CEO Message: February 2025

Erin White, President & CEO, welcoming guests at the 2024 Tree of Life celebration.

Dear Friends,

In the spirit of Valentine’s Day (and because I love holidays), I’ve been reflecting on the concept of love—not just in our work in end-of-life care, where it is central, but also in the generosity and spirit of philanthropy that are at the heart of our mission.

As some of you know, I’m a career fundraiser. A little over ten years ago, though, I reached a crossroads: Did I truly want to continue fundraising, or should I be on the front lines offering direct support—teaching, counseling, relief work, maybe even nursing? A number of ideas swirled through my mind.

Around that time, I attended a professional development workshop led by writer, speaker, and nonprofit founder Lynne Twist. She said something that reaffirmed my commitment to a career in philanthropy: as fundraisers, we have “an opportunity to redirect some of the world’s resources away from consumption and toward love.” And I thought, that’s something I can get behind.

The idea of love as the driving force of philanthropy is not new. In fact, the word itself comes from the Greek philos (love) and anthropos (humankind)—literally, a love of humanity. To me, it speaks to a deep care for our fellow community members, almost as if they were family, and a desire to help them in meaningful ways.

Since that moment, I’ve never looked back. I’ve dedicated myself to connecting people who have love to give with the people and causes that need it.

I feel that love deeply in our local community. Over the past few months, your generosity has been particularly moving—most notably in the overwhelming response to our MC Gives! campaign, which helped us reach our $500,000 goal for the Siobhan Greene Care and Dignity Fund. Thanks to you, Hospice Giving Foundation can now award up to $50,000 annually in emergency grants to families and individuals facing an end-of-life crisis, ensuring this support remains a permanent part of our grantmaking.

I was also humbled to join nearly 150 local healthcare providers this winter at 1440 Multiversity, where Hospice Giving Foundation helped fund scholarships for a three-day wellness retreat, Healing Our Healthcare Heroes, thanks to a grant from the 1440 Foundation. In the beauty of the redwood forest, healthcare professionals explored wellness practices like yoga and meditation, enjoyed nourishing farm-to-table meals, and engaged in profound discussions on trauma, moral injury, grief, resilience, and finding joy. By the end of the retreat, love was abundant.

Soon, we at Hospice Giving Foundation will embark on our annual grants season, partnering with local hospice, palliative care, caregiving, and grief and bereavement services to better understand their needs and responsibly steward your contributions. Please keep us in your thoughts as we begin this important work—and as always, thank you for your partnership and support.

Warmly,

Erin White
President & CEO

P.S. Exciting news! Hospice Giving Foundation is honored to welcome nationally recognized speaker and New York Times bestselling author Alua Arthur as our guest speaker for this year’s Gratitude Luncheon on March 27. To learn more about this luncheon, please email Erik Lua, Director of Philanthropy, at [email protected].