Chairs, Professorships and Scholarships are Underappreciated on Campus
In our recent survey to Georgia Education Advancement Council members, who are responsible for fundraising and communication efforts at the state’s colleges and universities, we learned a lot about methods and attitudes related to non facility-based gift recognition. By that term I mean, gifts aimed at named chairs, professorships and scholarships as opposed to those that name a room or building.
Filed under Best Practices for Donor Recognition, Donor Recognition Programs, Recognition Environments, Stewardship, Think Before You Thank | Tags: area naming, Best Practices for Donor Recognition, Communications, Fundraising, Naming Opportunities, Philanthropy, Stewardship, Think Before You Thank, Trends in Fundraising | Comments Off“Buying Legacy”: Donors RARELY give for self-serving reasons!
A recent Bloomberg article blew my mind! It’s titled, Getting Your Name on a Building Gets Cheaper as Non-Profits Compete. The article considers the possibility that donors may be able to negotiate gift amounts for naming opportunities during this economic crisis. True enough. Yet it also calls the act of giving “the price for immortality,” claiming that donors “buy” recognition. Nowhere in the article is there any mention of the basic tenet that donors give out of passion for a cause and that they do so to advance the mission of the organization. I’m offended on behalf of all philanthropists and fundraisers. I can only hope that the fundraising consultants mentioned in the article were misquoted to serve the author’s sarcastic premise. Continue reading »
Filed under Anne Manner-McLarty, Donor Communications, Donor Recognition Programs, Philanthropy | Tags: Capital Campaign, Donor Recognition, Fundraising, giving, Naming Opportunities, Philanthropy, Think Before You Thank, Trends in Fundraising | Comments OffNonprofits: Link your Thanks to your Brand
Communicate with your public that philanthropy is a core value to your organization. It is imperative to do so in today’s competitive fundraising environment. Link those branding messages through the use of traditional marketing approaches of content continuity and unity when you thank. Continue reading »
Filed under Social Media, Think Before You Thank | Tags: Branding, Capital Campaign, Donor Recognition, Fundraising, new media, online giving, Philanthropy, Think Before You Thank, Trends in Fundraising | Comments OffElectronic Media and Donor Recognition: Is Anyone Using it?
It’s a very competitive philanthropic marketplace these days for community hospitals. I was reminded of this last week while at the Georgia Association of Development Professionals’ conference (GADP), a segment of the Georgia Hospital Association. Most of their members are located in small communities and represent the primary health provider for their county or region. I live in Atlanta. Fundraising events and success here in this city are now daily news items. We are home to 100s of non-profits and maybe more Foundations. Not so, currently, in the rest of the state. In those small communities, medical center fundraisers face tremendous challenges even when the economy is more stable than it is today. CEOs enjoy the income that their Foundations provide, yet they often offer little in the way of day-to-day support or, in many cases, any real understanding of the CEO’s role in acquiring and stewarding donors. Many of these organizations are considered “small shops” and the titles bestowed on many of the chief fundraisers by the CEO and/or Boards, i.e. Development Officer, Development Coordinator, and the like, are less than confidence-building and may be counter-productive, as they strive to solicit corporate CEOs, Marketing VPs, major Foundations and major donors. I wonder if they know that.
Filed under Donor Communications, Donor Recognition Programs, Robin E. Williams, Social Media | Tags: Communications, Development, Donor Recognition, Fundraising, Healthcare Philanthropy, Social Media, Trends in Fundraising | Comments Off
