A Q&A with Curtis Gritters, vp of growth at Holland Home
Curtis Gritters moved from one well being care setting to a different in April when he grew to become vp of growth at Grand Rapids senior residing and care provider Holland Home. A registered nurse who additionally holds an government MBA from Grand Valley State University, Gritters labored for 19 years at Spectrum Health, most just lately as director of provider contracting and analytics at insurance coverage affiliate Priority Health. Gritters just lately mentioned his new position, the place he’s answerable for fundraising to assist providers and capital tasks on the nonprofit Holland Home and its Faith Hospice.
What lured you to the world of philanthropy?
I’m a nurse by commerce and have a coronary heart for sufferers. I’ve had a lot of alternatives to serve seniors and simply to be current with them in a few of their susceptible moments. That’s all the time been an curiosity of mine. Also, Faith Hospice did an excellent job caring for my grandfather when he handed a yr and a half in the past, so I’ve been considering connecting with this group. I labored with them in my position at Priority Health as properly, and I all the time had an admiration for his or her mission and coronary heart for seniors. So when there was a possibility to attach my experiences on the enterprise facet, but in addition on the medical facet in serving seniors with the mission of Holland Home and Faith Hospice, there was lots of enchantment there. It appeared like a pure match.
How does your background as an RN match along with your new position?
My background as an RN offers me an appreciation for what occurs on the bedside on daily basis, and with an appreciation for the place our mission meets the street and the place the work that we do actually makes a distinction. It’s these tales, it’s these moments, that basically replicate our community or our id as Holland Home or Faith Hospice. So after we’re capable of take these tales and people moments to our community, of us who hear about that discover it fairly compelling. It’s a novel alternative to share with others who might not see behind these scenes the actually highly effective moments that occur.
What’s been the largest adjustment because you began in April?
I didn’t assume I’d respect placing within the miles. I had labored from house for the final two years and that was fairly a arrange. To be capable to get again into the workplace or to be grabbing lunch with individuals and simply having in-person relationships has been fairly a blessing. I’m thrilled to be again in that sort of setting, and it’s one the place you might be actually head to head and hand handy with of us. You can actually be taught from them, not simply the content material of what they’re sharing, however the coronary heart behind it.
As the inhabitants ages and the Baby Boomer technology retires, does that heighten the position of philanthropy and figuring out these future benefactors for Holland Home?
It does. The generational adjustments actually are affecting our enterprise, the economics of it and the way the federal and state governments are reimbursing on the income facet. Expenses should not happening, both. Staffing could be a problem, and the price of items and provide chains are rising and difficult as properly. The want for philanthropy to assist the promise of care that we offer our residents is more and more there. Our community has proven itself to be generous for the 130 years of our existence. Even although totally different individuals have totally different philosophies on giving, we proceed to seek out our community to be generous.
What are a few of the greatest challenges you face immediately as you go about your work?
Probably telling the community about our mission and promise of care. Holland Home is celebrating its one hundred and thirtieth anniversary this yr, however regardless of being that pillar in our community for thus many a long time, comparatively few individuals actually find out about us. Our problem is to share with the broader West Michigan community our id, our mission (and) our promise of care. I discover when of us hear about that, that mission and that promise of care actually resonate with a lot of of us.
Given the present economic disruptions, how does a nonprofit group want to regulate its method to potential benefactors?
You maybe concern that COVID and economic uncertainty would actually undercut philanthropy, however maybe paradoxically, we noticed it keep and even enhance. I feel the reason for that’s: Charity is commonly an act of worship or generosity. That’s not essentially affected by ‘what’s in it for me?’ It’s about an curiosity in what that reward can be utilized for and going to a very good trigger. As a community hears that that want will increase, typically the curiosity in giving will increase. Our group has been discovering that charitable giving is much less tied to the financial system and extra tied to mission and the wants that they hear about, and our community has responded abundantly and generously. It’s been fairly one thing to see and expertise.
— Interview carried out and condensed by Mark Sanchez. Courtesy photograph