Vim & Vigor - Winter 2011 - Gwinnett Medical Center - (Page 46)

Investing in your community can help you recover from the recession BY LORI. K. BAKER Healthy Ret If you think volunteering or donating to your local hospital is a purely selfless act, think again. These charitable efforts wind up benefiting you in ways you least expect, and can help you and your hospital bounce back—even from a serious financial downturn. Just ask Candy Burnett, vice president for membership and communications for the Association for Healthcare Philanthropy (AHP), a nonprofit organization of healthcare fundraising professionals. More than two decades ago she mastered marketable skills—event planning, database management, organization and multitasking—while volunteering for her local hospital’s foundation. Years later, Burnett worked in a retail store, where she crossed paths with the hospital foundation’s president, who said, “I’ve got a job, and you’re the perfect person for it!” “So you just never know. That volunteer position might just translate into a paid job,” Burnett says. Here are three other ways hospital philanthropy can help you stay up in an uncertain economy. GIVE AND LET LIVE Donating money to your local hospital gives you a nice tax break, but Burnett says you can also think of it as an investment in your own healthcare. “The hospital is one organization that touches everybody in the community—from the birth of a baby to surgery to the death of loved ones,” she says. “You surely will want all of healthcare’s bells, whistles and latest technology to be there if you or someone you care about needs it.” But how can you squeeze a contribution out of a tight budget? “Many hospitals now allow donors to make monthly donations,” Burnett says. It’s much more doable, and the impact is the same. To maximize the tax benefits of your charitable contributions, Rick Resnik, an AHP regional director, recommends taking action soon. “I advise people to not wait to give a donation. The tax laws are not going to improve in your favor,” he says. “There are all sorts of planned giving instruments that lock you into the tax laws of the day once they are put into effect. I always suggest talking to your CPA or financial advisor about what makes sense for you and how best to get tax savings from your donation.” DOING WELL BY DOING GOOD In a tight job market, volunteerism builds important professional connections and demonstrates your marketable traits and skills. PHOTOGRAPH BY PHOTOLIBRARY 46 Vim & Vigor · W I N TER 2 011

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Vim & Vigor - Winter 2011 - Gwinnett Medical Center

Vim & Vigor - Winter 2011 - Gwinnett Medical Center
Contents
Phil's Feature
New Hip, New Life
Building Better Heart Care
Back in Action
Supplementary Knowledge
Keys to Survival
Clearing the Air
Mark Harmon of NCIS fame makes 60 look good
This One's For the Girls
Life After a Loss
Do Your Diabetes Homework
Healthy Returns
Prime Time Health
The Future of Breast Health
Growing Generosity
Out of the White Coat
Transforming Healthcare

Vim & Vigor - Winter 2011 - Gwinnett Medical Center

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