By Tracey Drury – Reporter, Buffalo Business First
Oct 25, 2022
No one could have planned the meteoric trajectory of the Patricia Allen Fund the past two years.
But the Children's Hospital of Buffalo Foundation is working to harness that momentum and keep donors coming back.
Those efforts are succeeding, said Andrew Bennett, vice president of the foundation, whose team has worked to build the fund named for Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen’s late grandmother.
In just two years, the fund has received $5 million in donations, including a $2 million gift from West Herr Auto Group announced Oct. 17.
“The organic nature of this has been just remarkable,” Bennett said. “Many have come to me and asked, ‘How can we do something like this?’ Honestly, you can’t create what happened back in November of 2020.”
The fund got its start after Allen led the Bills to a victory over the Seattle Seahawks on Nov. 8, 2020, taking the field just one day after losing his paternal grandmother. A Bills fan in Albany suggested $17 donations to Allen’s favorite charity, the John R. Oishei Children’s Hospital of Buffalo, part of Kaleida Health.
Within 10 days, the hospital foundation had received $500,000 – including $17,000 from Allen himself. Within six weeks, a Buffalo native living in St. Louis donated $200,017 to push the total over $1 million.
“It just exploded,” Bennett said. “It really started organically through individuals, then a few companies started getting involved – Highmark (Blue Cross Blue Shield of WNY), Independent Health, then Tops and a few of our board members here at the foundation.”
With total assets of about $75 million, the Children’s Hospital of Buffalo Foundation has 30 to 40 individual funds, some tied to grants and others earmarked for particular programs or special events. And although some have also involved professional athletes, such as the Eric Wood Fund, none has grown like the Patricia Allen Fund, he said.
The hospital recognized the support by creating the Patricia Allen Pediatric Recovery Wing, which also includes a hospital playroom, now named the Bills Fans Fun Zone in honor of the thousands of fans who donated in her memory.
A second wave of giving took place last year totaling nearly $500,000 as thousands of Kansas City Chiefs fans made donations, many in increments of $13, to recognize a 13-second drive when the Chiefs tied up a playoff game and went on to win over the Bills.
While strategic planning and cultivation of donors has always been vital for the hospital foundation, there was simply no way to plan for this type of organic growth, Bennett said.
He and his team sat down with Allen in the spring to strategize ways to keep the momentum going and to tap into the donor base that now totals nearly 60,000 individuals from all 50 states and nine countries.
“We have 57,000-58,000 donors here at our fingertips, people who have generously given – many of whom may not have a connection to Buffalo but love the Bills, love Josh and love the stories we have told. Now how do we keep them engaged?” he said.
Bennett's team launched Team 17 right after the Bills 2022 season opener, inviting donors to commit to monthly donations – most of them at the $17 level, of course. Since the launch Sept. 9, 300 people have joined. Donations, like others to the fund, help cover costs for new equipment and technology.
“The Bills Mafia is everywhere, so we tried to think strategically, how do we recognize, engage and steward many of the 70,000 people who are out at Highmark Stadium every weekend cheering on the Bills, the fans, our neighbors, our classmates and everyday Buffalonians who want to make a difference,” Bennett said.
“It has become a living, breathing brand in and of itself and it has elevated the brand of the hospital along the way.”
Bennett said Allen’s team and his family have a lot to do with that. Allen doesn’t just show up for media photos. After a recent media event, he stopped on his way out of the hospital for an unplanned visit with a girl he met in Rochester during training camp who was in for treatment.
“When he was leaving, she said, ‘Hey, Josh,’ and he turned, walked over to her and got down on one knee and remembered her, gave her a big hug. He didn’t have to do that. Not only that, he remembered her name — it was a true connection,” Bennett said. “It’s become a very symbiotic relationship beyond what you read in the papers.”
Bennett said the foundation team will continue working with the family to identify opportunities to keep fans engaged - no matter where they live.
"We had a woman from Germany come over for the Steelers game who was one of the first international donors," he said. "She came to an event last week with us, and now she’s raising money for us in Germany."
