Strategic Plan
Executive Summary
The Canadian Sudden Arrhythmia Death Syndromes (SADS) Foundation (aka The Canadian SADS Foundation) is a registered Canadian charity committed to saving the lives and supporting the families of children and young adults who are genetically predisposed to sudden death due to heart rhythm abnormalities.
Interest in and awareness of inherited cardiac rhythm disorders among medical professionals and in the community is at an all time high. A number of high profile events and the surrounding media coverage have brought much needed attention to the SADS story. That said, there is still an enormous amount of work required to safeguard the lives of the 28,000 young Canadians potentially living with an undiagnosed inherited cardiac rhythm disorder and to prevent many of the 700 to 1,200 deaths of children and young people each year.
The Canadian SADS Foundation is committed to building on the current media wave to help us achieve our vision of more children and young people living full lives after receiving a diagnosis of a cardiac rhythm disorder and far fewer people dying from them.
The three core services that the Foundation is committed to delivering are:
- Support for patients and families affected by inherited cardiac rhythm disorders
- Education and awareness of “The Warning Signs” for these disorders among primary care physicians and all adults who a care for and work with our children
- Advocacy to encourage research to improve diagnosis and treatment for these diseases
This strategic plan outlines a tactical method for continuing to support affected Canadian families, for delivering the message of “The Warning Signs” to appropriate audiences, and advocating for improvements in diagnosis and treatment for these sometimes devastating diseases. Ironically, a correct diagnosis and appropriate treatment for an inherited cardiac rhythm disorder will often result in affected people being able to lead productive lives with normal life spans.
Continuing existing programs and executing new projects will require that the Foundation grow revenues substantially. Revenue growth will be sourced from:
- Corporate Support
- Government Grants
- Special patient/family hosted fund raising events
- Database Fundraising
The goal for the next two years is to realize a growth in annual revenues from less than $75,000 per annum to over $150,000 by the end of year 2012. We anticipate that much of this new revenue will come from Government grants and corporate partnerships. The Foundation also believes that an increase in awareness activities will substantially augment revenues from the existing fundraising activities of those affected.
Being predeceased by your child is perhaps the most difficult of all human experiences. It is even more devastating when the knowledge is available to prevent many of these deaths.