Building a transformational strategic partnership is not easy. But this example shows it can be done. And the reward in furthering your mission is so great, for many charities it is absolutely worth aiming high and developing even stronger relationships with the very few partners who can make the biggest difference. In March 2024 Bowel Cancer UK la…

This episode was recorded on Monday, October 21, 2024, at HLTH 2024 in Las Vegas Natalie Davis, co-founder and CEO of United States of Care, joins Eric to share her thoughts on the current healthcare system and how her organization is advocating for a more affordable, dependable, personalized and understandable healthcare system. In addition, Natal…

OSF HealthCare, Providence, UMass Memorial Medical Center, and TytoCare share actionable strategies and best practices to transform hybrid care and offer patients personalized, flexible and accessible care. Our expert panel also explores how virtual care reduces costs and addresses healthcare challenges like staff shortages. Key topics include: Max…

Pitching or presenting to a group is a valuable skill in fundraising. Many people see the purpose of a presentation as sharing information. But we’ve found you get better results if you instead see it as a chance to persuade people to actually do something (or something different.) After your presentation, would you like your colleagues to actively…

Healthfirst, myPlace Health and Wellsky share their successful strategies for reducing readmissions, improving health outcomes and reducing costs through post-acute and home care. Topics covered include: Building your provider partnerships beyond the traditional transition of care program Reducing readmissions among higher-risk Medicare Advantage m…

AmeriHealth Caritas, Health Alliance Plan, Highmark Health and Icario discuss how AI transforms healthcare by creating personalized experiences that drive performance improvements and enhance member engagement. Learn how high-ranking health plans reinvent their approach to member experience to elevate your HEDIS scores, improve health outcomes and …

Pitching or presenting to a group is not easy! It can feel stressful. In fact, many fundraisers dislike presenting so much they try to avoid it all together. And yet, after helping thousands of people to improve various skills that are useful in fundraising, Rob and Ben have found that everybody is able to become more skilful in this area. It is en…

Banner|Aetna, Blue Shield of California, Healthfirst and TytoCare explore innovative strategies that health plans can leverage to drive meaningful lifestyle modifications among members, improve health outcomes and reduce the rising costs of chronic disease. Our expert panel also discusses the role of primary care in empowering members to adopt heal…

How do you attract and support content creators to help your charity? There are many thousands of people who create their own content and have a thousand followers or more. Many of them also care about good causes and would enjoy raising funds for charities that support those causes. This time Rob talks to Tom Downie of Tiltify. They discuss the co…

Value-based care leaders from Kaiser Permanente, Premera, UnitedHealthcare and TailorCare discuss the evolving landscape of specialty value-based care. They explain how their plans drive success with innovative approaches designed to optimize care and improve outcomes—even with their most complex, high-cost members. Our expert panelists share pract…

How do you get the result you really want for your fundraising project or campaign? How can you increase your chances of achieving your outcome when things are not working? We all get stuck sometimes! When this happens, it pays to change our approach. To help you get ideas Rob and Ben share three stories of charities who solved very difficult probl…

Starting a new project or side hustle, and keeping it going, isn’t easy. Kenneth Foreman and James Wright are both busy fundraisers and in their spare time for the past seven years, they have created the excellent Do More Good podcast. In this episode Rob hears why and how they got started, ideas that have inspired them and lessons they’ve learned.…

How do you convince companies that partnering with your charity is valuable to them too? Good corporate fundraisers have always known that the best charity partnerships are genuinely win/win. But not all companies understand this, which is a major reason they may be reluctant to consider a partnership, or to give more. How can you help them see it,…

Many of the most difficult challenges for fundraisers involve influencing your colleagues. Whether it's persuading someone in another team to support your idea or getting your proposal signed off by your Chief Exec, it can feel like an uphill struggle. For practical ideas and plenty of encouragement, I was excited to talk to the always-inspiring Pa…

Alec Peterson, MD, Chief Medical Officer of Acute and Specialty Care at Devoted Health, joins Eric to explore the innovative care delivery model that sets Devoted Health apart from other Medicare Advantage plans. Devoted Health uniquely integrates healthcare coverage with its in-house, virtual, and in-home care provider, Devoted Medical, in partner…

Rachel Winokur, CEO, TailorCare and Alex Bateman, CEO, United Musculoskeletal Partners (UMP) join Eric to discuss the evolution and adoption of specialty value-based care, highlighting the significant improvements in patient care, customer satisfaction scores, cost reduction and value creation. Hear how their two organizations partner with a commer…

BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee, Cambia Health Solutions, Health Plan of San Joaquin/Mountain Valley Health Plan and Pager Health discuss how technology and innovation transform the member experience, improving clinical outcomes and consumer engagement. Segments: Strategy & Culture Data & Decision-Making Personalization Right Care, Right Time Pan…

