Kelly Anne Dolan Memorial Fund
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
The most vulnerable children are those that are suffering from serious illnesses, injuries, and severe disabilities, such as: leukemia; rare genetic disorders; heart, liver, and kidney diseases; and cerebral palsy. The families of these children encounter both financial and emotional burdens while caring for a chronically ill child. A study reported in Maternal Child Health found that 40% of families caring for children with special healthcare needs experienced financial burdens related to their child's condition and that these financial problems were associated with poor child health status.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Direct Financial Assistance
We provide financial assistance to families caring for children with serious illnesses, injuries, and severe disabilities for essential needs, such as: out-of-pocket expenses not covered by insurance, rent, mortgage, utilities, transportation costs, and adaptive equipment. All requests for assistance are prescreened and submitted on behalf of families by healthcare professionals (social workers, case managers, nurses) from a large network of medical facilities and social service agencies. Requests are made online via our password-protected, secure website. We make payments directly to creditors to avoid the misappropriation of funds. We are not disease specific.
Family Fun Days
These events give parents, patients, and siblings a break from the trauma of treatment and hospitalizations and a chance to enjoy a day of fun (often unaffordable otherwise) with others in the same circumstances; building a community of families that exchange information, resources, and support. Families may attend more than one family fun day each year. Through our partnership with the Spirit of Philadelphia, our families are provided with a spring luncheon cruise aboard the Spirit, free of charge. Also, through a collaboration with area rotaries we provide a fall family fun day.
Holiday Adopt-a-Family Program
Though our partnership with a network of corporate, faith-based, and individual donors this program provides toys, books, clothing, sports equipment, and food/store gift cards to families during the holidays. Parents caring for a child with special healthcare needs may not have the time or money to plan a happy holiday. Our program gives these families a very special celebration, alleviating stress and creating tremendous joy.
Non-Cash Donations
Clothing, furniture, appliances, handicap-accessible vehicles, and grocery, department store, and gas gift cards.
Education and Information
Our program director is a skilled social worker who has worked for many years helping children with special healthcare needs and also has a disabled child herself. She has experienced and navigated the world of caring for a special needs child first hand. Her knowledge is invaluable in providing referrals and resources to both the families directly and also to their case workers.
Thanksgiving Day Baskets
Through the generosity of area donors we provide over 55 Thanksgiving Day baskets to families caring for seriously ill, injured, and severely disabled children.
Where we work
External reviews

Videos
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Number of families that receive expert advice on healthcare resources and how to access benefits.
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Families
Related Program
Education and Information
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Through the advice given to families they are able to maximize the healthcare options for a child with special healthcare needs and increase the child’s positive healthcare outcomes.
Number of families caring for children with special healthcare needs receiving financial assistance with their electric bills.
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Families
Related Program
Direct Financial Assistance
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Providing assistance with electric bills ensures the continued uninterrupted use of life sustaining equipment which keeps the children out of emergency rooms and allows them to live longer.
Number of families caring for children with special healthcare needs receiving financial assistance with rent/mortgage or utility bills.
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Families
Related Program
Direct Financial Assistance
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
Assisting families with utility bills and rent payments allows children with special healthcare needs to remain in safe and secure housing and avoid becoming homeless.
Number of families caring for children with special healthcare needs with financial assistance for transportation costs.
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Families
Related Program
Direct Financial Assistance
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
By providing families with transportation costs it allows the children to maintain their healthcare regiment of prescribed doctor appointments; increasing their positive health outcomes.
Number of families caring for disabled children with financial assistance for adaptive equipment or alternative therapies.
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Families, People with diseases and illnesses, People with disabilities
Related Program
Direct Financial Assistance
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
By providing adaptive equipment, such as special wheel chairs, ramps, etc., to disabled children we will increase their mobility and education (ability to leave the home, go to school, go to the park,
Number of families that improve their well-being by attending the Dolan Fund's Family Fun Days.
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Families
Related Program
Family Fun Days
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
1. Children with special healthcare needs are able to interact with other special needs children, see that they are not alone, and feel “normal" for the day.
Number of families caring for children with serious illnesses, injuries, or severe disabilities who receive gifts through the Dolan Fund's Holiday Adopt-a-Family Program.
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Families
Related Program
Holiday Adopt-a-Family Program
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Number of families receiving Thanksgiving food baskets.
