As we enter into the last months of the Research Foundation’s 1995 Annual Campaign, I want to tell you about some new donor recognition plans that the Foundation has implemented, under the direction of Joan Vaughan, the Foundation’s new Development Officer.
Donor Recognition
First, and perhaps the most prominent of the new recognition options, is the Foundation’s “Donor Wall” which will be unveiled at the AANS Annual Meeting in Minneapolis. This display will highlight the efforts of the Research Foundation’s Annual Campaign supporters, volunteers, and past grant recipients. Special attention will also be given on this Donor Wall to the corporations that have stepped forward to join the Research Foundation’s Corporate Associates Program.
In addition, Research Foundation contributors are now being given the option of making their gifts in tribute to, or in memory of, family members, colleagues, mentors etc. Donors will also have the opportunity to include their spouses’ names on the Donor Wall, as well as in all other publications of donor rosters. As an additional recognition incentive, “AANS Research Foundation Contributor” ribbons, which will attach to name badges, will be distributed at the AANS Annual Meeting. Further, members of the newly instituted “Cushing Scholars Circle” will receive distinctive lapel pins which can be proudly worn throughout the year. The Executive Council is implementing these options as a small token of appreciation for the research projects made possible through the financial support of the neurosurgical community.
I know that you will be pleased to learn that the bright and talented Research Foundation award recipients, whose work you have supported, have gone on to receive additional external research funding totaling over $9 million. Currently, 13 of the past 40 recipients are directors of section or division programs. Ten serve on research peer review panels. And, the publication record of these grant recipients in peer reviewed journals is truly outstanding.
Corporate Giving
But even as we applaud the achievements of the past awardees, we must maintain and even expand our commitment to ensure a strong future for the upcoming neurosurgical researchers. In order to increase the Foundation’s resources, the Executive Council has implemented a Corporate Associates Giving Program. This new program establishes a format through which neuroscientific corporations can provide philanthropic support of research while receiving numerous visibility and recognition benefits.
While this program is off to a solid start, it is quite clear from our corporate solicitation efforts that the Foundation must exhibit the broad-based support of the neurosurgical community in order to expect contributions from the corporate community. Your participation is truly critical if we are to expand our research support to new levels. If you have not yet made your gift to the Research Foundation’s Annual Campaign, I urge you to do so as soon as possible. As in the past, the entire amount of your contribution will go into the Foundation’s endowment fund. Income from the endowment fund is used to support research projects.
Ensure that your name is included on the Foundation’s 1995 Donor Wall by making your gift, at the highest possible level, today. I look forward to seeing our names on the Donor Wall in Minneapolis!