Thank you all for your responses.  

A bit more background. In addition to a monetary bequest, the donor has contributed about 50 items in a collection of nearly 13,000 artifacts.  She was initially offered the opportunity to name the archive space or gallery space, but she did not want to name either of these.  (It is important to here that the name, in memory of her mother-in-law, is very visible.).  She was then offered the opportunity to name the museum collection in its entirety.  I do not know the specifics of the conversation, but it ended with a note to PR and museum staff that the collection now had a new name and a plaque with the name has been installed in the exhibition space.  The donor, however, has not actually signed any contract establishing the name and money has not exchanged hands (nor will it for a good 20 years most likely).  It has not been specified how this gift will be allocated.  

At this point, to challenge the decision I need solid documentation that naming the entire museum collection is unethical, since admin is understandably reluctant to go back to the donor to tell her that they were mistaken when they offered this opportunity when they think that it is no more than an unfortunate inconvenience.  Furthermore, administration is wanting to offer naming rights to the spaces for much more money, and are reluctant to lose this opportunity by asking the donor to name a space instead.  Although I can argue that the name is not in the best interest of the museum and that it is not in keeping with our commitment to our other donors, I have been told that the only instance in which admin would be willing to go back to the donor would be if this is, indeed, an ethical problem.

Thanks,

Elizabeth DeMaria

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