The donor gets mentioned in the report to the Board, which is published in the organization's magazine.  Individuals and chapters get recognition for their contributions in that way.  The information also goes to our development office, which keeps track of donations and awards things like membership in the "Heritage Club" for certain levels of donation.  Members can get pins to add to their sashes, which is, for Daughters, a real incentive!

Because of the fact that we're one branch of a larger organization, it might make the adopt an object program a little more productive for us (and if your organization is similar, then it might work the same way for you, Sandra!), because there's competition among the membership for recognition.  They enjoy getting themselves or their chapter kudos in the magazine, they enjoy wearing pins that only a few can wear - but also they enjoy coming to the museum after the conservation has been done and seeing the object.  That's actually a very nice feeling, I think - to see something that you've personally intervened to save for posterity.  Many people coming to visit "their" object are very excited to see it. 

We don't generally give the adopters a credit line when the object is displayed (very rarely, a special case might get acknowledged), and the adopter's name doesn't go into the collection database or in the gate book for the period rooms.  In a sense, although it benefits the museum specifically, by getting objects conserved, the benefit (and recognition) to the donor is not tied to the museum, but rather the NSDAR as a whole.   

By the way, Sandra - the donor database that you created here is still kept up, and contributors are recorded in it with the amounts donated and the objects they adopted. 


Genevieve Ellerbee
Associate Registrar
Daughters of the American Revolution Museum
Washington, DC
202-628-1776 x 331


-----Original Message-----
From: Sandra Smith [mailto:[log in to unmask]]

Hi Genevieve,

Can you tell me again how you are acknowledging the adopters?  If I
remember correctly (been a while since I worked there!) the adopters are
credited in the same way as the donor of the object?  If the object is
part of an exhibition, are they credited on the label?  What if the
object is part of a period room?

I recently suggested the adoption method to an historic house museum
that's part of an organization similar to the DAR - I thought it might
work for them for the very same reasons it's worked for you all.
However, they are concerned with how they would acknowledge adopters.

Thanks,
Sandra

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