Leverage a Position of Authority through Donor Recognition Planning

September 26th, 2009

Today Anne and I presented at the Association of Healthcare Philanthropy International Conference in San Francisco.  We used the Greenville Hospital System’s Donor Recognition Program Standards & Guidelines as a case study to demonstrate how documented policy can leverage a position of leadership for the fundraiser.  Our experience has shown that donor recognition planning has a positive impact on giving to the organization.

The handouts from this presentation are included here for quick reference.

AHP International Presentation 092609

In short, we focused on the eight key components of any comprehensive and fully-functioning donor recognition policy:

  1. Written donor recognition policies and procedures
  2. Comparative analysis of giving programs and their benefits
  3. Naming opportunities master plan with proposed location and scope of architecturally-integrated recognition elements
  4. Guidelines for donor recognition design
  5. Content formatting guidelines
  6. Product installation maintenance guidelines
  7. Product order forms
  8. Product implementation reference library

Participants were asked to complete a survey on the status and value of any donor recognition policy already in existence for their organizations.  Likely the first ever research into this subject, findings from this survey will be available here soon.  If you would like to participate in this research and analysis of the correlation between programmatic donor recognition and broadened and enhanced giving, please email thanks@rewinc.com for further information. Reference “survey” in the subject line.

This is the AHP presentation: Leverage a Position of Authority through Donor Recognition Planning.

Transylvania Regional Hospital Recognizes Community Donors

August 19th, 2009

In celebration of the completion of a successful capital campaign to build a new inpatient wing, the Transylvania Regional Hospital recently installed donor recognition elements naming areas of the hospital in honor of major donors.  In addition to the area namings, a display at the entry to the new wing lists members of each of the Foundation’s giving societies who participated in this campaign. This installation is the culmination of several years of planning and reflects the Transylania Regional Hospital’s commitment to positive relationship building with the community. Continue reading »

Gwinnett Medical Center’s Second-Generation Philanthropy Center Installs

July 30th, 2009

The Philanthropy Center installed July 28 & 29 in Lawrenceville, Georgia. Mirrored alcoves at the entrance to the hospital’s new lobby recognize the key role played by those who give of their time, talent and treasure in support of quality healthcare in the Gwinnett community. This new installation represents an expansion in the scope and volume of the previous Philanthropy Center, first begun in 1994, and highlights philanthropy as a core value to the Gwinnett Medical Center. Continue reading »

Electronic Media and Donor Recognition: Is Anyone Using it?

July 28th, 2009

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.

Continue reading »