A stagnant annual-giving program prompted changes to how City of Hope approaches donor cultivation and acquisition that, in many ways, defy conventional fundraising wisdom.

By Abny Santicola

“Our success over the last couple of years has made it very easy for us to obtain the compelling patient stories that have been the focal point for HopeCONNECTION and our direct-mail impacts,” de Leon says. “In fact, HopeCONNECTION has become so popular at City of Hope that doctors call our department to see if their patients’ stories can be featured in this newsletter, and this greatly validates the day-to-day work we do and makes it really easy for us to share how great this place really is.”