Island Health Foundation

The Island Hospital Foundation aims to raise money to fill gaps in Island Hospital’s revenue so that Island Hospital can deliver top-notch healthcare to Anacortes and the surrounding area. To enable Island Hospital to continue its standard of excellence, Island Hospital Foundation provides funds to purchase needed equipment upgrades, training opportunities that develop the skills and knowledge of hospital staff, and make available scholarship funds for staff who desire further education. Community programs such as the Mental Health Intervention Program in Anacortes schools, the Cancer Patient and Medical Relief Funds, and Free and Low Cost Health Screenings are a few of the highly impactful, completely donor-funded programs Island Hospital is able to offer because of the fundraising efforts of the Island Hospital Foundation.

Our fundraising is accomplished by securing grants, individual donations, and engaging in direct fundraising efforts. We generate revenue by holding two large annual events, the Gala of Hope and the Island Hospital Golf Classic Tournament; a spring and holiday direct mail appeal; Island Hospital employee giving campaign; miscellaneous small fundraisers throughout the year; distributing informational materials through patient and community programs; and stewarding giving programs such as honor or memorial dedications, planned giving.

The Island Hospital Foundation is a growing nonprofit, with revenue increases every year since 2014. In fact, Island Hospital Foundation has seen a 142% increase in revenue since 2014. Most recently, IHF saw a 4.94% increase from 2018 to 2019. Both major annual fundraising events - the Gala of Hope and the Golf Classic - have yielded more revenue due to increased participation levels and expense reduction. The future focus is to enable and foster individual donors by relationship building with the help of each Board member. In 2019, the Island Hospital Foundation exceeded projected income levels and performed below projected expense levels relative to the 20198 budget. With growing needs from the community and hospital, the Foundation is strategically focused to meet those increasing demands every year.

We have accomplished the most successful fundraising years the Island Hospital Foundation has had since its inception in 1978. More important than dollars raised are all of the patients, staff and community members who have been aided by the programs and services of Island Hospital. Some notable accomplishments include: the highest grossing and attended Gala of Hope; the funding for 16 new telemetry machines to save lives in the Emergency Department and ICU; increased monetary amount for grants for cancer patients in need; expanded the Mental Health Intervention program to four days per week and to year-round access; launched a Diabetes Education program, and sustained funding for free or low-cost health screenings for the community, to name a few.

However, with Island Hospital taking on big projects and looking ahead at future development, the hospital's needs from the Foundation continue to expand. Among many goals, we hope to create a new Outpatient Procedure Center, in addition to maintaining our current commitments to Island Hospital's departments and programs.