OSF HealthCare is fortunate to have many dedicated employees who live our culture of philanthropy every day. The culture of philanthropy is deeper than supporting a charity. It is an understanding of the impact one can make through sharing a Mission, vision, philosophy and values.
The OSF HealthCare Foundation serves to help ensure the future integrity of the OSF HealthCare Mission: “In the spirit of Christ and the example of Francis of Assisi, the Mission of OSF HealthCare is to serve persons with the greatest care and love in a community that celebrates the gift of life.” We work to:
We, The Sisters of The Third Order of St. Francis believe: That led by the Spirit of the Gospels and the example of St. Francis, the special purpose of our existence as a corporation is to provide for the total well-being of those we serve.
That every person, created in the image of God and composed of body and soul, is a human being endowed with intellect and free will, completely dependent upon God for existence and destined to possess God in heavenly beatitude. Because of the dignity of the human person and his moral conscience, each person has certain God-given rights with corresponding obligations toward his Creator, his fellow man and himself.
OSF HealthCare fulfills, through a service of love and compassion, a mission of caring and peace consistent with the needs of the Church and the people served. The love of Christ permeates its work as it strives to continue the healing ministry of Christ and His Church to the total person; to be love, mercy, inspiration, tenderness and compassion to those whose lives are entered.
From this philosophy flow these values which permeate all of our endeavors:
PHILANTHROPY is based on voluntary action for the common good. It is a tradition of giving and sharing that is primary to the quality of life. To assure that philanthropy merits the respect and trust of the general public, and that donors and prospective donors can have full confidence in the not-for-profit organizations and causes they are asked to support, we declare that all donors have these rights:
I. To be informed of the organization’s mission, of the way the organization intends to use donated resources, and of its capacity to use donations effectively for their intended purposes.
II. To be informed of the identity of those serving on the organization’s governing board, and to expect the board to exercise prudent judgment in its stewardship responsibilities.
III. To have access to the organization’s most recent financial statements.
IV. To be assured their gifts will be used for the purposes for which they were given.
V. To receive appropriate acknowledgement and recognition.
VI. To be assured that information about their donations is handled with respect and with confidentiality to the extent provided by law.
VII. To expect that all relationships with individuals representing organizations of interest to the donor will be professional in nature.
VIII. To be informed whether those seeking donations are volunteers, employees of the organization or hired solicitors.
IX. To have the opportunity for their names to be deleted from mailing lists that an organization may intend to share.
X. To feel free to ask questions when making a donation and to receive prompt, truthful and forthright answers.
Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP), all rights reserved. Reprinted with permission from the Association of Fundraising Professionals.