The Martha Zeff Estate Continues to Make an Impact at St. Joseph Foundation of San Joaquin
(photo of St. Joseph's Medical Center in Stockton)
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In 2008, newly hired Director of Development, Kristina Knudsen created a program at St. Joseph’s Foundation of San Joaquin that became a “game changer” of sorts for a local planned giving prospect. The program focused on major donor recognition and was called the “Friends of the Foundation”. Kristina loosely modeled the program after such programs at Eisenhower, Scripts and St. Joseph’s in Arizona, which operated much like a concierge program for the emergency room.
Once the program was established, the planned giving consultant who had worked closely with St. Joseph’s wanted to introduce Kristina to a prospect. It was that fateful day in 2008 that Kristina met Martha Zeff and a relationship began to bloom. Martha had piece-of-mind knowing that there would be a friendly face helping her in the emergency room, if a problem should ever arise. She was a single, retired public school teacher, who lived with her sister Bella for the majority of their lives. Bella passed away in 1986.
Bella was treated at St. Joseph’s for breast cancer in the 80’s and Martha remembered the amazing and compassionate care she received. Martha also wanted to leave a legacy for the two of them legacy at St. Joseph’s, so she negotiated a naming opportunity with Kristina before her passing in 2012. She chimed in on everything, the location, designation, size and wording of the signage that would eventually become the Martha and Bella Zeff CT Simulator.
Martha passed away at the age of 88 on July 31, 2012. Nearly a year after her death the Medical Center has kicked off a fundraising campaign to raise $1.2 million for a new CT Simulator in the Cancer Center. Martha’s lead gift of $250,000 will be recognized as the Martha and Bella Zeff CT Simulator.
This gift process was successful because Kristina was patient and persistent. But most importantly, the relationship built between the planned giving consultant, Kristina and Martha was the cornerstone of developing trust and the rapport.