Having been a development officer for over a decade before becoming closely involved with Children’s Miracle Network, I would question “if all the effort matters?” or “is there a strong philanthropic ROI?”   

I now know the power of CMN showing up in small moments that add up to something much larger: like a cashier asking a family to round up, a Miracle Balloon taped to a register, a Champion waving at a partner event, my team visiting their partners or a parent recognizing our hospital name because they’ve seen it in their neighborhood store for years.  

Those small interactions rarely feel like strategy in the moment, yet they begin reshaping how a community comes to trust a pediatric hospital long before a child ever needs one and ultimately result in people donating to impact children’s healthcare. 

Being the exclusive Children’s Miracle Network hospital in a defined region is more than a fundraising designation; it is a strategic brand advantage that drives philanthropy. When leveraged intentionally, the CMN partnership amplifies pediatric healthcare brand awareness, deepens community trust and elevates fundraising outcomes across your entire market. 

At Orlando Health Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children, CMN serves as a powerful connective thread between philanthropy, marketing and community engagement. The consistent presence of our hospital name alongside the CMN logo, Champion children and the iconic balloon, especially at point-of-sale, creates immediate recognition and reinforces credibility. Over time, these impressions compound, strengthening both the pediatric hospital brand and making the connection to the need for funding a natural one. 

To fully understand and optimize this impact, we stepped back to assess the full scope of our CMN activity across the year — educational elements, communications, brand impressions, partner engagement, stewardship touchpoints and ambassador family engagement. Mapping these efforts in one place revealed both strengths and gaps, allowing us to be more intentional about how, where and when we engage partners and donors. These efforts and more have helped strengthen and grow our market, positioning it amongst the highest in the network.  

This work also catalyzed deeper collaboration with our system’s marketing team. By clearly demonstrating the reach and value of CMN fundraising initiatives, we aligned CMN campaign materials with systemwide brand messaging. The result: a seamless experience for the consumer. What they see at the register to what they encounter in the community – reinforcing trust and recognition at every touchpoint. This strategy also built significant trust between the foundation and hospital-based marketing colleagues. 

Key Considerations for Maximizing Your CMN Partnership 

• Are you viewing CMN solely as a set of fundraising campaigns and programs, or as a year-round donor development strategy?  

• Do you view your CMN partners and programs the same way you would a major gift donor? If no, why? 

• How are you integrating CMN partners and programs into existing hospital events, larger foundation opportunities and stewardship strategies? 

• In what ways are you ensuring corporate partners feel valued beyond campaign season? 

Action Step 

Back to my original question, and the answer is… “All the effort DOES MATTER!”  Take time this year to map your CMN engagement holistically — across brand, fundraising, stewardship and partnerships — and share that story internally. Use it to strengthen alignment with marketing, uncover missed opportunities and elevate CMN from a campaign to a strategic asset. The network is powerful; the question is whether you are fully leveraging it. 

Tori B. Spradlin 

Chief, Strategic Communications & Engagement 

Orlando Health Foundation