b'The campaign has also had a profound impact on staff morale. We made a point of involving our staff in the selection of the local charities that would receive the donations, and that meant a lot to them, says Karen. They love being associated with such a worthy cause and having patients who feel so good about our practice.A Big OpportunityKaren, who updates the practices website every month to report total donations, had a recent revelation. It dawned on me that if we can raise $300,000 in Venice, Florida, how much money could be raised if AAP member practices did this in every city in the country?According to Dr. Feldman, pursuing an initiative like the Charitable Giving Campaign is not only a great way for AAP members to raise money for local charities, but it can also be an effective way to improve the fortunes of their practices. Its no secret that periodontal practices are facing a lot of pressuresfrom the economy, from the pandemic, from general practices, he says. saying something like, Thats really a nice thing youre doingEveryone is looking for a competitive edge. And thats exactly what for charity. That means I no longer feel theyre vetting me, hethis is.says. Instead of deciding if they like the way I talk, the way ImKaren cites another benefit. In this time of divisiveness in our dressed, the way I look, theyve already made up their mind thatcountry, Karen added, when theres growing concern about the Im a generous person. gap between the haves and the have nots, a campaign like this Karen, who works the front desks, adds, When people call usis a wonderful opportunity for the haves to help the have nots. for the first time and I explain our campaign, their reaction isTo that point, Dr. Feldman says, In the past, patients would often so positive. Im constantly hearing things like, Wow! Ive neverjoke about how the procedure I was performing on them would heard of that. Thats great! It changes their whole demeanor,enable me to buy a new boat or go on a big vacation. I dont hear and it shows on their first visit to the practice. And we knowthose things anymore.theyre telling their friends about us.The Feldmans didnt start their Charitable Giving Campaign to According to Dr. Feldman, It turns out that telling callers aboutincrease their practices revenue, to make their patients think our charitable campaign is a much easier way to sell them on ourmore highly of them, or to make their patients feel better about practice than anything else we could say. It really differentiatesthemselves. They did it for one simple reason: They wanted to give us from other practices. In addition, he says, Once theyback to their community. In the process, however, they discovered become our patients, they dont seem to balk at anything. Theya true win-win-win formula:The charities win, the patients trust us, and they trust our recommendations on treatments. win, and the practice wins. And their fervent desire is that other According to Karen, Every now and then youll get the inevitablepractices around the country will steal their idea and build on it.crab who doesnt want to get involved with the donation. ButIf youre a periodontist whos frustrated by losing patients to when I explain that they have the option of paying us our normalgeneral practices that cant provide a comparable level periodontal $510 fee if theyd rather not donate $100, they come aroundcare, or whos nervous about the economy or the effect of the pretty quickly. Dr. Feldman adds, And then they end up feelingpandemic on your practice, I strongly urge you to explore launching proud of themselves for making the donation. your own Charitable Giving Campaign, says Dr. Feldman. Youll The Feldmans also believe the goodwill created by the Charitablefeel better about your practices performance and the fact that Giving Campaign helps make patients have more confidencepatients are getting the periodontal care they need, and youll feel visiting the practice during the pandemic. They seem to havegood about yourself as well.faith that a practice that is so charitable wouldnt put patients atBen Franklin couldnt have said it better himself.risk by having them enter an environment that isnt safe.AAP Periospectives| 45'