The E. F. Hutton Effect: When My Campaign Chair Talked, I Listened!
As someone who has directed a number of capital campaigns, I will be the first to admit success depends on campaign leadership. Some campaigns are harder than others due to questionable leadership, lack of lead gifts, poor feasibility studies, changing economies and a host of unknown factors out of one’s control.
I am happy to report that one particular campaign was successful, and it was totally based on securing a campaign chair with the E. F. Hutton Effect. Edward Francis Hutton and his brother Franklyn Laws Hutton founded E. F. Hutton & Co., a stock brokerage company, in 1904. Later lead by Wall Street trader Gerald M. Loeb, E.F. Hutton was best known for its commercials in the 1970s and ‘80s that were based on the phrase, “When E. F. Hutton talks, people listen.” And when my campaign chair talked, I immediately listened!
Just last year, the oldest members of the baby boom generation turned 65. In 2010, there were 40 million people aged 65 and older accounting for 13 percent of the total U.S. population, according to the Federal Interagency Forum on Aging and Related Statistics Older Americans in 2012 report. By 2030, the number is expected to grow to 72 million and represent 20 percent of the population.
With the population quickly aging, the demand for health care services at the end of life is expected to increase dramatically. Of such services is hospice care. In anticipation of this health care need, a decision was made by St. Vincent Hospitals and Health Services in Indianapolis, to build a new 25-bed, independent hospice. This hospice was state of the art with features designed for the total care of the patient and family in mind.
The hospice campaign was a tremendous success. Looking back, I learned several lessons from this experience, and it started with a lunch. At that lunch, I asked Rhonda Kittle to chair the hospice campaign. She was the wife of the late, long-time, outstanding St. Vincent Foundation Chair, James L. Kittle, Sr. As a good campaign staff director, I had no recruitment Plan B! In my mind, Rhonda was the only volunteer chair. My lunch included crossed fingers and prayers.
Duke Haddad, Ed.D., CFRE, is currently associate director of development, director of capital campaigns and director of corporate development for The Salvation Army Indiana Division in Indianapolis. He also serves as president of Duke Haddad and Associates LLC and is a freelance instructor for Nonprofit Web Advisor.
He has been a contributing author to NonProfit PRO since 2008.
He received his doctorate degree from West Virginia University with an emphasis on education administration plus a dissertation on donor characteristics. He received a master’s degree from Marshall University with an emphasis on public administration plus a thesis on annual fund analysis. He secured a bachelor’s degree (cum laude) with an emphasis on marketing/management. He has done post graduate work at the University of Louisville.
Duke has received the Fundraising Executive of the Year Award, from the Association of Fundraising Professionals Indiana Chapter. He also was given the Outstanding West Virginian Award, Kentucky Colonel Award and Sagamore of the Wabash Award from the governors of West Virginia, Kentucky and Indiana, respectively, for his many career contributions in the field of philanthropy. He has maintained a Certified Fund Raising Executive (CFRE) designation for three decades.
