Vince Lombardi Super Bowl Trophy

Recognition Review, February, 1998

Super Trophy: The NFL's highest award is a sterling success
by Kellee Van Keuren

It started in 1966 on a cocktail napkin--a humble beginning for the Vince Lombardi Super Bowl Trophy, one of the world's most prestigious sports awards. The scene was a luncheon attended by both Pete Rozelle, then-commissioner of the National Football League, and Oscar Riedner, then-vice president of design for Tiffany & Co. in New York, N.Y.

Riedner sketched it extremely quickly," says Ed Wawrynek, vice president of Tiffany & Co. and the firm's official historian. "And that sketch became an icon of modern-day sports--the symbol for what no one knew at the time would be one of today's most popular sporting events."

The first Super Bowl, called the AFL/NFL World Championship Game, was played in January following the 1966 football season. At that time, the game was a contest between the champions of the National Football League and the American Football League. Around the third championship game, the media started calling it the Super Bowl, a title coined by Lamar Hunt, owner of the Kansas City Chiefs and founder of the AFL. He thought of the name after seeing his daughter playing with a toy rubber ball called a superball.

After Super Bowl IV, the two leagues merged into one under the NFL name, with teams divided into two conferences: the National Football Conference (NFC) and the American Football Conference (AFC). The Super Bowl is now a match between the two conference champions.

Test of Time

The actual design of the Super Bowl trophy was nearly identical to Reidner's first sketch. And since the first one was made in 1966, that design hasn't changed one iota, Wawrynek says. "That's one of the secrets of the trophy's success and durability," he adds. "It's always been the same, which makes it instantly recognizable."

It was dubbed the Vince Lombardi Trophy in 1970, just before Super Bowl V. Lombardi--who died of cancer on Sept. 3, 1970, at the age of 57--was a well respected coach who had led the Green Bay Packers to victory in the first two Super Bowls.

The trophy is a perfect blend of modern and traditional, Wawrynek says. Made entirely of sterling silver, it depicts a regulation football atop what resembles an elongated kicking tee--a plinth with three tapered, concave sides. "It's a traditional football, modernized by the sculpted triangular base," Wawrynek explains.

At least 72 hours of labor are required each year to manufacture the trophy. "It's done entirely by hand," Wawrynek says. "It's hand spun, hand assembled, hand hammered into the base, hand engraved and hand chased." The work is done at Tiffany & Co.'s workshop in Parsippany, N.J.

Because the trophy uses a heavy gauge of silver that is difficult to bend and shape, the manufacturing process demands great expertise. First a spinner places onto a lathe a wooden chuck carved into the shape of half a football. A thick sheet of silver is placed on the chuck. With forming tools, it's spun until it assumes the shape of the chuck. After both halves are formed, they are soldered together to form the ball. "They are joined so perfectly that there's no evidence of a seam," Wawrynek says. Then a silversmith hand chases the seams and laces onto the ball so that it resembles an actual football.

The base is formed from sheet stock, which is hand hammered and soldered. The football is attached by a silver rod that comes up through the base and is secured by silver nuts and bolts. "It has to be sturdy enough to hold up under handling by those 'little' football players," Wawrynek says.

During the manufacturing process, the trophy must be annealed five or six times because the repeated hammering hardens the surface. The annealing loosens the bonding of the molecules in the silver, allowing it to be shaped.

After the trophy is complete, the NFL symbol and the Super Bowl number are hand engraved into a sheet stock of silver, which is applied to the base. When finished, the Lombardi stands 20-3/4 inches tall and weighs about seven pounds. And while it's officially valued at $10,000, it's a priceless symbol of hard-earned victory for the players and their fans. "The trophies are a great source of pride here," says Ann Dabeck, administrative assistant for the Green Bay Packers, who won trophies from the first two Super Bowls, as well as the 1996 championship.

Taking It Home

Green Bay is one of only 12 teams in the NFL--out of a total of 30--that has earned the title of Super Bowl champion. Of those 12, eight are multiple winners. The Dallas Cowboys and the San Francisco 49ers tie for the most wins with five apiece. 

