Wealthy wildlife fans
Fund Raismg
About one-quarter of wealthy people
who contribute to zoos and aquariums
are “socialites” who like to throw par
ties for charity, a new survey reports.
14 • PhMthropyJournal of North Carolina
ill
July/August 1994
Name game
Courting donors with appeal to their good name
In the increasingly competitive
world of fundraising, fundrais
ers still turn to the traditional
technique of offering contribu
tors a chance to attach their
name to buildings and other
facilities their dollars help
finance.
By David E. Brown
in the tiny community of
I Trinity, just south of the metro-
/ politan Triad in Randolph
County, stands a state historical
marker to the college that once was
there. The sign is very visible - right
by the road - but it’s really not much
for a school that has trained a who’s
who of doctors, lawyers and business
people, not to mention national
champion basketball players.
Trinity College moved awhile
back to Durham, where the American
Tobacco Co. started. The cigarette
man whose millions moved if said
modestly not to
rename it after him
but after his father, ppp
Washington Duke.
Olivia Raney’s name was on two
libraries, within shouting distance of
the State Capitol. Now all of Wake
County’s libraries honor somebody
named “branch,” and Raney has
shpped into obscurity. Temporarily,
maybe. A sentimental county com
missioner hopes the third Raney
Library will be a charm for Wake
County historic preservation.
Down near Wilmington, a high
way bears the name of a legendary
athlete, peerless at his particular
brand of philanthropy. Unlike
Washington and Olivia, Michael
Jordan is very much alive, and these
days he sometimes has trouble decid
ing whether to slide into the plate or
head-fake the catcher and try to
draw a foul. Will that highway sign
prove a mistake if MJ goes on to be a
really bad field goal kicker?
There’s nothing new about
attaching the names of givers to
buildings, fountains, hymn books and
the chair the French horn player sits
in. It’s one of the joys of the business
of donation. It’s a major decision,
with unexpected twists — and pit-
falls. More and more often, it’s cut-
and-dried: “Naming opportunities”
and “donor recognition schedules”
are up-front terms in fundraising.
A recent editorial in The
Chronicle of Philanthropy be
moans the “cash sale of public recog
nition.”
“The process of naming public
facilities after people,” it says, “is
one way a society
communicates its
and culture
... Flagrant mar
keting of donor recognition demeans
the spirit of giving and the honorific
value of public places.”
Not so, not so at all, say fundrais
ers and name-takers all over North
Carolina. It’s a highly respectable
and perfectly acceptable way to get
something new off the ground or to
keep the ball roUing. The diplomati
cally demure donor and the overt
egotist are equally welcome.
DONORS
Harvey W. Smith,
a collector of
maritime artifacts
before his death,
had expressed
interest in a
museum.
His wife
donated the
property for the
N.C. Maritime
Museum in
Beaufort.
Staff photos
Johnson C. Smith University has
raised $34 million toward a capital
campaign goal of $50 million. A gift of
$375,000 allows one to name a pro
fessorship; $200,000, a presidential
scholarship; $100,000, the presiden
tial suite in the school’s Biddle Hall.
“The formula is scaling the goal,
and setting certain levels,” says
Gloria Miller Duval, vice president
for development. “It sometimes gets
as straightforward as that.”
At the fledgling Core Sound
Waterfowl Museum at Barker’s
Island, “We have several families
who want to buy a room...a shelf, a
chair, a lamp or a walkway - or a
whole collection,” says Director
Karen Amspacher.
“We’ve already had requests to
name the trails. That’s one of the big
ways of raising money - to divide it
up and sell it in sections.”
Barton College in Wilson also has
a hst of “commemorative opportuni
ties.” Now in the middle of a $6.2
million capital campaign. Barton will
name endowed chairs, labs, offices
and an elevator for donors of speci
fied amounts.
“It’s a good way to recognize our
donors,” says Russell Rawlings, spe
cial assistant to the president for
public affairs.
Barton was Atlantic Christian
College until 1990. The change was
not the result of a financial windfall;
The school took the name of Barton
W. Stone, one of the founders of the
Christian Church Disciples of Christ,
Look for DONORS, page 15
Private dollars
Giving to hi^er education increases
Private contributions to colleges
and universities grew to $11.2
billion in the U.S., including
$386 million in North Carolina.
Corporations were the single
biggest contributor to Tar Heel
schools and Duke raised the
most money of any school in the
state.
