Voluntary giving for rural health care : the Sweet Grass County Health Care Foundation

Abstract

The purpose of this thesis is to identify factors influencing community support for rural hospitals. Hospitals in rural areas are liable to experience unfavorable financial situations in the near future. Data from a specific fund drive were utilized to develop a model of voluntary giving that may be helpful in predicting the success or failure of other similar drives for the purpose of providing support to these hospitals. Results indicate that voluntary giving is consistent with economic utility maximization theory.