Online Webinar Proves A Useful Forum for Defining Donor Recognition Standards

May 3rd, 2010

Last week I had the good fortune of presenting in the Association of Donor Relations Professionals webinar series.  Our topic was “Think Before You Thank: Donor Recognition Best Practices”. The session had over 200 attendees representing a wide variety of organizations throughout North America.  I was impressed by the level of involvement from the audience; their questions were thoughtful and wide-ranging. Continue reading »

Emerging Trends in Donor Relations

January 13th, 2010

This new decade heralds significant changes for Donor Relations and its influence on fundraising success.  We see that these emerging trends share a common theme:  to build better relationships with donors as a means of fostering greater giving.  As is the case with all relationships in our current crowded, information-saturated world, the emphasis will be on the quality, not the quantity, of donor interactions.
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A Designer’s Opinion: Function Over Form

January 4th, 2010

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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Non-Traditional Donor Recognition Outlets

December 8th, 2009

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 »