The Organization

Wellstar Health System

At Wellstar, people are at the center of everything we do and every decision we make. As a not-for-profit community healthcare system, we have made a generational commitment to transform healthcare for all. We work to ensure every person has access to personalized care that helps them spend more time being a person, rather than a patient. That’s what we mean when we say we’re more than healthcare – we’re PeopleCare.

Wellstar is nationally recognized for our inclusive culture, exceptional doctors and team members, and personal, high-quality care. We thoughtfully reinvest in prevention, wellness programs and charity care, and provide access to compassionate, world-class care through our expansive system of 11 hospitals, 329 medical office locations, 11 cancer centers, 91 rehabilitation centers, 35 imaging centers, 20 urgent care locations, five health parks, three hospice facilities and two retirement villages. To learn more about how we care for the communicates we serve, visit wellstar.org.

Wellstar’s Growth & Innovation 

In 2023, Wellstar Health System and Augusta University Health System joined forces to transform healthcare and enhance the well-being of Georgia communities. Now known as Wellstar MCG Health and Children’s Hospital of Georgia, this powerful partnership represents an alliance between Wellstar Health System, the University System of Georgia and Augusta University’s Medical College of Georgia. Together, we’re committed to investing in cutting-edge medical facilities and infrastructure, strengthening collaborations with rural hospitals and providing greater access to digital health services and top-notch clinical care, such as the exceptional pediatric care offered by Wellstar, Georgia Cancer Center and Children’s Hospital of Georgia. At Wellstar, we’re forging a path toward a brighter, healthier future for Georgia and beyond.

Catalyst by Wellstar – the-first-of its kind innovation company and venture firm created by one of the largest health systems in Georgia

Wellstar has a vision for healthcare that continues to evolve and equip us to bring the best technology and the best care to our communities. We launch strategic partnerships, pilot new therapies, develop less-invasive procedures and advance technologies to transform healthcare and improve people’s lives. This is why we launched Catalyst by Wellstar, a first-of-its-kind global digital health and innovation center, and why we built Catalyst Voice, an online community for over 100,000 Wellstar patients to help shape the future of healthcare.

Here are some examples of advancements over the past few years.

• Invested in an advanced electronic medical system with artificial intelligence technology (AI) that allows for early warning detection, anticipates needs of patients based on their profiles and determines if patients may be predisposed to disease or infection based on family history, medical history and DNA
• Use of AI to identify large vessel blockage, which increases the risk of stroke, and identify key terms to screen for lung nodules
• Wellstar Kennestone Regional Medical Center is the first hospital in Georgia to offer parents a private 24/7 livestream of their baby in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit through NICVIEW, a bedside camera system.

• Health Equity: Improving access to high-quality healthcare and preventative services that help Georgians stay healthy today and for generations to come.
• Behavioral Health: Providing integrated behavioral healthcare services that address the health of the whole person – mind and body.
• Innovation: Expanding access to world-class healthcare services and promoting best practices, like equipping patients and clinicians with state-of-the-art technology.
• Workforce development: Supporting and training team members and future healthcare professionals to provide superior, highly skilled care for patients at every age and stage of life.
• Clinical Excellence: Delivering world-class PeopleCare across all clinical services that is personalized to the unique and diverse needs of the people we serve across Georgia.

• Develop and execute an integrated and comprehensive fundraising strategy, inclusive of aggressive annual and long-term development goals, to maximize philanthropic support for Wellstar.
• Effectively communicate the mission, vision, values and priorities within the internal and external community to attract philanthropic gifts in accordance with Wellstar’s needs.
• Lead the identification of strategic fundraising priorities with emphasis on those that will attract diversified and sustainable support for the Foundation and its growth trajectory.
• Oversee programs designed to manage a balanced portfolio of prospects, donors and benefactors with particular focus on major gifts, annual giving and grateful patient prospective donors, and to build and grow a robust and sustainable pipeline of large gift prospective donors through effective identification, qualification, cultivation, solicitation and stewardship.
• Lead the planning and execution of a system-wide comprehensive philanthropy campaign as directed by the Executive Leadership and the Wellstar Foundation Board of Trustees.
• Bring and leverage best practices in the health care philanthropy industry to uphold the highest standards at Wellstar; organize, monitor, and coordinate all benchmarking and growth activities; leverage data analytics to instill performance metrics.
• Ensure compliance with all relevant regulations and laws, maintains accountability standards to donors; ensure compliance with code of ethical principles and standards of professional conduct for fundraising executives.

