Best Practices for Donor Recognition

BEST PRACTICES for DONOR RECOGNITION

At Robin E. Williams Incorporated all work is based on the Best Practices for Donor Recognition.
They have identified these measures for success through 25 years of experience consulting with fundraisers. Although they number the list of Best Practices for Donor Recognition below, most organizations approach them in an order that reflects attention to immediate needs first. The items highlighted are most used in
planning a campaign.
1. Cataloged Audit of Existing Donor Recognition
Develop a searchable database of all existing donor recognition to provide:
• A historical record of benefit to those interfacing with past and current donors
• A starting place for deciding what has worked well and should be incorporated in future
donor recognition planning.
2. Inventoried Recognition Opportunities Master Plan
Create a Master Plan, based on two documents:
• Naming Opportunity Inventory - a dynamic listing of all available and reserved naming opportunities including gift amount, reservation status, location and planned recognition content
• Donor Recognition Location Plans - architectural plans with numbered locations for all donor recognition components that are used for coordination and record-keeping
3. Recognizable Graphic Identity for Philanthropy
Establish a family of design components to present the “face of philanthropy” within your organization in a consistent way, following traditional branding practices.
4. Consistent Messaging & Content Hierarchy
Direct donor recognition messages by codifying stylistic decisions regarding content, grammar,
typography, etiquette and punctuation
5. Documented Standards & Guidelines
Record product design and program decisions as precedent-setting standards for future recognition and define parameters such as size, content, materials and placement of donor recognition components per gift level and type
6. Budgeted Product Solutions
Maintain appropriate budgeting for donor recognition product solutions to expedite design and
implementation processes and for better management expectations regarding product costs
7. Programmed Re-order & Maintenance Procedures
Require concise, convenient documentation from all product suppliers to ease and
expedite the re-order process.

©2009 Robin E. Williams, Incorporated

730 Peachtree Street NE • Suite 1080 • Atlanta • GA 30308

ph 404.872.7646 • fax 404.872.7884 • Robin E Williams Inc.

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For more information about donor recognition, contact RCB Awards at 800-929-9110.

Video of Interactive Donor Recognition Wall

For more information, contact RCB Awards at 1-800-929-9110.

Interactive Donor Recognition Walls

MILWAUKEE, WI, September 14, 2010. --- Healthcare Institutions, Universities, Zoos and Public Buildings are all well known for the displays of donor names that helped to fund the organization. But what mileage is there in a static name on a wall? At RCB Awards, interactive video displays have been added to these traditional donor recognition walls to allow each donor to tell their story.

According to Curt Denevan, of RCB Awards, donors often like to talk about why they are helping the organization and hope that others will step forward to help meet the goals that are set out.  He states, “Everyone likes to tell their story, with this cutting edge donor recognition display, donors can leave a lasting message for all to see”.  This also allows a hospital to use the Donor Recognition Display as a marketing tool. Bringing a potential donor to the interactive display and asking them to think about telling their story is a huge asset to the organization.

Interactive Donor Recognition Displays

While a list showing a thousand names can be daunting, an interactive display allows a visitor to touch a screen and select a donor. The system then brings up the donor’s video and the story is told in the donor’s own words. After a visitor is done selecting donor stories, the interactive system reverts to a simple display showing information about the foundation or organization.  

The display can also be used to list all donors, identify categories of donors based on type of contribution (endowment, capital campaign, planned giving programs, charitable trusts, or contribution levels).

Interactive donor recognition is the future direction of large scale recognition. By allowing the viewer to see as much or as little information as they wish, the display becomes more interesting to them. No longer will viewers simply walk on by, the interactive display captivates all by telling the donor’s story.

For additional information on interactive donor recognition displays, contact Curt Denevan or visit www.rcbdonorrecognition.com.  RCB Awards is an award and recognition firm based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin specializing in non-profits and corporate award programs for the last 20 years.

Curt Denevan

800-929-9110

www.rcbawards.com