It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year to Give: Cultivating End-of-Year Giving through a Community Benefit Lens
Each winter, the holiday season brings a natural spirit of giving, from food drives, coat collections, toy donations, and acts of kindness that remind us what community means. For hospitals and health systems, this time of year is as much about goodwill as it is a strategic opportunity to invest in community benefit programs that improve health outcomes, build trust, and demonstrate accountability to the people they serve.
The Case for Season-Driven Community Benefit
Every nonprofit hospital is required to provide measurable “community benefit,” as outlined by the IRS and reinforced by public expectations. But community benefit isn’t a compliance box to be checked. It’s the heart of a hospital’s mission to extend healing beyond the bedside.
The holiday season offers a powerful entry point to amplify that mission. The generosity, visibility, and volunteer energy of this time of year can seed new or expanded programs that directly address community health needs, from hunger and housing insecurity to childhood wellness and preventive care. When hospital systems connect the spirit of the holidays to evidence-based community benefit strategies, they transform short-term charity into long-term health impact.
Meeting Needs Where They Exist and When They’re Greatest
The winter months often magnify health inequities. Cold weather exacerbates respiratory conditions. Food costs rise. Families struggle to afford both heating and groceries. Hospitals are uniquely positioned to intervene through community health initiatives that combine compassion with prevention.
Feeding Programs
Virtua Health in New Jersey distributes hundreds of turkeys and fresh produce boxes each Thanksgiving. What began as a seasonal event has evolved into a model of food security investment, with year-round mobile markets and “Eat Well” programs connecting nutrition to chronic disease prevention.
Warmth and Wellness
Across the country, hospitals like Valley Presbyterian in California pair holiday wellness fairs with flu shots, warm meals, and free health screenings. These efforts meet people where they are—both physically and emotionally—during a time of heightened vulnerability.
Comfort and Joy for Pediatric Patients
Health Systems like RWJBarnabas Health and Children’s Hospital Colorado ensure that children spending the holidays in care wake up to toys and comfort items. Beyond joy, these efforts reduce stress, support mental health, and remind families that compassion is part of the care continuum.
These programs are proof that when these efforts aren’t one-off side projects but core to your organization, they become tangible demonstrations of how hospitals fulfill their charitable purpose.
From Charity to Strategy: Turning Holiday Giving into Measurable Impact
Hospitals can elevate holiday programs into strategic community benefit investments through intentional design and measurement. Here are four ways to make sure your programs are measurable and mission-driven.
1. Align with your Community Health Needs Assessment (CHNA)
If your CHNA identifies food insecurity, behavioral health, or housing instability as top priorities, direct your holiday outreach there. Every turkey, coat, or toy can be tied to a broader health objective.
2. Track and report outcomes
Instead of counting donations, count lives touched: meals provided, screenings completed, families connected to ongoing services. These metrics strengthen your Schedule H reporting and build trust with your community.
3. Engage cross-departmentally
Finance, community benefit, and foundation teams should collaborate, so seasonal outreach advances both mission and compliance. When all teams are involved, you can get the reporting you need to communicate to donors and stakeholders the impact you are making. The holidays can become a catalyst for system-wide alignment around social determinants of health.
4. Sustain the momentum
Use holiday programs as pilots for long-term investment. A December coat drive could evolve into a winter shelter partnership, cold-weather health intervention program, or a mobile health clinic specializing in winter-prone issues. A one-day turkey giveaway could grow into a permanent food pharmacy.
Why Showcasing Impact Matters Now
Public scrutiny of nonprofit hospitals is intensifying. Reports from the Lown Institute and others continue to question whether hospitals’ community benefit spending matches their tax-exempt status.
Demonstrating visible, mission-driven impact during the holidays is one of the most authentic ways hospitals can show that they give back proportionally to what they receive.
And just as important, it’s an opportunity to remind communities that hospitals are more than clinical centers. They are anchors of compassion, stability, and equity.
The Season of Generosity as a Strategy for Health Equity
When hospitals turn the season of generosity into a catalyst for community benefit investment, they spread holiday cheer and advance population health.
A warm coat keeps a child out of the emergency room.
A holiday meal helps a family manage diabetes.
A toy delivered to a hospital bed eases the anxiety that slows healing.
These acts are small, but they are measurable steps toward a more equitable, resilient health ecosystem. As we close the year, let’s remember that the most wonderful time to give is also the most strategic time to lead.