• Implement and enhance consistent Wellstar Foundation programming and practices at all sites. i.e. Team Member Giving, Grateful patient programs, etc.
• Complete the smooth integration of recently acquired/affiliated entities, as well as expansion projects such as the new hospital coming in FY 2026 and the recent announcement of plans to build out another hospital, into Wellstar Foundation, carefully navigating potential collaborative fundraising opportunities.
• Effectively engage corporate donors and the broader Atlanta business community for philanthropic efforts.

• Continuously work with Board leadership to engage Board of Trustees, hold Committee and Board meetings in adherence with the Bylaws, and mobilize Board members as partners in philanthropy.
• Work closely with Board leadership and Committee Chairs to strategically build the reputation of the Foundation in the communities Wellstar serves to achieve fundraising goals.
• Identify and help recruit high net-worth individuals, community leaders, business executives, elected officials, and other key stakeholders beyond healthcare to serve on volunteer boards and councils and who will substantially participate in giving and securing philanthropic support.
• Effectively engage and partner with the Wellstar Board of Trustees to ensure systemwide representation and alignment of philanthropy in support of broader health system strategy.

• Successfully partner with clinical leaders, including service line chiefs, hospital presidents, and Physician Partners, more effectively to organize and implement a strong grateful patient program that will enhance philanthropic efforts and patient engagement.
• Manage across clinical department lines to establish major gift needs/ priorities and donor funding options across Wellstar and ensure alignment of donor withes and system priorities.

• Champion team and culture building as an effective manager and leader.
• Create and lead a best-in-class talent management program that recruits, grows and retains high-performing fundraising professionals that function as a team.
• Develop and foster a staff culture trust and engagement as reflected in the Great Place to Work Trust Index Survey, emphasizing collaboration, teamwork and recognizes shared success.
• Serve as a mentor; developing staff for increased responsibility, leadership and performance.
• Develop and implement both employee and system-wide incentive-based and other performance metrics to ensure individual staff member and team productivity and accountability.

• Represent Wellstar to internal and external constituencies and the community-at-large.
• Performs all duties and responsibilities in a manner that reflects the values of Wellstar.

• A minimum of 20 years of fundraising experience with departmental management within a complex non-profit organization or health system, preferably having led a large, reputable foundation or building/evolving a development function.
• Familiarity with the geographic market is a plus.
• Healthcare or healthcare-adjacent experience is strongly preferred.
• Experience developing strategic plans for foundations, launching major capital campaigns, and executing long-term philanthropic initiatives; a successful track record of leading high performing foundations and managing all dimensions of fundraising, including annual, major, capital, corporate, foundation, grateful patient, employee, endowment, events and planned giving through strategic, proactive cultivation efforts.
• Experience working with Boards, senior management teams, community leaders and constituents to achieve results and proven success building strong relationships to effectively engage diverse stakeholders in a strategic, system-wide integrated fundraising process.
• Ability to build and operate a best-in-class development program, bringing industry best practices to bear and instilling the adoption of performance metrics.
• Demonstrated ability to effectively navigate large, complex, matrixed and high-growth organizations and establish a strong, visible presence within the system and community.
• A track record of recruiting, developing and retaining a high-functioning, cohesive team; a strong people manager who prioritizes supporting the team’s work and professional development and builds a highly engaging workplace based on a culture of trust, innovation, collaboration and accountability.
• A highly effective communicator and listener at all levels of an organization, as well as in the community.
• Ability to build credibility and inspire internally and externally; skilled at motivating individuals and teams.
• An articulate spokesperson with effective storytelling experience around mission and philanthropic impact.
• Entrepreneurial, ambitious, intellectually curious and approachable with high EQ and a healthy mix of confidence and humility.