Trends in social media marketing have posed a problem to the St. Mary’s Foundation in Pierre, SD. The St. Mary’s Foundation is a non-profit organization that raises money to benefit health care in Central South Dakota by working closely with the St. Mary’s Hospital. The St. Mary’s Foundation is part of the Catholic Health Initiatives (CHI) www.catholichealthinit.org, which is a national nonprofit health organization that operates in 19 states and includes 73 hospitals.
Since the St. Mary’s Foundation is so closely connected with the St. Mary’s Hospital, social media efforts are not possible. According to Ellen Lee, Executive Director of the St. Mary’s Foundation, CHI Communications is currently working on getting approval from the corporate CHI office to allow a Facebook page. However, because of HIPPA laws, this has been a struggle.
As of now, the Foundation relies on their website, www.stmarysfoundation.com, monthlynewsletters, donated advertisements from Dakota Radio Group, and earned advertising in local newspapers to get the word out about raising money for local healthcare. They coordinate three large fundraisers every year that also help gain acknowledgement in Central South Dakota. The St. Mary’s Foundation is able to receive donations from their website, but Foundation Assistant Julie Moore says that only 12 donations per year are received from the website. That amounts to about one percent of total donations per year that are received from other means.
It is unfortunate that the foundation can't explore the use of social media because non-profit organizations that have little or no budget for advertising would really benefit from it. The Foundation also uses mailing lists to get information to donors, but a social media site would increase awareness and greatly increase the number of potential donors. The St. Mary’s Foundation is a non-profit with a unique situation because they are connected to a healthcare facility. Because any hospital or healthcare facility has strict laws to protect patients, they are unable to benefit from the use of social media.
It is unfortunate that the foundation can't explore the use of social media because non-profit organizations that have little or no budget for advertising would really benefit from it. The Foundation also uses mailing lists to get information to donors, but a social media site would increase awareness and greatly increase the number of potential donors. The St. Mary’s Foundation is a non-profit with a unique situation because they are connected to a healthcare facility. Because any hospital or healthcare facility has strict laws to protect patients, they are unable to benefit from the use of social media.
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