Immediately following a Super Bowl victory, the NFL Commissioner presents the winning team with the trophy. "Sometimes it is slightly damaged in the champagne celebration," Wawrynek says. "We always have an extra in case a catastrophe occurs, but so far nothing major has ever happened." The trophy is then returned to Tiffany & Co. for any repairs and the engraving of the team names and the final score onto the base. Then it goes back to the team for permanent possession.

The teams are free to display the trophies where they want, so they end up in a variety of places. Until recently, Green Bay's trophy from Super Bowl I was on display at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. Now the Hall of Fame has a copy of the trophy, while all three of the Packer's awards are housed behind glass in the entrance of its administrative offices, next to its pro shop. The number of fans who come to see the trophies increased greatly after the team's 1996 win, Dabeck says.

The Dallas Cowboys' five Lombardis are on public display only once a year at the State Fair of Texas in Dallas. The rest of the year they are kept in the office of Jerry Jones, the team's owner. The 49ers display their five awards in the lobby of the team's administrative offices in Santa Clara, Calif. The team's marketing department occasionally takes the trophies on "field trips" such as luncheons and other promotional events.

Only one championship team doesn't have its original trophy. The Baltimore Colts (who moved to Indianapolis in 1984) had to order a copy of the Lombardi from Tiffany's after Carroll Rosenbloom--who owned the team when it won Super Bowl V--took the trophy with him when he traded the Colts for the Los Angeles Rams. Although the Colts are now in Indianapolis, the team's copy of the trophy is still on display in Baltimore.

Sweet Victory

In addition to the trophy, the individual players on the championship team receive custom-designed rings and a cash award, which currently is $48,000, says Pete Fierle, information services manager for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Each player on the losing team receives $29,000--quite a hike from Super Bowl I in which players from the victorious Green Bay Packers each got $15,000, while the losing Kansas City Chiefs received $7,000 apiece.

But for most players, the monetary awards that accompany a Super Bowl victory are secondary to the thrill of achieving the title of world champion. And after 32 years, the Vince Lombardi Trophy still stands as a sterling testimony to that accomplishment. "It's a wonderful iconographic symbol of sports in modern times," Wawrynek says. "In every way, the trophy is a success."

© 1998, Awards and Recognition Association

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

Corporate Awards Instill Motivation

There are many reasons for giving corporate awards to employees:

• recognizing results
• exemplary behavior
• motivation
• dedication
• showing appreciation for their loyalty. 

Corporate awards allow recipients to display their accomplishments and take pride in their work. Even better, an award on an employee’s desk or in his or her office makes them feel appreciated, motivated, and dedicated to doing the best job possible. Here are some suggestions for corporate awards.

• Plaques—Choose either solid-wood, acrylics in striking and unusual colors, or sustainable materials like bamboo.
• Sculptures or Art Glass—Many are now made using recyclable glass materials.
• Gift Sets—Golf, poker, cigar, and wine accessories are packaged in cases that feature space for personalization.
• Crystal—These elegant items can include cups, desk ornaments, and art crystal.
• Clocks—Time pieces are a classic choice and come in many shapes, sizes, and styles.
• Creative Custom Awards—Consult with your local awards professional to create unique recognition items that portray or reflect the intended recipient’s accomplishments.

Making an Effective Awards and Recognition Presentation

There are many occasions for honoring others, be it for sports, academic, sales achievement, for retirement, or embarking on job or a new career. Many award presentations fail because they do not do justice to the individual being honored. Some are too short or vague, and others are too long and boring.

When you are called upon to present an award or memento, it is your opportunity and duty to honor the person or persons being recognized. Proper preparation and planning will help you acknowledge the individual adequately and graciously. The following guidelines will make your awards presentation speech more effective and memorable:

1. Give praise that is appropriate to the occasion, but don’t be dishonest.
2. Be as specific as possible in explaining why the recipient is being honored by listing his other community service accomplishments, projects completed, and career highlights.
3. Demonstrate the true qualities of the recipient by making comments about what makes this individual unique or noteworthy. Ask friends and acquaintances for anecdotes or talents that should be noted.
4. To prepare your presentation seek information from those who know him or her and share the information in a straightforward and positive manner.

