May 6, 2014

Ms. Toni Asher, Executive Director

The Pump House Regional Arts Center of La Crosse
119 King Street
La Crosse, WI 54601
Dear Ms. Asher,

Enclosed is a set of documents we hope meets the needs you asked of us. We divided The Pump
Houses needs into two major categories. The first category differentiates and defines donors,
members, and sponsors, and was for informational purposes (i.e. what differs a member from
a donor?, how is a high-paying donor recognized in compared to a smaller-sized donor?).
The second assignment took more research and critical thinking. Initially, you wanted us to
help design a donor recognition board (DRB). After consideration, we decided it would be best
for The Pump House to solicit the design as volunteer work from local professionals. Moreover,
inside there is a document which we hope can be used to solicit said professionals.

As stated earlier, the first assignment was a straight-forward one. For the sponsors, we simply
defined what it means to be a sponsor and how a sponsor is typically recognized. We
acknowledge that both you and The Pump Houses sponsors understand the role a sponsor
plays and what it means to be one--therefore, the sponsor document is short and precise. As far
as the members, we copied what levels of membership from The Pump House website for
informational purposes, and also included what it means to be a member and how they are
recognized. Again, members typically know what theyre getting into, but we felt it would be
helpful to compile that information onto a single document for members to read and for you to
be able to fall back on. Lastly, we created a document which differentiates and defines a donor.
This documents information is interwoven with how the DRB will look (i.e. how different sized
donors will be recognized via designated color on the DRB is mentioned both in this document
and in the call for designs document which we will mention next).

For the more thought-provoking aspect of the project, we created a document entitled Request
for Donor Recognition Board Designs. This document is meant to be malleable in that we hope
it is used for The Pump House newsletters, as well as for potential posting on university
campuses or to be used on radio time or ad space. Like you, we felt that properly recognizing
The Pump Houses donors in a creative and informative way is crucial to the nonprofit's
continued success in the area. That being said, none of us have the credentials, software, or
experience to design, present, and offer a worthy DRB design. Instead, we played off what The
Pump House did for The Compassion Project. We hope you are able to use our document to
solicit an experienced professional or creative amateur with experience to help design the DRB
for you. Included with this document is another document which outlines what makes a good
DRB. This information includes pictures which detail what we found via research as essential
DRB aspects.

We want to thank you, Ms. Asher, personally for taking the time to meet with us and discuss the
needs of The Pump House. Not only did we feel a responsibility to create a useful set of
documents, but we wanted to design a useful set of documents that would make your job a little
easier and, possibly, The Pump House even more successful.

If you wish to contact any of us,

Jordan Batchelor, batchelo.jord@uwlax.edu
Noelle Griffiths, griffith.noel@uwlax.edu
Theresa Lorenz, lorenz.ther@uwlax.edu

Executive Summary
Jordan Batchelor

Noelle Griffiths

Theresa Lorenz

The intention of this project is to provide The Pump House with a set of policies distinguishing
a donor, a sponsor, and a member. Additionally, this set of policies will differentiate between
the size of a donation and the corresponding recognition for said donation. These policies will
give Ms. Toni Asher, Executive Director, a concrete understanding for future donor recognition.
The Pump House is also in need of a physical recognition system which will be placed near the
front entrance of the building. This system will creatively recognize donors via board, plaque,
stone etching, etc. By completing these tasks, we hope to assist The Pump House in properly
acknowledging those who support their mission.

Needs Assessment
Jordan Batchelor

Noelle Griffiths

Theresa Lorenz

Who is the Client?

The Pump House Regional Arts Center is the client, and our contact is Executive Director, Toni
Asher. The stakeholders include the sponsors of The Pump House, which are Altra Federal
Credit Union, Culligan, Designing Jewelers, Mid-West Family Broadcasting of La Crosse, News
Channel 8, Richard Record, State Bank Financial, UFAH, Wisconsin Arts Board, Wisconsin
Public Radio, and Xcel Energy. Other stakeholders include the Board of Directors and the
members (those who hold membership with The Pump House) of The Pump House.

What Problems Need to be Addressed?

The main problem Ms. Asher wants our group to address is The Pump Houses donor
recognition system. Their current system is minimal if not nonexistent, and Ms. Asher stressed
a need to recognize those whom have donated in the past as well as implement a set of policies
which differentiates between a donor, a member, and a sponsor. Additionally, Ms. Asher
mentioned that there is a need to distinguish between different amounts of donations, and how
to recognize those amounts accordingly.

What are the Potential Workplace Writing Solutions?

