Revitalization Partners Successfully Winds Down Pacific Northwest Blood Bank; Leaves Local Community with Legacy Fund
Two years after being retained to wind down a 78-year-old community blood bank, Revitalization Partners (RP) has successfully closed the books on Cascade Regional Blood Services (CRBS) – but not before creating a donor advised fund that will preserve the blood center’s legacy for years to come. The proceeds, which will be administered by the Greater Tacoma Charitable Foundation, will be used to support advanced biomedical blood research.
Like many communities nationwide, Pierce County has experienced decreased blood collections over the past several years in part due to the changing demographics of the donor base. Those factors, coupled with an increase in hospital and patient needs, ultimately outpaced CRBS’ capacity to scale operations to meet demand.
Once the direction became clear, the nonprofit CRBS Board retained Revitalization Partners to manage the organization through the transition. Veteran RP Director Pat Scanlon, a specialist in change management, stepped in as interim CEO to lead the effort.
Among the firm’s greatest challenges: maintaining donor participation and preserving local blood supply while preparing for the transition to a new blood services provider. The RP team developed and deployed a series of strategic communications to key stakeholders to ensure that operational impacts would be minimal and the transition seamless.