Most of all, make sure everyone has fun and walks away with a smile.

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

Recognition Donor Wall Planning Guide

The purpose of this planning guide is to provide the non-profit organization with some ideas and guidelines in the designing of their recognition donor wall. There are scant few resources available to help, so this discussion is of the questions that you should address before you get too far down the road.

Goals and Objectives:
These need to be both for the recognition program in general and the donor wall in particular. What do you need these to accomplish? A lot of times staff looks at this question with a “Isn’t it obvious?” look, but if you actually get to writing these goals and objectives down, you find that every organization looks at this differently.
• What are the objectives for this donor wall?
• What are the policies that determine what names are eligible to go on the wall?
• Are all donations acknowledged in some way, regardless of size?
• How are major donors handled, both in general and in regard to the donor wall?
• What do you do for donors besides the putting the name on the wall? Hand written letters, small gift of thanks, personalized art glass or plaque?
• Do you have naming rights? Rooms, areas, sections or buildings? How are they tied into the donor wall?
• Does the donor wall serve any other communication purpose, such as recognizing volunteers, staff, or other programs that staff may be involved in?
• How will you use this donor wall as a marketing tool to solicit other donations?
o New donors seeing the wall should be encouraged to picture their name up there.
o Existing donors should think about cumulative donations and even moving up to the next giving level.
• Do you have a separate capital campaign?

Space Issues:
• What is the space available on the wall for this display?
• Is this a main traffic area?
• Is potential congestion a concern?
• How will the display serve to get people to stop, look at it and interact with it?
• Do you have outside distractions that might impact the effectiveness of the wall, such as noise, animal areas (zoos), traffic, classrooms, weather?
• How comfortable is the viewing of the donor wall? Seating, sun, interior lighting, windows, outside distractions?
• What will need to be done to the background to prepare it for the installation of the donor wall? Painting or panels needed?
• What is behind your donor wall? Will this present any distractions?
• Lighting, electrical, IT resources available?
• Vandalism Prevention: What type of environment is this donor wall in? How will this impact materials used in construction?
• Other architectural or physical issues that should be raised in the planning discussion?

Design Elements:
• Past recognition elements, historical considerations, current themes – How to incorporate all these into the new design? The more information shared at this stage, the more consistent the donor wall is likely to be in regard to overall themes and messages within the culture of the organization.
• Are there previous installations that you are trying to match?
• Should the design be forward focused, or have a historical perspective? What is your organization known for, and how can that be incorporated into the concept? What heritage material is available to bring into the design? Do you have any historical buildings, old donor walls that have been taken down or other elements that can be incorporated into the construction?
• Who is your audience? Who are you reaching out to? What is the donor experience that you are trying to evoke? What message do you want to convey?
• What is the overall larger recognition picture that this donor wall will be a part of, what other issues should be made aware of in planning?
• Are there any future logo changes or rebranding planned for or being discussed that could impact the design of the donor wall?

Donor Wall Message:
• What is your message, and who will develop that? Does your content echo the rest of the organization in a consistent message? Is special content required that may necessitate outside approvals?
• Who is involved with developing the donor wall? Staff, donors, volunteers, committee, board members, development manager, CEO?
• Who will be providing all the text, images, video, photos, logos, graphics and other content? Do you have these available in appropriate digital format? Graphics in EPS, Name lists in Excel, Content in Word are usually best. Ask your supplier what they need. Expect typesetting to carry additional costs, the more provided digitally, the better.
• Do’s and Don’ts: Colors, materials, images, finishes – what are the issues that should be avoided or must be used?
• Donor Wall names: Approval of published list – who decides? How names are displayed – who decides? Proofing of list – who checks?
• Is all content written and in digital format? Do you have a graphics standards manual?

