As Shriners Children’s Spokane celebrates its 100th anniversary, the nonprofit hospital is expanding fundraising efforts and hoping for a substantial increase in the charitable donations it receives this year.

“We’re raising just north of $3 million a year for this particular hospital, which frankly isn’t enough,” says Bill Gross, senior director of philanthropy for Shriners. “If we’re seeing more kids, potentially with no health insurance or less health insurance, that means the fundraising department needs to raise more money.”

Funds raised through philanthropic efforts help make it possible for the hospital to provide specialty pediatric care, regardless of a patient's family's insurance status or ability to pay.

The hospital, located at 911 W. Fifth, has nearly 200 full-time equivalent employees and cares for about 9,000 patients a year—a number that continues to grow, says Gross.

The organization has the goal of raising $4 million this year, he says.

“Most of our business now is outpatient care, but we’re still a licensed 30-bed hospital and still have kids that stay here and have inpatient surgery,” he says.

To meet its goal of raising $4 million this year, Shriners is increasing its philanthropic efforts by hosting a charitable golf tournament, an anniversary gala, and an inaugural telethon.

The hospital also was recently named the Charity of Choice for Bloomsday 2024. Participants of Spokane's annual 12K race have the option to donate to Shriners during the registration process.

“Bloomsday’s mission is to better the community and give back in any way that we can,” says Bethany Lueck, sponsorship and communications coordinator for the road race.

Each year, local nonprofits apply to be named the Charity of Choice. Last year, about $15,000 was raised through the program for Spokane-based Teen & Kid Closet, Lueck says.

“One of the largest benefits is the general exposure,” she says.

As of Feb. 29, about $8,000 had been raised for Shriners Children’s, Lueck says. Registration opened Jan. 1 and closes May 4, the day before the race.

“It’s huge for us because Bloomsday attracts tens of thousands of runners to Spokane,” says Gross. “It’s a beautiful marriage because a lot of our kids who have come here for orthopedic care—whether they have mobility issues from birth, or maybe they lost a leg in an accident—want to train for and run Bloomsday.”

The funds raised from the event will go toward uncompensated or undercompensated care at Shriners, including the hospital’s motion analysis center, Gross says.

“Bloomsday is going to help provide gait studies for kids who are in that motion lab,” says Gross.

The motion analysis center consists of 14 infrared cameras that are used to perform three- to four-hour gait studies for patients. Surgeons then use those studies to determine the next steps for each patient, whether that’s surgery, physical therapy, or occupational therapy.

“And then a year later, depending on what the treatment is, they repeat the motion analysis again,” Gross says. “That’s not billable by insurance.”

In May, the Spokane hospital will partner with Shriners Children’s Portland, which also is celebrating its 100th anniversary, to hold a charity golf event in Mountlake Terrace, Washington. The two hospitals will split the proceeds from that event, Gross says.

In September, Shriners Spokane will hold its 100th-anniversary gala at the Historic Davenport Hotel, and in December, it will hold a telethon that will be aired on KREM-TV, Gross says.

Donations to the Spokane hospital, whether made through these various events or directly to the hospital, stay in Spokane, Gross adds.

Philanthropy covers other ancillary services at the hospital that aren’t covered by insurance, Gross says. Pet therapy with Ginny, the hospital’s yellow lab, for example, isn’t covered by insurance.

Currently, almost 5,000 donors contribute to the Spokane hospital, Gross says. The total funds raised remained steady from 2022 to 2023, but the total number of gifts rose by about 700 during that time.

Individuals make up the majority of the hospital’s donors, Gross says. Businesses as well as local Shriner groups, like Spokane-based El Katif Shriners, for example, also raise funds for the hospital.

In some cases, individuals leave their entire estates to Shriners.

A Montana man, for example, plans to donate his 140-acre wheat farm to the Spokane hospital when he passes, Gross says.

In addition to the new fundraising events happening this year, Gross and his team also perform the more traditional outreach practices of calling and emailing donors and writing hand-written letters to thank people for donations.

“Fundraising is all about relationships, building that genuine connection with the donor,” he says.

Gross recently worked with an Arizona woman who donated $50,000 to the Spokane hospital for a piece of anesthesia equipment that was needed in the operating room after her husband, a former Shriner, passed away.

Donors can give monetary gifts, as well as toys, crafts, toiletries, and other items. Donors can also make the hospital the beneficiary of life insurance policies and retirement accounts, or they can make stock donations or cryptocurrency donations.

Shriners also has a vehicle donating program, Gross says.

Gross currently is trying to grow the hospital’s third-party fundraising program, which allows people or organizations to hold fundraisers on behalf of the hospital.

“One of our patients, for example, recently brought in $664 in cash because she did an ice cream fundraiser for her birthday,” says Gross. “She didn’t want gifts, but she had an ice cream party and invited people over and they donated.”

The Spokane facility is the seventh oldest Shriners Children’s hospital. It was established on Nov. 15, 1924, and started as a 20-bed ward of St. Luke’s Memorial Hospital. In 1939, the hospital opened as a new stand-alone facility on Summit Boulevard.

The current hospital building was built in 1991.

The Spokane hospital also operates outreach clinics in Richland and Yakima, Washington, as well as in Fairbanks, Alaska, and Kalispell, Montana.

“Our surgeons and our physicians go to those outreach clinics with our nurses and take care of the kids there, so they’re being cared for in their own communities and not having to always travel to Spokane for a simple outpatient visit,” Gross says.