10 Top Considerations for Digital Donor Recognition

Here are the ten questions I ask in the process of investigating the appropriateness of digital donor recognition. Some relate to clarifying your needs, some to readiness and sustainability and some to design. Don't get me wrong, if enough of the answers point to the use of digital donor recognition, I'm game!

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National Public Gardens Day

Over the years, Heurista has enjoyed working with a number of public gardens, helping to develop donor recognition strategy that is integrated with the overall visitor experience. Today we honor public gardens! National Public Gardens Day was created in 2008, by the American Public Gardens Association and then partner Rain Bird, to drive local and national exposure to the importance of building vibrant, relevant gardens committed to community enrichment and environmental responsibility through community engagement, sustainable practices, and conversation.  

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Stewardship Closeup: Naming Opportunities

Naming opportunities are a key component in fundraising for major gifts. Organizations associate donor names with campus-based spaces, programs, funds and faculty positions. The science of using naming opportunities to motivate giving — and using strategy and policy to manage possible risks — is evolving. Heurista has been studying advances in cross-departmental coordination, recognition policy, and design guidelines. We've gained valuable perspective by working with different types of institutions all across North America.

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Heurista Explores Philanthropic Placemaking

With the advent of technology, place is no longer bound to a physical location like a building, area or campus. Place is so much more than a particular point in space. Place is the role one plays in a particular community or context. Place is a position in an order or hierarchy. Most importantly, place can be used as a verb meaning to remember or recognize. Placing is the act of recalling one's engagement with the community, including shared values, experiences and understanding.

 

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New Methods of Engagement: Virtual Reality in Philanthropic Placemaking

We are curious about the emerging Virtual Reality communication platforms and innovations and specifically what opportunities they bring to Philanthropic Placemaking. We stalk the latest VR news. We use our team in NYC to participate in most opportunities to strap on the next brand of headset, leave the real world and experience a creative VR team’s virtual place. They are all worth the trip.

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Philanthropy as brand identity

I commend Johnson & Johnson and their partners for their efforts to grow public awareness of philanthropy while making their own investments of time, talent and treasure, especially at the holidays.  Sure, we all understand that showing a caring side is a wise part of any brand identity campaign, but you gotta admire those who put action behind the words. 

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#GivingTuesday from a different perspective

We explored NYC on #GivingTuesday with a question: What are major shopping malls that promote a sense of community doing to take advantage of the opportunities that #GivingTuesday presents? The potential role of these properties has been a recent focus as we consider how a culture of generosity can be fostered where people gather for meals, entertainment, and shopping. 

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