Hi,
This isn't so much a Tessitura question and it's more of an organizational question regarding program names. I'm wondering if anyone is willing to share their guidelines as to what gets "counted" in your program names. At Pacific Symphony, we're trying to come up with some strict guidelines as to what counts and I would love to see what other organizations are doing!
For example, for your annual fund donors, will you include money received for elevated events as part of annual giving? Do you count endowment and capital campaign money received or do you have a separate listing for these people? Do you count volunteer support group membership money?
I insert program names using SQL and current membership information (based on membership organization and expiration date). That way if some donor gives us $17K but for some reason is being recognized at the $25K membership level, I pick up the membership level, not the total gift.
We insert new programs and associated membership levels annually (so we have a record of how people were recognized, at what level, in what publication). We have a “default” program name that anyone with access to the tab can edit, so that if a new donor tells a ticket office rep how he or she wishes to be recognized, it can be set down. All other program names are control-grouped so that they can be seen, as appropriate, but not edited. I then create new program listings by copying the default program name and sort name into a new record that corresponds to the current season program. As I already said, I take level from the current membership. For anyone who doesn’t have an existing program name I insert the standard salutation and sort name from the constituent record. Development then proofreads with an Excel sheet I create that pulls the data and includes the main Dev caseworker, if one exists.
We include program name in our acknowledgment letters (custom add-on field). This way, if someone’s marital status has changed, or other such, we might possibly find out before putting the wrong name into print for a season.
It takes me a couple of hours, start to finish, to insert a season’s-worth of program listings.
We recognize donors at $250 and above in print.
Lucie
______________________________Lucie SpielerIT Development and Training Manager