Achieving Consistent Donor Recognition Design Standards: A story of success at Asheville-Buncombe Technical College

Consistency in terms of donor recognition need include only one overarching idea: a hierarchy of content and plaque sizes that align with categories based on gift amount. To maintain consistency, one party, usually the fundraising entity, should lead the donor recognition effort providing vision and final responsibility for carrying out the plan. However, success depends on effective collaboration with other stakeholders, including leadership, marketing, facilities, and the donors to be recognized.

Branding, Recognition, StorytellingAnne Manner-McLartyApril 30, 2024naming opportunities, area naming

Collaboration: What is the role of a consultant?

Some projects can be handled by your in-house team. For others, you’ll need to hire specialized companies to provide specific services. Some projects, especially those that require building a shared vision, often benefit from the expertise provided by a consultant who can bridge strategic planning, design, and implementation. A consultant who has worked through similar projects can bring experience from peer institutions, anticipate and solve challenges, and work objectively with all stakeholders. A consultant can lead complex projects and integrate best practices. They can help get the work done faster, keep it on budget and on schedule, and provide creativity and practical know-how. And when done right, they free internal team members up for other important tasks.

Emily HardyFebruary 11, 2022consulting, philanthropic placemaking, project management, naming opportunities, donor recognition, collaborationComment

Donor Recognition Blends with the Residential Atmosphere

The Phoebe Light House is a handsome brick building located on the edge of the Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital campus, on a tree lined street in Albany, Georgia. It is a convenient respite for patients and families needing a home-away-from-home during cancer treatment. And it, like many other major projects in the community, was funded by gifts from the community.

Recognition, StewardshipAnne Manner-McLartyJune 22, 2021Phoebe Foundation, naming opportunitiesComment

Exterior Naming Opportunities Support the Mission

Many organizations shy away from exterior naming opportunities. Signs suitable for the outdoors can be harder to install, require more effort to maintain, and often cost more than interior signage. However, some environments warrant the extra effort. Such is the case at the Willson Hospice House in Albany, Georgia, where outdoor gardens and pathways create a unique and soothing experience for patients, families and visitors to the hospice. The design was inspired by the Atamasco lilies found on the site. The lilies now grow along the Nancy Lopez Walking Trail that encircles the hospice campus.

Naming Opportunities Can Demonstrate Organizational Commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion

Nonprofits are subjected to persistent criticism around the practice of naming opportunities. The questions being lobbied are not new. Students, faculty, under-represented constituents, and the media have pointed to the disparities, if not the outright hypocrisy, in how naming rights are awarded. Who is being honored and why? Most often, the answer is the donor making the largest gift.

In light of the current focus on systemic racism, some organizations are considering naming rights removal often under daily pressure from the press. Many nonprofits are coming to terms with the risks inherent in the naming of institutional assets and facing the reality that ethical challenges may come from aligning with the ever-evolving legacies of individual, fallible people.

Latest Thinking Regarding Naming Opportunities

Naming opportunities are a key component in fundraising for major gifts. Organizations associate donor names with campus-based spaces, programs, funds and faculty positions. The science of using naming opportunities to motivate giving — and using strategy and policy to manage possible risks — is evolving. Heurista has been studying advances in cross-departmental coordination, recognition policy, and design guidelines. We've gained valuable perspective by working with different types of institutions all across North America.

Sign Programs, RecognitionAnne Manner-McLartyMay 30, 2017naming opportunitiesComment

Stewardship Closeup: Naming Opportunities

Naming opportunities are a key component in fundraising for major gifts. Organizations associate donor names with campus-based spaces, programs, funds and faculty positions. The science of using naming opportunities to motivate giving — and using strategy and policy to manage possible risks — is evolving. Heurista has been studying advances in cross-departmental coordination, recognition policy, and design guidelines. We've gained valuable perspective by working with different types of institutions all across North America.

Professionalism, RecognitionAnne Manner-McLartyApril 19, 2017naming opportunitiesComment