of the more than 175,000 children treated annually.

Our programs

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?

Batson Children's Hospital and Children's of Mississippi

Provide financial support for many of the hospital's programs including Child Life and education, purchase state-of-the-art equipment, construct or renovate facilities and promote voluntarism in the community.

Population(s) Served
Children and youth

Where we work

Affiliations & memberships

University of Mississippi Medical Center 2020

Our Sustainable Development Goals

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.

Goals & Strategy

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.

Charting impact

Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.

Friends of Children's Hospital works year-round to support the critical needs of the Batson Children's Hospital, the flagship for Children's of Mississippi, part of University of Mississippi Medical Center. Friends has pledged to raise and donate $2 million annually for 10 years (2016-2026) to help expand the Children's Hospital. Additionally, Friends also funds Child Life positions, the HUGS (grief support) program, Entertainment systems for patient rooms, ice machines and laundry facilities, snacks for staff and families, activity room supplies and more.

Friends is committed to not only raising money for the hospital's expansion but also helping to publicize the need for the community to donate. Special events and fundraisers are held year-round to bring attention to the need and generate funds to expand the pediatric facility. Strategies include utilizing various marketing methods to promote events, tell the hospital story and share the needs of the children in its care. Board involvement in the community is a critical part of generating support for the hospital.

With a committed board working together with the staff, Friends of Children's Hospital is able to meet its goals. A strong volunteer board is critical to the organization's success.

In its nearly 32-year history, financial support from the Friends organization not only helped build the Batson Children's Hospital, its surgical center, Eli Manning Clinics, emergency department and the Sanderson Tower but has also made possible the following programs: On-demand entertainment system for patients, grief support program for families, endowed chairs for pediatric specialists, activity room staff and supplies; and equipment such as video gaming systems, patient recliners and newborn isolettes,

How we listen

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.

done We demonstrated a willingness to learn more by reviewing resources about feedback practice.
done We shared information about our current feedback practices.

  • Who are the people you serve with your mission?

    Friends serves the patients, families and staff of Mississippi's only Children's Hospital with the ultimate goal of elevating healthcare for kids.

  • How is your organization collecting feedback from the people you serve?

    Focus groups or interviews (by phone or in person), Hospital leaders serve as ex-officio members of board,

  • How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?

    To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals,

  • What significant change resulted from feedback?

    When Friends was made aware of the negative impact Covid was having on an overworked hospital staff, we decided to donate snacks and lunches to alleviate stress and bring some relief to the health care team. Feeding staff was new to Friends but the organization recognized it was important to help improve the lives of those responsible for caring for kids.

  • With whom is the organization sharing feedback?

    Our board, Our community partners, Donors,

  • How has asking for feedback from the people you serve changed your relationship?

    It provides guidance for the Friends board which ultimately leads to decisions that provide increased resources for the Children's Hospital.

  • Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?

    We collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually, We engage the people who provide feedback in looking for ways we can improve in response, We act on the feedback we receive, We tell the people who gave us feedback how we acted on their feedback,

  • What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?

    We don't have any major challenges to collecting feedback,

Financials

Friends of Children's Hospital
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Operations

The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.

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Connect with nonprofit leaders

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Connect with nonprofit leaders

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  • Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
  • Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
  • Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations

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Friends of Children's Hospital

Board of directors
as of 7/28/2021
SOURCE: Self-reported by organization
Board chair

Melanie Morgan

Mary Clift Abdalla

Anne Daly

Sanford Moore

Bob Abney

Kristin Allen

Rob Armour

Gabe Baldwin

Katy Creath

Jill Dale

Owen Evans

Lindsay Hamm

Joey Havens

Bill Hulsey

Bethany Johnson

Bruce Leach

Fidelis Malembeka

Katherine McRae

Scott Overby

Sara Ray

John Scarbrough

Josh Swain

Suzan Thames

William Van Devender, Jr.

Brenda Williams

Board leadership practices

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.

  • Board orientation and education
    Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes
  • CEO oversight
    Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes
  • Ethics and transparency
    Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes
  • Board composition
    Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes
  • Board performance
    Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? No

Organizational demographics

SOURCE: Self-reported; last updated 07/28/2021

Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? GuideStar partnered on this section with CHANGE Philanthropy and Equity in the Center.

Leadership

The organization's leader identifies as:

Race & ethnicity
White/Caucasian/European
Gender identity
Female

Race & ethnicity

Gender identity

 

Sexual orientation

Disability

We do not display disability information for organizations with fewer than 15 staff.

Equity strategies

Last updated: 04/05/2021

GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more

Policies and processes
  • We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.