Shriners Children’s Northern California accepts every child based on medical need and provides the highest-quality specialty care regardless of income or insurance. “There are no financial barriers to care,” says Alan Anderson, director of development. “It’s simply a medical decision, which is unique in health care and the best available care is accessible to every child. Anyone can refer a child and though most referrals come from medical sources, parents may contact Shriners Children’s directly.”
To provide this life-changing care, Shriners Children’s relies on donors’ generosity, with a significant portion of their budget provided by estate giving. “People benefiting the hospital through estate plans enable us to weather the ups and downs of fundraising and build a cushion against economic fluctuations to ensure that vital care for kids is not interrupted,” says Anderson.
Shriners Children’s Northern California received about $6.5 million in estate gifts in 2021 and has already received more than $10 million 2022. Each extraordinary gift ensures care for kids today and for generations of kids to come, with the backing of the Shriners Children’s endowment fund. Established by Shriners in the early 20th Century, this endowment represents generations of caring individuals whose collective estate gifts provide critical underwriting for ongoing treatment.
“People benefiting the hospital through estate plans enable us to weather the ups and downs of fundraising and build a cushion against economic fluctuations to ensure that vital care for kids is not interrupted.” Alan Anderson, Director of Development
“Our specialists make decisions about immediate treatment every day that include courses of treatment over years,” Anderson says. “Families need to know we’ll be here in those years. Furthermore, when hiring health care professionals, including top surgeons and nurses, we must be able to assure them that our resources won’t dry up the very next year.”
Estate giving is a foundation on which every year is built at Shriners Children’s. Anyone, from modest means to the very wealthy, should make an estate plan. Shriners Children’s Northern California is grateful to everyone interested in helping kids who choose the hospital as a part of their estate legacy.
