PULSE OF PHILANTHROPY: Fundraising in Advance of a Health Crisis

When word got out that Willie Leist was confronting a life-threatening medical condition, it didn’t take long for those who love her to get organized and launch an online crowdfunding campaign to help with her expenses. As someone with countless friends and family, Leist’s team exceeded their fundraising goal by over 20%.

Unfortunately, Leist’s experience is very much the exception rather than the rule. In 2021, a study in the journal Social Science and Medicine found that crowdfunding campaigns to help individual people in crisis failed to reach their goal nearly 90% of the time. Even more striking, 42% of such fundraising efforts did not receive even a single donation.

Leist is blessed to be surrounded by an abundance of friends and family.  Sadly, there are people who live and work in the shadows of society whose personal crises go unnoticed by the larger community. It’s not that we don’t feel the human need to help others. Rather, it’s just that most people who wash dishes or clean hotel rooms for a living don’t typically cross paths with those who have the financial means to make a meaningful contribution.  

This has been on the minds of Dave Smith and Paul Salm a lot lately.  Both Smith and Salm were supportive of the effort to help Leist, but they couldn’t help but wonder about the other “Willies” in our community who are struggling, but don’t have a broad network of social connections from which they could seek help.  

“In the face of a potentially crushing medical diagnosis, Willie’s friends and family chose to rally and support each other in their successful fundraising efforts,” Salm said.  “Not everyone is blessed with that loving network.”  

Smith and Salm set out to do something about it. Inspired by the way the community rallied around Leist, they created Willie’s Cornerstone Foundation as a component fund of the Door County Community Foundation. The money they’re raising isn’t for Leist. Rather, it’s a pool of money inspired by her and will be used to help the next “Willie” who is facing a life-threatening medical condition.  

“We envision a restaurant server, shop owner, bartender, or tradesperson, who becomes ill,” says Smith. “Many of these people have limited financial resources to fall back on when a life-threatening crisis hits. We want this foundation to form a safety net to ease the burden of these monthly bills so they and their family can focus on treatment and recovery.”

Salm views this as an “advance” in fundraising. Rather than raising money to help a specific individual after they are in crisis, Willie’s Cornerstone Foundation was created to raise a pool of money before the next crisis and remain on standby, ready to help when needed.

“Generous donors and future fundraising events will provide the financial cornerstone for local residents facing a potentially crushing medical diagnosis,” Salm said. “That is because we will be having those chili cook-offs, bake sales, and meat raffles before we need them.  [We’re creating] overwhelming generosity prior to overwhelming need.”

Smith makes clear that Willie’s Cornerstone Foundation is not duplicating existing services because they are helping a population not addressed by current programs. Door CANcer does a wonderful job providing aid to those dealing with cancer. The GO BO Foundation helps children with a life-threatening condition other than cancer (so as not to duplicate Door CANcer’s role). Consequently, Willie’s Cornerstone Foundation will assist adults facing a life-threatening medical condition other than cancer, and who are not already covered by Medicare. It won’t help everyone, but Willie’s Cornerstone Foundation will be another important resource for Door County residents who are confronting an unexpected medical crisis.

“We all know someone who is dealing with heart disease, liver disease, COPD or aftereffects of a stroke,” Smith said. “We want to help. These people will have more difficulty earning what they need to pay their mounting medical bills on top of monthly expenses and will be worrying about losing housing or having utilities cut off. This foundation will help with the bills for housing and utilities among others and, hopefully, provide some peace of mind.”

Smith and Salm have already spent this fall approaching many of Door County’s generous philanthropists to support this important effort. They are now inviting the community as a whole to give as well. They anticipate being ready to accept the first requests for assistance from adults facing a life-threatening medical condition in early 2024.  

To learn more, make a donation, or apply for assistance, visit www.WilliesCornerstone.org.

Bret Bicoy is President & CEO of the Door County Community Foundation.  Contact him at [email protected].