C olleges and universities pri
vately raised $11.2 billion
in the 1992-93 school year,
up $500 million from the previous
year.
In North Carolina, private contri
butions to higher education grew $40
million to a total of $386 million,
according to the annual survey of the
Council for Aid to Education in
Washington.
BRIEFLY
Nominations sought
for philanthropy award
Nominations are now being
sought for recipients of the
Community Foundation of
Western North Carolina's
Raymond A. Hust Philanthro
pic Leadership Award. The
award may be given to an
individual, business or non
profit. Call (704) 254-4960.
Duke University led the Tar Heel
pack, raising $144.7 million, an
increase of nearly 14 percent over
the previous year. It was followed by
the University of North Carolina at
Chapel Hill, which raised $63.8 mil
lion, up 8 percent; N.C. State
University, $47.2 million, up 49 per
cent; Wake Forest University, $30.8
million, up 4 percent; and Davidson
College, $15.7 million, up 46.5 per
cent.
Nationally, alumni gave $2.98 bil
lion to higher education, or 27 per
cent of total private contributions;
followed by other individuals, $2.53
bilUon, or 23 percent; corporations,
$2.4 billion, or 21 percent; founda
tions, $2.2 billion, or 20 percent; and
religious and other organizations,
$1.1 billion, or 9 percent.
EDUCATION
In North Carolina, corporations
contributed the biggest share of pri
vate dollars for higher education,
$102.7 million, or 26.6 percent. By
comparison, foundations gave $72.7
million, or 18.8 percent; alumni gave
$76.4 million, or 19.8 percent; indi
viduals other than alunml gave $70.1
milhon, or 18.2 percent; and rehgious
and other organizations gave $64.2
milhon, or $16.6 percent.
David Ross, chairman and presi
dent of fundraising consultant Ross,
Johnston and Kersting Inc. in
Durham, says the survey indicates
higher education is “doing a good job
in fundraising and convincing donors
to support their institutions.”
But he says he’s concerned that
alumni giving in North Carohna lags
behind the national average.
“Alumni are going to have to carry a
bigger part of this load in the future
for all institutions,” he says.
“Foundations and corporations are
going to look closely at the participa
tion of alumni.”
More than half the corporate dol
lars for higher education in North
Carolina went to Duke, which
received $53.4 million from corpora
tions. Duke received $21 million from
alumni; $36.2 million from founda
tions; $26.5 million from individuals
other than alumni; and $7.6 million
from other organizations.
UNC-Chapel Hill received $10.8
million from corporations; $11.9 mil
lion from foundations; $18.4 million
from alumni; $8.7 million from other
individuals; and $14.2 million from
other organizations.
N.C. State received $18.5 milhon
from corporations; $1.2 million from
foundations; $6.6 million from alum
ni; $3.3 million from other individu
als; and $17.7 million from other
organizations.
Wake Forest received $6 milhon
from foundations; $5.2 mihion from
alumni; $4.3 milhon from other indi
viduals; and $10 milhon from other
organizations.
Davidson received $2.6 million
from foundations; $7.1 mihion from
alumni; $4.4 mihion from other orga
nizations; and $45,000 from other
organizations.
Todd Cohen
State to investigate charity fundraiser
North Carolina officials
have asked the Internal
Revenue Service to investi
gate a Triangle group
called Helping Hands tor
the Handicapped. Lionel
Randolph, head of the
state office that licenses
charities, says a former
Helping Hands director
lied on a state application
about having been convict
ed of staging his own kid
napping. Although Helping
Hands has suspended
fundraising. President Art
Fritz, says he expects the
group will be cleared and
will resume fundraising
soon.
Arts & Science Council
offers grants
The Charlotte Arts & Science
Council is accepting appli
cations for its 1994-95
Regional Emerging Artists
program. The deadline is
August 1 tor artists in all dis
ciplines. Call (704) 372-
9667.
Wilmington theater
launches memberships
The Thalian Association
community theater has
begun a membership drive
for its 1994-95 season of
plays and musicals.
Memberships, range from
$50 to $150. Call (910)
251-1788 for information.
UNC-Chapel Hill adds
endowed lectureship
The University of North
Carolina at Chapel Hill has
a new endowed lectureship,
thanks to a bequest from the
late C. Knox Massey, Sr. of
Durham. The new lecture
ship will honor longtime uni
versity administrator
Douglass Hunt.