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Population(s) Served
Families
Related Program
Thanksgiving Day Baskets
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Goals & Strategy
Reports and documents
Download strategic planLearn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
With emphasis on ensuring that the children and families we serve are treated with dignity and respect our goals are to maximize the quality of life for seriously ill, injured, or severely disabled children; minimize the financial and emotional burdens of the families caring for these children; and improve the health outcomes of these children.
Through our Financial Assistance Program we lessen the financial burdens of families caring for children with serious illnesses, injuries or severe disabilities and improve the healthcare outcomes for these children. We also maximize the healthcare options of the children through the expert advice provided by our program director. More specifically our assistance with electric bills ensures the continued uninterrupted use of life sustaining equipment which keeps the children out of emergency rooms and allows them to live longer. Helping families pay rent and utility bills allows these vulnerable children to remain in safe and secure housing and avoid becoming homeless. As insignificant as paying transportation costs may seem, it allows the children to maintain their healthcare regiment of prescribed doctor appointments; increasing their positive health outcomes and allowing them to live longer. Assisting with the costs of adaptive therapies not covered by insurance maximizes the children's quality of life and increases positive health outcomes. Lastly, by providing adaptive equipment, such as special wheel chairs, ramps, etc., to disabled children we increase their mobility and education (ability to leave the home, go to school, go to the park, etc.).
Through our Family Fun Days children with special healthcare needs gain a sense of well-being, are able to interact with other special needs children, see that they are not alone, and feel “normal" for the day. These children do not have what “normal" children have. They do not have friends; they are not invited to birthday parties. Being on a Family Fun Day is their chance to go to a party or go out someplace they would not be able to normally go. Parents of children with special healthcare needs gain a sense of pleasure, comfort, and community at our Family Fun Days. Parents are able to meet other parents, share resources, and develop a support system. There is so much involved with caring for these children that having others share their successful and failed attempts at helping their child is invaluable information. There is a unique burden experienced by siblings of children with special healthcare needs so it is critical for these children to also gain a sense of happiness and inclusiveness. At our Family Fun Days, they have a chance to meet and play with other siblings and discover that they are not alone.
Our Holiday Adopt-a-Family Program gives families caring for children with special healthcare needs a very special celebration, alleviating stress and creating tremendous joy.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
To meet our goals we will continue to implement our three major programs: Financial Assistance Program, Family Fun Days, and Holiday Adopt-a-Family Program.
Financial Assistance Program:
We provide direct financial assistance for essential needs, such as: rent, utilities, adaptive equipment, transportation costs, etc., to families caring for seriously ill, injured or disabled children. All the requests for assistance we receive are submitted online via our password protected website by healthcare professionals (social workers, case managers, nurses) from a large network of medical facilities and social service agencies, such as: The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Easter Seals, and St. Christopher's Hospital. Working directly with the professionals that already know the children and their families allows us to verify the need and respond promptly to the request. We can meet emergency requests within 24 to 72 hours. This process is quick and easy and respectful of our colleagues and the families we serve. Parents are spared the embarrassment of asking for help from yet another agency and filling out additional forms. Also payments are made directly to vendors/creditors to avoid the misappropriation of funds.
Additionally, our program director is a skilled social worker who has worked for many years helping children with special healthcare needs and also has a disabled child herself. She has experienced and navigated the world of caring for a special needs child first hand. Her knowledge is invaluable in providing referrals and resources to both the families directly and also to their case workers.
Family Fun Days:
These events give parents, patients, and siblings a break from the trauma of treatment and hospitalizations and a chance to enjoy a day of fun (often unaffordable otherwise) with others in the same circumstances; building a community of families that exchange information, resources, and support. Our healthcare partners sign their families up for the Family Fun Days through our online, password protected website. Through our partnership with the Spirit of Philadelphia, our families are provided with a spring luncheon cruise aboard the Spirit, free of charge. Also, through a collaboration with area rotaries we provide a fall Family Fun Day. We have sponsored Family Fun Days at Longwood Gardens, the Philadelphia Zoo and the Delaware Natural History Museum.