Have you ever thought about creating a podcast to engage your community? This time we look at an award-winning podcast, The Log Books, which has run for three successful seasons. Rob talks to Stephanie Fuller, CEO of Switchboard and Adam Zmith from Aunt Nell, who collaborated to create the show. We explore why and how they made it, how it helps the…

Former NFL general manager and three-time Super Bowl winner Mike Lombardi joins Eric to share what he learned working with coaching legends Bill Walsh of the 49ers, Al Davis of the Raiders, and Bill Belichick of the Patriots, among others, during his three decades in football and how those core leadership lessons directly translate to managing heal…

CareSource, Independent Health, and AdhereHealth outline strategies for the upcoming Medicare Advantage Star Rating changes, focusing on medication adherence and the Health Equity Index (HEI) starting in measurement years 2024-2025 for the 2027 Medicare Advantage Star Rating Period. Under HEI, plans must identify disparities in populations with soc…

In our second interview with the experienced philanthropy advisor Tom Hall, we share a fundamental element that most wealthy philanthropists are looking for when deciding whether to make a major gift. Tom is Managing Director, Global Head of Social Impact and Philanthropy at UBS and over the last ten years he has had conversations with more than 40…

Fred Turner, co-founder and chief executive officer of Curative, joins Eric to discuss how Curative is reinventing health insurance by adopting a more preventative approach to drive better results and lead to a more affordable delivery of plans. Fred shares Curative’s journey from a pandemic testing company to a health insurance provider with a fir…

What do wealthy donors most prize when they weigh up whether to make a major investment in a charity? In 10 years as a philanthropy advisor at UBS bank, Tom Hall has had conversations about philanthropy with more than 4000 wealthy people, and he has witnessed a vast number of major gifts. This opportunity has given him precious insight into their p…

Leading healthcare investors and strategists discuss how to rethink capital in healthcare and share unique ways to grow and scale companies to improve health outcomes, cost savings, and operational efficiencies. Topics include: Components investors look for in 2024 Healthcare sectors with the highest growth projections Human capital strategies Grow…

Katherine Gergen Barnett, MD, Vice Chair of Primary Care Innovation and Transformation in the Department of Family Medicine at Boston Medical Center (BMC) and Cheryl Harding, patient and community advocate, join Eric to share how Boston Medical Center is utilizing storytelling to build trust and connection between the hospital and its community par…

Elevance Health, Blue Cross Blue Shield of South Carolina, and the Business Group on Health and Socially Determined discuss how plans can provide a more holistic and effective healthcare journey for members by gaining insight into all barriers to caring for your members, including social risks such as food insecurities, housing instabilities, finan…

One of the best ways to grow fundraising income is to find ways to add value to relationships with supporters and partners. This makes sense in theory, but how do you do it in practice, and with consistency, especially if your resources are limited? Events can be very effective! Though many charities use them to raise funds directly, it is less com…

Allison Bryant, MD, MPH, Associate Chief Health Equity Officer, Mass General Brigham (MGB), joins Eric to discuss how the health system ensures its innovations are accessible to everyone, particularly those from marginalized communities. Allison elaborates on MGB's unique approach, viewing its mission as providing healthcare and as a catalyst for i…

Esteemed leaders from CVS Health, Florida Blue, Highmark, and Vori Health delved into the impact of health equity on chronic care. They not only shared strategies and solutions to enhance healthcare accessibility but also shed light on specific programs they have successfully implemented to bridge the health equity gap in chronic disease prevention…

Dan Fishbein, President of Sun Life U.S., joins Eric to discuss Sun Life’s commitment to supporting holistic care for mental health and how it leverages digital technology to enhance the overall delivery of mental health and caregiver support to all clients. The conversation also touches on how Sun Life is helping patients navigate a challenging he…

There are many ways to deepen relationships with people who care about your good cause. At Bright Spot, one of our favourites is to create Wow Moments - something that makes them feel great or helps them connect with your charity at a deeper level compared to what most would expect. Sometimes this involves a creative, ambitious approach that other …

Leaders from Ballad Health, Baystate Health, Stony Brook Medicine and Purple Lab share how health systems can take a more sophisticated and consumer-focused approach to attracting new patients. Our expert panel leads a thought-provoking discussion on the importance of seeing patients as healthcare consumers and understanding how they make decisions…

Leaders from Independence Blue Cross, Oscar Health and TytoCare explore how health plans can leverage various solutions effectively to optimize pricing structures; exploring technology adoption, cost-effectiveness, and market competitiveness. Our panel of industry experts will share successful strategies and real-world examples you can implement in…

