What does your Mural of Generosity look like?

muralI’ve had a recurring thought for the last two weeks because I keep running across beautiful donor recognition walls at non-profit organizations. Just yesterday I came across a donor recognition board in the lobby of the Knight Nonprofit Center on the Gulf Coast in Mississippi, and it was titled the “Mural of Generosity“. I just love the sound of that. Don’t you?
So, my recurring thought is this:
In a perfect world, what would you organization’s mural of generosity look like?
Please understand that I am not looking for vendor recommendations on where to purchase a nice donor wall.
I would like you to envision the following:

  • Who is on your mural?
  • Where is that mural displayed?
  • For what are they being recognized? (e.g. lifetime giving, planned gifts, recurring loyalty, etc)
  • What does it look like?
  • How is it continuously celebrated? (e.g. how do you build your organization’s culture around the mural)

You know how this works. Please scroll down and share your thoughts in the comment box below. We can all learn from each other AND we can certainly inspire each other from time to time.
Here’s to your health!
Erik Anderson
Founder & President, The Healthy Non-Profit LLC
www.thehealthynonprofit.comĀ 
erik@thehealthynonprofit.com
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2 comments

  1. Visuals can be very powerful, indeed. Sometimes our nonprofit communication is too “wordy”. Carefully composed works of art have an impact beyond words. The same is with the generosity of our donors – — how do they all “work” together in a mural that isn’t chaos? How are you helping them compose a masterpiece of philanthropy in their own lives?

  2. Laura . . . you’re right on track with your comments and I love your questions. I’m thinking of sculpture outside of a local non-profit organization’s new building. There are donor names on the base of the sculpture, of course. But the actual art includes visuals of a globe and a bird and children. It elegantly tells anyone who sees it that the people who supported that capital campaign had a vision of helping kids soar, realize their potential and become great global citizens.

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