Our group plans to implement a clear and concise policy which categorizes donors, members,
and sponsors, as well as denotes their corresponding recognition at The Pump House. As a
writing solution, we will devise several policy documents which outline how certain amounts
(of currency) result in different types of recognition. Our group will also provide Ms. Asher
with a proposal of what the physical recognition system will look like at The Pump House. Ms.
Asher has provided a space near the entrance where our suggested recognition system (be it
plaques, stone etching, etc.) will be implemented. Ideally, this set of policies will allow Ms.
Asher to fall back on an already-set structure of donor recognition.

Parameters of the Recognition System

The physical recognition system should be:

between $500 and $1000
reasonably sized--able to fit in the front entrance of The Pump House (space is limited)
capable of adding new donors as donations continue to come in
creative and interesting

Project Plan
Jordan Batchelor

Noelle Griffiths

Theresa Lorenz

Roles
For the assessment and project plan portion of this project, Noelle Griffiths will function as
project manager. In this position, Noelle will correspond with Ms. Asher, keep an organized
schedule of meetings, and will make sure the group is on task.
For the set of documents portion, Theresa Lorenz will operate as project manager and will
follow the same guidelines as Noelle did in her portion.

For the cover letter portion of the project, Jordan Batchelor will operate as project manager
and will follow the same guidelines as Theresa and Noelle did in their portions. Additionally,
Jordan will operate as general copy editor and will oversee the final drafts of documents.

Task Management
First, our group will create a needs assessment and project plan. Once that is completed, our
group will move on to the documents portion, where we will create the set of policies
described in the needs assessment. Once that is completed, we will write a cover letter which
accurately reflects our project as a whole and how we feel it turned out. At different junctures
of this process, Noelle, Theresa, and Jordan will write the personal memos.

Tools and Technologies

Our group will use scholarly and industry-trade sources to supplement our original solutions.

Request for Donor Recognition Board

Designs
Jordan Batchelor

Noelle Griffiths

Theresa Lorenz

We at The Pump House Regional Arts Center of La Crosse are soliciting ideas from creative
individuals or groups with experience in design and architecture to design a donor recognition
board for The Pump House. We want to acknowledge our donors in a creative and effective
way as to support and encourage future donations. In the past, we have had a recognition
board in the back of our facility, but we realize the importance of those who donate to The
Pump House and wish to build a new recognition board in the front entrance. The board
should include:
A consistent color scheme which differentiates general, substantial, and major

donors by color

A creative way to incorporate new donors; in other words, the recognition board

should be able to accommodate new donor names at any time

Needs to fit [insert measurements of space]
Should fit the price range of $500 to $1000 in materials and installment

Think creatively but make sure the donors names are legible and the focal point of attention.
Think about how the three types of donors are recognized. In ascending order of donation
amount, the three types of donors are:
General Donor
Substantial Donor
Major Donor

Think about ways in which to differentiate the donors via color and location on the board.

We are looking for a volunteer(s) who have had experience with interior design or architecture
to creatively take on this task. The design must be creative and fun, yet professional and
worthy of what The Pump House represents. This design will be at the front entrance of our
facilities, and therefore will be one of the first things visitors will notice at The Pump House.
Volunteers can be students looking for volunteer opportunities in the field, amateurs or
professionals of interior design and architecture, or simply enthusiasts who feel they could aid
in the project. Most important to us is that we are able to appropriately recognize those who
have made contributions to The Pump Houses success in the La Crosse area.
If you have a desire to be a part of this project or want more information about the project,
please contact Toni Asher, Executive Director, at toni@thepumphouse.org or (608)-785-1434.

Differentiation
Document
Jordan Batchelor

Noelle Griffiths

Theresa Lorenz

Ms. Toni Asher expressed a need for a document which clearly defines a donor, member, and sponsor.
The following document accomplishes this task as well as explains the levels of donor recognition.

Donors

Donors of The Pump House Regional Arts Center of La Crosse are separated by monetary size
of donation and recognized in three distinct categories:
General Donor ($.01-$249)
Substantial Donor ($250-$4999)
Major Donor ($5000 and up)

Every donor will be recognized on the Donor Recognition Board (DRB) for a period of time.
The period of time in which each donor is recognized on the DRB depends on the category of
donor. The DRB will showcase each donor for as long as the DRB is not at capacity. When the
DRB reaches capacity and is unable to hold any new donors, the oldest General donation will
be removed from the DRB, and the new donor will take its place regardless of category.
If the volume of donations is such that all current General Donors have been or need to be
removed from the DRB, continue the process of removing oldest donation for the Substantial
Donors, regardless of category (e.g. if a donation size of $27 comes in and all other General
donations have been necessarily removed from the board, remove oldest Substantial
donation and replace it with the new $27 General donation).