Hierarchy of Donor Recognition:
• Will major donors be put in a separate category on the donor wall? How many giving categories will you require? Will some categories be more prominently displayed?
• Is this a closed list or an open list? Will you have a final list of names to go on the donor wall, or is this a donor wall that will be adding names over the years? How many names should be planned for? Would you like something in place of blank names? How frequently will names be updated? As donations come in, monthly, quarterly or annually?
• Name Organization: will this be alphabetical, random, by date turned in, or by amount? Or some combination? If someone gives $5,000 every year for 5 years, is this a $5,000 designation or the cumulative designation of $25,000?
• How do you encourage donors to move up to the next giving level? If a donor does move to the next level, does that change the location and/or size of the donor’s name on the donor wall?
• If a name is to be moved, what is involved with moving the name, and who is to do that?

Multimedia Donor Recognition Walls:
• Will your multimedia donor recognition wall feature video, text, audio and photos? Will you use this to tell donor stories and share profiles? Will historical background or timelines be used? Should the display be interactive or self cycling? Should the display be incorporated into part of a larger display, or stand alone?
• Who is providing the video content? Who is providing the copy to be read? Will the CEO, Staff or Board Members be featured in a special section such as an overview or introduction or closing statement?
• Interactive Donor Recognition provides an opportunity for Donor of the Month profiles, Key Donors to tell their story, and also can incorporate the culture and history of the organization. Do you plan on adding profiles after the initial kick off? What degree of visitor interactivity would you like to see? What is the viewing distance? What size screen will be needed for the space and viewing area?
• Do you require a portable multimedia donor recognition display that can be taken to special events, in a kiosk, podium, monument or other portable display?
• Would a second multimedia display enhance other areas in the organization?
• Should the data be also available on the website for the general public to access?

Donor Wall Budget:
• While there is no firm and fast rule on how much to budget for a donor wall project, 2-4% of the funds raised is an amount that is often used. Do you have funds available right now for the project, or are these anticipated funds? If you exceed your giving target, how does that impact your plans? If you fall short, will there be changes in what you can do for the donor wall?
• Is there an old donor wall that is coming down? Are you moving the names to the new wall? Can you use this opportunity to communicate to your donors of the change in your donor wall, and how this could be a great opportunity for them to move up to the next giving level? Does your budget allow for the dismantling of the old donor wall? Who is going to do the work?
• Does your budget include Campaign Consultation, Initial Design, Fabrication and Installation? Who is doing the updates and how often? Is there a budget for annual maintenance and updates?
• The presentation of a donor wall is usually done with fanfare. What are the costs that may be associated with the unveiling of the display? Are there any costs associated with special events surrounding the unveiling? Are there any marketing costs that should be planned for?

Installation:
• During installation, are there any requirements to cordon off the area, redirect traffic or other safety concerns? How about after hours?
• Will high ceilings require special lifts for installation? What is the timeline for installation? Will any other activities have to be rescheduled or relocated during installation? What other pre-installation issues are there that should be addressed?

Donor Recognition:
• How do you thank your donors at each level of giving? Are you consistent with each office, department, facility and location within your organization? What recognition do you give to the donor that can be displayed in the home or office? Do you seek additional ideas that will allow your organization to set itself apart from others with regards to recognition and acknowledgement?
• Who is in charge of donor recognition information? Who updates the donor lists and keeps it current? Who will draft the thank you letters? Who will sign the thank you letters to donors? Who is responsible for follow-up and how is it done? Will major donors receive personal phone calls, visits, dinners, naming opportunities or other additional recognition?

Kick-off:
• How will you announce your new donor recognition wall to staff, volunteers, public and the donors? If the display is interactive, does it get updated regularly and how is that communicated? Will new staff introduction tours include the donor wall? Will visitors be shown the donor wall as part of a tour of the facility? Do you have any special events that might coincide with the unveiling of your donor wall? Is there a special date that the event should coordinate around?
• Press releases, newsletters, website, e-mail blasts, in-house promotions, internal memos, media lists, blogs and announcements to AFP are a great way to get the word out. Use them all. Make sure your public relations staff is fully informed.


For more information, contact:
RCB Donor Recognition
8000 W. Capitol Dr.
Milwaukee, WI 53222
800-929-9110
www.rcbdonorrecognition.com

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.

Join our online discussion at www.thethankstank.com.

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