Holiday Adopt-a-Family Program:
Through our partnership with a network of corporate, faith-based, and individual donors this program provides toys, books, clothing, sports equipment, and food/store gift cards to families during the holidays. Our online system is utilized again to match families with sponsors. Parents caring for children with special healthcare needs may not have the time or money to plan a happy holiday. Our program gives these families a very special celebration, alleviating stress and creating tremendous joy.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
The Dolan Fund draws on 41 years of experience in supporting the needs of families caring for a child who has a serious illness, injury, or disability. We are unique in that we help children with all serious disorders or disabilities - we don't restrict our help to just one type of illness. We collaborate with healthcare professionals at more than 200 medical facilities and social service agencies who refer families to us.
Danielle Scott Griffith, a social worker for over 20 years, is responsible for all program functions (Financial Assistance Progam, Family Fun Days, in-kind giving programs, and Holiday Adopt-a-Family Program). She also arranges the Dolan Fund's Annual Social Work & Nursing Symposium, which provides an accredited educational opportunity for social workers. Danielle has held positions with The Consortium, Inc., and the Defender Association of Philadelphia. Her experience in working with vulnerable and under served populations as well as a caring for a daughter with serious disabilities, are a great asset to her work here at the Dolan Fund.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
In Fiscal Year 2017 we filled 589 financial assistance requests, valuing a total of $132,192. Our financial assistance lightened the financial burdens of our families and increased the positive health outcomes of their children. Through the advice given to families by our program director the families maximized the healthcare options for their children with special healthcare needs and increased the children's positive health outcomes. More specific outcomes of our program included:
• We provided assistance with electric bills ensuring the continued uninterrupted use of life sustaining equipment which kept 221 children out of emergency rooms and allowed them to live longer.
• We assisted families with utility bills and rent payments allowing187 children with special healthcare needs to remain in safe, secure housing and avoid becoming homeless.
• We provided families with transportation costs that allowed 12 children to maintain their healthcare regiment of prescribed doctor and therapy appointments.
• We provided assistance with the costs of adaptive equipment and alternative therapies not covered by insurance that allowed 55 children to improve their mobility (ability to leave the home, go to school, go to the park, etc.), education outcomes, communication with caregivers and activities of daily living.
In Fiscal Year 2017 56 families (301 people) gained a sense of well-being at our Family Fun Day aboard the Spirit of Philadelphia. The patients interacted with other special needs children, saw that they were not alone, and felt “normal" for the day. Parents met other parents, shared resources, formed friendships, and developed a support system outside of the hospital setting. There is a unique burden experienced by the siblings so it is important for them to meet and play with other siblings and discover that they are not alone.
In Fiscal Year 2017 214 families (642 children) had their wish lists realized through our Holiday Adopt-a-Family Program with an in-kind value of $92,280 creating a very special celebration, alleviating stress and providing joy and many happy memories.
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
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How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals
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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
We collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually, We take steps to get feedback from marginalized or under-represented people, We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We look for patterns in feedback based on demographics (e.g., race, age, gender, etc.), We look for patterns in feedback based on people’s interactions with us (e.g., site, frequency of service, etc.), We engage the people who provide feedback in looking for ways we can improve in response, We act on the feedback we receive
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
It is difficult to get the people we serve to respond to requests for feedback, It is difficult to find the ongoing funding to support feedback collection, Staff find it hard to prioritize feedback collection and review due to lack of time
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Kelly Anne Dolan Memorial Fund
Board of directorsas of 04/27/2022
Jen Lawn
JL Original Designs
Term: 2020 - 2022
Peggy Dolan
Kelly Anne Dolan Memorial Fund
Elizabeth Ely
Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
Nicole Ksiazek
Fesnak & Associates
Dolores Vorters
Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
Herman Weinrich
Timoney Knox
Dai Trong Hoang
Mars, Inc.
Michael Seidner
Green & Seidner Family Practice Associates
Eileen Shovlin
Coventry
Susan Stavish
Stavish Family Investments
Leon Silver
Alison Connors
Spring Mill Partners
Nicolas Gomez
Girls Skate and Apparel
Patrick Hickens
Timoney Knox LLP
Jen Lawn
JL Original Designs
Joanne McGovern
Cancer Treatment Centers of America
Kimberly Radnor Sirni
GSK
Teresa Rodgers
harp.weaver LLC
Stuart Solomon
Self-employed
Edward Sotherden
BioTek Remedys
Board leadership practices
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Sexual orientation
No data
Disability
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