If you are proposing to organise fundraising events for the Foundation, please note that we will want to validate the image you wish to project to your target audience—it must be ethical and convey good sustainable development practices. We will also want to ensure that you can operate independently, without our intervention.
The Foundation's longstanding relationship with Lacor Hospital requires us to maintain the respect and trust that have been built up over decades. This means using communication practices that respect the unique expertise developed among Ugandan staff and the dignity of the hospital's patients.
It is essential to :
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Respect the dignity of the Ugandan people, their culture and their work.
Promote the professionalism of hospital staff to convey an image of Africa that functions well and excels, as opposed to the images of despair that characterise an all-too-common and inaccurate narrative of Africa aimed at eliciting pity or guilt. We must raise awareness of a people who face challenges on a daily basis, with dignity and determination, that are difficult to imagine in Canada.
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Do not do there that you could not do here.
We do not use images that would be prohibited in our country (sick people in pain, etc.). We must always have written and informed consent from the person or their parent before using photos.
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Always assure donors the right to receive clear explanations about how their funds are being used.
We only say and promise what we can deliver and prove, without resorting to marketing techniques such as choosing a more appealing cause to request funds that will be used for purposes other than those published.
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Keep in mind our mission of "public awareness": communication is primarily a fundraising tool, but it must also educate the Canadian public.
To help is not to cause harm.
Where is the best place to look for financial resources when organising fundraising events for the Foundation?
The main motivations of Teasdale-Corti Foundation donors are to support a cause in Africa, and they took the time to get to know St. Mary's Hospital well. It is with a good familiarity that one begins to understand and appreciate the scope and complexity of the hospital's work. One of the most effective ways to do this is to use existing contacts to find forums dedicated to the subject or platforms that offer the opportunity to tell the hospital's story and describe its activities.
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Contacts : Those who already know and appreciate the Foundation are its best ambassadors. The Foundation will explore establishing contacts through its major donors. Individual meetings are preferable.
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Third-party events (private or public parties, conferences, clubs) are good opportunities where we can be invited to share our story and our needs.
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Exploring donor websites or forums that have international programmes. Even if an organisation states that it is not accepting applications, there is no reason why you cannot make yourself known by sending a short presentation and a request for a meeting. Organisations can change their priorities and activities, which may enable us to become one of their beneficiaries.
Some useful tips for talking to donors when organising fundraising events for the Foundation
If donors were given the choice of allocating their funds, they would choose based on emotions (e.g., only children, only a specific disease) or on their personal experience, often for reasons that are usually far removed from local priority needs).
La fondation considère un devoir de faire comprendre à ses donateurs l’importance de laisser l’hôpital décider, sur la base des priorités locales. Personne à des milliers de kilomètres de distance ne peut se substituer à la direction permanente de l’institution. Notre vision est reprise dans les Objectifs de Développement Durable des Nations-Unies. Les docteurs Piero Corti et Lucille Teasdale étaient en avance sur leur époque. Leurs 35 ans de travail, de direction, et de développement de l’hôpital Lacor les informaient. L’hôpital St. Mary’s est aujourd’hui le plus grand hôpital à but non lucratif de l’Ouganda.
Les exemples des coûts de traitements ou des salaires locaux ne peuvent être qu’indicatifs. Tout comme dans les hôpitaux canadiens, le coût du traitement varie d’un individu à l’autre. On ne peut que faire des moyennes. Les décisions de traitement se prennent sur place, en fonction des patients qui se présentent à l’hôpital. On ne peut rien déterminer à l’avance. Y aura-t-il plus de grippe et moins de jambes cassées?
Il est important de se souvenir de « l'iceberg des coûts » et de prévoir la totalité du cycle de vie dans les choix d’équipements et d’infrastructures. Nous ne voulons pas augmenter le « cimetière d’équipements médicaux. »
Il est important aussi parler des frais administratifs de la Fondation. Ils sont réels.
On confond souvent frais de fonctionnement et frais d’administration. Il est normal dans une organisation de payer des salaires pour fonctionner. Un enseignant ou un médecin est la preuve que les salaires ne sont pas seulement des frais d’administration. L’enseignant livre la mission de l’école et le médecin assure la prestation de la mission d’un système de santé ou un hôpital—leurs salaires font partie des frais de fonctionnement. On doit donc analyser prudemment les dépenses d’un organisme à but non lucratif. En plus de financer le fonctionnement, il ne faut pas oublier de financer l’administration. Même si elle est relativement peu coûteuse, l’administration est essentielle à tout organisme, si ce n’est que pour la reddition de compte.
