Workamajig!

For several years, our disparate endeavors as a small consulting firm have been effectively unified through the many solutions offered by Workamajig.  Our connection to the company goes back to the days of Creative Manager, when Flash-based portions of the application were the exception, rather than the rule.  With the development of Workamajig, the multifaceted product performed more smoothly, and with the release of version 10.5, several months ago, I was struck by the impact our feedback seems to have had on its development. Continue reading »

Filed under About Us | Tags: Advocates, consultant, Creative, Designers, Practical Knowledge, Strategists, Thoughtful Planning, Trends | Comments Off

A Designer’s Opinion: Function Over Form

I often see donor recognition creatively achieved but lacking in function. Form should always follow function! I recently came across the SEGD, Society for Environmental Graphic Design, 2009 Merit Award. It commemorated a sculptural donor recognition piece for St. Michael’s Grammar School in Melbourne, Australia executed by two local design firms, Nexus Designs and Fallon Image Design.

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Filed under Donor Communications, Think Before You Thank | Tags: Best Practices for Donor Recognition, consultant, Donor Recognition, Fundraising, Stewardship | Comments Off

Non-Traditional Donor Recognition Outlets

Monday I had the good fortune to participate in a session at the Association of Donor Relations Professionals annual conference in Baltimore.  I sat on a panel discussing “tricks from the experts”.  My portion of the presentation focused on ways to recognize donors beyond traditional plaques and printed lists.  Specifically, we considered avenues available to those who either have no physical space for traditional donor recognition or are interested in exploring new methods for engaging donors and potential donors alike. Continue reading »

Filed under Anne Manner-McLarty, Donor Communications, Donor Recognition Programs, Philanthropy, Social Media, Stewardship | Tags: ADRP, Communications, consultant, Donor Recognition, Facebook, Fundraising, Interactive Displays, new media, online giving, Philanthropy, Social Media, Trends in Fundraising | Comments Off

The Full Potential of Donor Recognition

No one but a donor recognition consultant would take as much time as I just have to grapple with establishing the “best” definition for donor recognition. However, my daily activities demonstrate that too many folks think they know just what donor recognition is (plaques) and too few consider the full scope of what it ought to be. So for those willing, here is some well-invested “thinking about thanking”.

Donor recognition is the public acknowledgment of a gift received, carefully crafted to both honor the donor it names and motivate the potential donors in the audience. Continue reading »

Filed under Anne Manner-McLarty, Best Practices in Donor Recognition, Donor Communications, Think Before You Thank | Tags: Best Practices for Donor Recognition, consultant, Donor Recognition, donor wall | Comments Off