When you concentrate more effort developing relationships with a relatively small number of supporters or corporate partners with high potential, it becomes much easier to grow high value income. We’ve also found that although this idea makes sense to many people in theory, it can be hard to apply in practice. So what can you do to overcome the var…

Kody Kinsley, Secretary of North Carolina’s Department of Health and Human Services, joins Eric to discuss how his state is improving the lives of families and children by expanding Medicaid and improving the mental health system. Secretary Kinsley shares strategies for improving behavioral healthcare access and benefit design for North Carolina’s …

An effective way to grow fundraising income is to add value to relationships with high value supporters. But how do find ways to do it? One approach is to start looking at your existing resources differently. When you ask yourself what potential assets you could make use of, rather than what is difficult for your charity; and what you can give (to …

What can fundraisers do to increase our chances of securing large, multi-year donations from trusts and charitable foundations? Rob was delighted to talk to Caroline Danks, a wise fundraiser with 20 years’ experience of working with Trusts and Foundations. In the last two years, three different charities she’s worked with have received six-figure, …

Leaders from Humana, Blue Cross, and Blue Shield of Rhode Island delve into the dynamic landscape of specialty value-based care, sharing valuable insights and actionable strategies for navigating its complexities. Show Guests: Alexander Ding, MD, MS, MBA, Associate Vice President for Physician Strategy and Medical Affairs, Humana Nick Lefeber, Seni…

One greatly under-estimated tool for building relationships with potential funders, corporate partners and major donors, is LinkedIn. But what’s the most effective approach? Rob was delighted to talk to fundraising and LinkedIn expert Michelle Benson. After many years as a fundraiser and grant giver, Michelle has found that most fundraisers are fai…

Melissa Newton Smith, Founder of Newton Smith, and Keslie Crichton, Chief Sales Officer of BeneLynk, join Eric to discuss the introduction of the CMS Health Equity Index, which will replace the reward factor within the Medicare Advantage Star Rating program measurement. The Health Equity Index will be a seismic change for Medicare Advantage plans a…

Leaders from Independence Blue Cross, Banner| Aetna, and Scene Health share exclusive insights on successfully accomplishing chronic condition management success with fewer resources. Our expert panel explores patient-centered and technology-enabled approaches that elevate chronic care management efficiency and effectiveness. Don't miss the opportu…

There are plenty of factors that make fundraising difficult at the moment. Whether it’s the cost of living crisis, the pace of change, the sense of political chaos, shorter attention spans etc…it’s true that connecting with people who care about your cause can feel harder than ever. So what can we do to defy the odds and achieve great fundraising r…

Is silo working inevitable in charities? Or is it possible to create a culture where it’s the norm for the different teams to proactively help each other, so that efforts combine to make a bigger difference? This is the second part of Rob’s interview about integrated working with the brilliant Joe Jenkins. They build on the Team of Teams concept fr…

Leaders from Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois, Independent Health, Evry Health and Vori Health discuss GP-1s and their role in addressing the global challenge of obesity. The panel shares innovative, multidisciplinary strategies you can implement to complement lifestyle interventions and other therapeutic approaches in your organization. * Im…

One of the biggest sources of stress for people working in charities is conflict between teams. Many find that however committed they are, and however hard they work, the default structure and culture often hamper genuine cooperation and progress toward a common goal. Given how difficult this problem can be, Rob was thrilled to talk to Joe Jenkins,…

Seema Kumar, CEO of Cure, an innovation campus in New York City, joins Eric to discuss how artificial intelligence can positively impact healthcare and lead to more innovation. She shares how AI has been used in healthcare and the promise it holds for the future. The conversation also highlights the Cure Xchange Challenge: Health AI For Good, an in…

Rob is again joined by Bright Spot colleague and fellow fundraising trainer Ben Swart to talk about some of the episodes that most inspired us in 2023. Our discussion of fundraising ideas and examples includes: how to ace your event or media appeal (ie what content makes all the difference to results); ways to beat the Curse of Knowledge – and how …

If you’d like practical lessons and a bunch of encouraging stories from our fundraising podcast in 2023, or you’d like tips on what to listen to next, we recorded this special episode for you! Rob is joined by Bright Spot colleague and fellow fundraising trainer Ben Swart for this round up of our podcasting year. They pull out key insights from som…

Blue Shield of California, Highmark, Intellihealth and NourishedRX discuss how they are mitigating the high costs of GLP-1s with lifestyle interventions such as behavior change, physical exercise, nutritional counseling and coaching to optimize outcomes for members living with obesity and diabetes. Hear real-life examples and best practices to equi…

This time we’re looking at capital campaigns and appeals, and in particular how to make them work if the charity you work for is relatively small. Successful appeals are not an easy undertaking for any charity, but there are at least examples of various famous appeals by well-known charities in books about fundraising. Given how many smaller charit…