homeMenu
Become A Member Login
Member Tools

2023 40 Under 40 Winners

 
 

Philanthropy Engagement Officer

 

Grande Prairie Regional Hospital Foundation

 

Sally has taken on a leadership roll within the GPRHF foundation by coordinating the relaunch of our Annual Campaign. She coordinates the volunteers for the Festival of Trees, GPRHF's only foundation-sponsored event. She has also been instrumental in the launch of the Gaming for Good, Gingy's Gaming Room, and the Holiday Barn Burner, which are sub-events within the Festival of Trees. She has taken on the training and coaching of the newest addition to GPRHF's fund development team, the prospect researcher, as well as identifying and testing the technology needs and platforms for this poistion. 

She works with many local organizations and businesses in developing third-party P2P events and has added three significant P2P events. She also maintains numerous other third-party events. She works with these donors to ensure that their events are on brand and messaging with the foundation and helps to ensure the success of the events through good governance and stewardship of the events and donors. Sally launched the Circle of Care monthly donor program last year and has grown the program.

Sally leads the fund development for GPRHF's in-hospital programs to support patients and their families: the Teddy Bear Program, Therapeutic Clown Program, Parental Bereavement Program, White Rose Hospice Program, Mental Health Backpack Program, and the Born to Read Program. Through these programs GPRHF's hospitals touch the lives of patients from birth to death. Sally has worked outside her job description and has lead the way to grow incoming grants. Through these grants and her other fund development work, she has been able to ensure that all these programs are fully funded.

After working in philanthropy for a handful of years, I realized that the most successful fund development professionals I had met were passionate about their cause. I realized that, while I saw importance in the role the organization I worked at played in our community, it was not something that truly excited me. When the opportunity to transition into healthcare philanthropy arose, I knew it was a cause and community service that I could feel proud and excited to be a part of supporting.

It was shortly after starting in healthcare philanthropy that I knew I had found my place. Getting to meet patients, the healthcare workers who treated and/or saved lives, and seeing all of the behind the scenes magic that goes into providing excellent healthcare made it so exciting. Having no room for discrimination and intolerance in my own life, I felt a connection to healthcare because illness and injury do not care who you are or where you live. Crisis does not discriminate. At some point, every person will need healthcare, and I wanted to be even just a small part of the journey by helping to make it available for everyone in our region. Knowing that the work I do could help any individual and touch the lives of thousands of people gave me the passion I knew I needed to be successful. 

I was working for a marketing firm that supported a major fundraiser in the community, and after the campaign ended, the manager announced that over $750,000 had been raised to be split amongst several nonprofit groups in our area. At that point, I knew I wanted to be a part of that kind of magic. Within months, I started in my first philanthropy role and never looked back.

As a parent, I am inclined to say providing a good life for my child, but professionally speaking, my greatest passion is to try to give all people, particularly those who do not have the means to do it for themselves, the same access to the best healthcare possible.

Be more afraid of not trying than failing.

Fun Fact

At eight years old, I taught myself how to ride a unicycle using the fence in my backyard and then the vehicles in my driveway until I no longer needed to hold onto something in order to ride it. I was the only kid in grade two that ditched the bus to ride my unicycle, ha-ha. Looking back, I think I taught myself more than how to ride a unicycle; persistence pays off and big audacious goals are achievable.

Sponsored by

PM Banner-1
Borns-NonProfitSolutions-Logo-01