Buffalo Bills QB Josh Allen helps raise $5 million in grandmother’s memory - Buffalo Business First (bizjournals.com)
Oct 25, 2022
No one could have planned the meteoric trajectory of the Patricia Allen Fund the past two years.
But the Children's Hospital of Buffalo Foundation is working to harness that momentum and keep donors coming back.
Those efforts are succeeding, said Andrew Bennett, vice president of the foundation, whose team has worked to build the fund named for Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen’s late grandmother.
In just two years, the fund has received $5 million in donations, including a $2 million gift from West Herr Auto Group announced Oct. 17.
“The organic nature of this has been just remarkable,” Bennett said. “Many have come to me and asked, ‘How can we do something like this?’ Honestly, you can’t create what happened back in November of 2020.”
The fund got its start after Allen led the Bills to a victory over the Seattle Seahawks on Nov. 8, 2020, taking the field just one day after losing his paternal grandmother. A Bills fan in Albany suggested $17 donations to Allen’s favorite charity, the John R. Oishei Children’s Hospital of Buffalo, part of Kaleida Health.
Within 10 days, the hospital foundation had received $500,000 – including $17,000 from Allen himself. Within six weeks, a Buffalo native living in St. Louis donated $200,017 to push the total over $1 million.
“It just exploded,” Bennett said. “It really started organically through individuals, then a few companies started getting involved – Highmark (Blue Cross Blue Shield of WNY), Independent Health, then Tops and a few of our board members here at the foundation.”
With total assets of about $75 million, the Children’s Hospital of Buffalo Foundation has 30 to 40 individual funds, some tied to grants and others earmarked for particular programs or special events. And although some have also involved professional athletes, such as the Eric Wood Fund, none has grown like the Patricia Allen Fund, he said.
The hospital recognized the support by creating the Patricia Allen Pediatric Recovery Wing, which also includes a hospital playroom, now named the Bills Fans Fun Zone in honor of the thousands of fans who donated in her memory.
A second wave of giving took place last year totaling nearly $500,000 as thousands of Kansas City Chiefs fans made donations, many in increments of $13, to recognize a 13-second drive when the Chiefs tied up a playoff game and went on to win over the Bills.
While strategic planning and cultivation of donors has always been vital for the hospital foundation, there was simply no way to plan for this type of organic growth, Bennett said.
He and his team sat down with Allen in the spring to strategize ways to keep the momentum going and to tap into the donor base that now totals nearly 60,000 individuals from all 50 states and nine countries.
“We have 57,000-58,000 donors here at our fingertips, people who have generously given – many of whom may not have a connection to Buffalo but love the Bills, love Josh and love the stories we have told. Now how do we keep them engaged?” he said.
Bennett's team launched Team 17 right after the Bills 2022 season opener, inviting donors to commit to monthly donations – most of them at the $17 level, of course. Since the launch Sept. 9, 300 people have joined. Donations, like others to the fund, help cover costs for new equipment and technology.
“The Bills Mafia is everywhere, so we tried to think strategically, how do we recognize, engage and steward many of the 70,000 people who are out at Highmark Stadium every weekend cheering on the Bills, the fans, our neighbors, our classmates and everyday Buffalonians who want to make a difference,” Bennett said.
“It has become a living, breathing brand in and of itself and it has elevated the brand of the hospital along the way.”
Bennett said Allen’s team and his family have a lot to do with that. Allen doesn’t just show up for media photos. After a recent media event, he stopped on his way out of the hospital for an unplanned visit with a girl he met in Rochester during training camp who was in for treatment.
“When he was leaving, she said, ‘Hey, Josh,’ and he turned, walked over to her and got down on one knee and remembered her, gave her a big hug. He didn’t have to do that. Not only that, he remembered her name — it was a true connection,” Bennett said. “It’s become a very symbiotic relationship beyond what you read in the papers.”
Bennett said the foundation team will continue working with the family to identify opportunities to keep fans engaged - no matter where they live.
"We had a woman from Germany come over for the Steelers game who was one of the first international donors," he said. "She came to an event last week with us, and now she’s raising money for us in Germany."
Buffalo Bills QB Josh Allen helps raise $5 million in grandmother’s memory - Buffalo Business First (bizjournals.com)
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