Extreme Success: Proactive Donor Recognition Strategy Leads to Greater Giving
Today, fundraisers are enacting “proactive stewardship plans,” visions that are defined by strategic plans fostering long-term, ever-growing relationships and emphasizing programmatic consistency. For years, we have promoted this “think, before you thank” philosophy. Specifically, we encourage you to thank existing donors with the express purpose of enhancing the relationship you have with them, while forging a greater tradition of giving within your community as a whole. Continue reading »
Traditions, Old and New
Recently, on a trip though Greenville, South Carolina, I had the opportunity to visit the Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research, which is a dynamic collaboration among private industry, government organizations, and academia. Our firm has been involved with several projects at CU-ICAR since 2006, but it was my first opportunity to visit the campus in several years. I was struck by the modern tone set by the architecture and the vibrancy of the partnership. A short walk through the Carroll A. Campbell Jr. Graduate Engineering Center revealed a part of the outcome from our involvement with one aspect of the project – I’d only seen images from the installation to that point. Much like the CU-ICAR itself, our work is a partnership, unifying voices, sometimes quite different voices, into harmony, and the pieces seem representative of that spirit. Continue reading »
Recommendations for Recognizing Scholarship Donors
In conversation with an existing client, we discussed these emerging trends in recognition strategy for scholarship donors. How do these ideas compare to current practice at your institution?
Recognition of endowment giving of all sorts is now often presented in formal public displays. We are encouraging appropriate permanent recognition to correspond to the emphasis on named endowments. Most frequently, there is a high entry level for naming an endowed scholarship, often exceeding the entry level for physical naming opportunity. Permanent recognition for these naming opportunities must correlate to the scope of recognition offered for any facility-based naming opportunity of the same dollar amount.
Recognition efforts are designed to encourage repeat giving to support scholarships. For instance, non-endowment scholarships may be pledged for multiple years, with 3-5 years as the minimum. In those situations, recognition is based on the total amount given, often bringing the donors to higher levels over time than the entry level for an endowed scholarship. Scholarships are not formally named until the pledges are completed, although stewardship activities commence immediately, based on the pledge amount.
Recognition programs that celebrate mid-level donors do much to enhance and broaden their repeat giving. Institutions often have funds, endowed or otherwise, that allow for the pooling of smaller gifts. Donors to those funds are most often recognized by campaign or project. To promote continued giving, I suggest that these listings be annual, not permanent. Donors remain on the list only by giving again. Cumulative totals will contribute to lifetime giving recognition totals but will not translate into a naming opportunity.
Written by Anne Manner-McLarty
Filed under Best Practices for Donor Recognition, Donor Recognition Programs, Stewardship, Think Before You Thank | Tags: Best Practices for Donor Recognition, Capital Campaign, Donor Recognition, donor wall, Scholarship Giving, Stewardship, Think Before You Thank, Trends in Fundraising | Comment (1)Design Your Recognition Displays to Encourage Change
This is an easy one for fundraisers to accomplish when planning a recognition display. Plan the display from the outset for change. Quick, easy, and economical change. Change is critical to garnering new interest from viewers (prospective donors, all). If you think about it, any static display becomes “just a fixture” after the newness has worn off. The content is forever “yesterday’s newspaper”. And most recognition fabricators are very familiar with how to integrate digital panels mechanically into their framing systems. It’s become so much easier for fundraisers to can make the switch-out. Thus, change actually occurs.
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Excitement Builds at North Georgia College and State University
A meeting like this is a lot of fun for me. What you see here is an idea we’ve had in behalf of our client now coming to life on their campus, for their university president. This image signifies an electrifying moment for our client, too. It’s a time when planning comes to an end; when it is replaced by the reality that there soon will be an actual “destination” for honoring philanthropy on campus, right here. Continue reading »