Those who donate more than once to The Pump House are treated as isolated donations. The
information for the donor will be updated in accordance to their most recent donation. (e.g. if
Sam donated $1000 in May and was recognized as a Substantial Donor on the DRB, and then
donates $200 in July, Sam will be recognized on the DRB as a General Donor of $200 in July-rather than a dual donor of $1200).

The DRB will updated with the new donor information twice a year. This is to ensure donors
receive proper recognition for their contributions in a relatively timely manner.

In addition to being recognized on the DRB, all new donors will be recognized in monthly
newsletters, but may only appear once. If a first time donation of X amount of dollars is
recorded in February, that donor will be recognized in the next forthcoming newsletter, but
none afterward.

Membership

Members of The Pump House Regional Arts Center of La Crosse are separated by the
contribution of monetary fees on a yearly basis and their corresponding benefits:
Friend ($35)
Advance notice of events
Member discounted tickets* (1 per event)
Eligibility for Film Society (1)
Eligibility for Open Clay Studio*
Discounted rates on tuition

Patron ($50)
Advance notice of events
Member discounted tickets* (up to 4 per event)
Eligibility for Film Society (2)
Complimentary beverage coupons (2)
Eligibility for Open Clay Studio*
Discounted rates on tuition

Director ($125)
Advance notice of events
Member discounted tickets* (up to 6 per event)
Eligibility for Film Society (2)
Complimentary beverage coupons (4)
Eligibility for Open Clay Studio*
Discounted rates on tuition

Benefactor ($250)
Advance notice of events
Member discounted tickets* (up to 8 per event)
Eligibility for Film Society (2)
Complimentary beverage coupons (6)
Reserved seating upon request
Eligibility for Open Clay Studio*
Discounted rates on tuition

 Visionary ($500)

Advance notice of events

Member discounted tickets* (up to 10 per event)
Eligibility for Film Society (2)
Complimentary beverage coupons (8)
Reserved seating upon request

Eligibility for Open Clay Studio*

Discounted rates on tuition

Arts Angel ($1000)

Advance notice of events
Member discounted tickets* (up to 12 per event)
Eligibility for Film Society (4)
Complimentary beverage coupons (10)
Reserved seating upon request
Eligibility for Open Clay Studio*
Discounted rates on tuition

*Some restrictions may apply

These members receive benefits and opportunities from The Pump House, so recognition of
the members on the Donor Recognition Board (DRB) is not needed. If new members
contribute, it is essential to provide recognition in the corresponding newsletter.

Sponsorship

A sponsor is a corporate business who supports The Pump Houses mission to bring the value
of arts to the La Crosse area. The businesses will be acknowledged at the events they sponsor,
as well as on advertisements for said events.

Thoughts for Consideration

Jordan Batchelor

Noelle Griffiths

Theresa Lorenz

As stated before, we were tasked with designing the physical recognition board by you.
However, after much research, we as a group decided that none of us had the tools or
background to create such a necessary component of The Pump House. We know that
recognizing donors of all sizes past and present is essential for acknowledging the
communitys role in making The Pump House successful.

By putting out a call for designs, we think that The Pump House will find a better suited
artist/student/professional/creative amateur to design the DRB. If you were to use our Call
for Designs document in conjunction with purchasing airtime on a radio station or ad space in
the newspaper, you would be able to find the best candidate. Essentially, what you should keep
in mind is that there is limited space to recognize The Pump Houses donors.

Lastly, when soliciting for the designer, be aware of the audience you are trying to attract:
whether it is graduate students and young professionals seeking experience, or established
professionals in the area with experience and a willingness to volunteer. Either way, with these
documents and The Pump Houses reputation, they should be able to create a unique and fun
board which accomplishes your goals.

References

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Ciconte, B. L. (2007). Developing fundraising policies and procedures: Best practices for
accountability and transparency. Association of Fundraising Professionals Ready
Reference Series, 2-47.

Lewis, L., & McKay, S. W. (2008). Seeking policies for cultural democracy: Examining the past,
present, and future of U.S. nonprofit arts. Studies in Art Research, 49(4), 294-310.

Lovejoy, K., & Saxton, G. D. (2012). Information, community, and action: How nonprofit

organizations use social media. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 17,

337-353.