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Birkbeck naming and recognition policy

Background

Individuals, companies and charitable trusts give significant amounts of money to Birkbeck each year. In recognition of this generosity, there are a number of items across the College that may be named after the donor. These include parts of the College’s estate, institutes, scholarships, bursaries and academic posts. In order to support staff in their conversations with potential donors, this document outlines Birkbeck’s policy on these naming opportunities.

The Naming and Recognition Policy aims to ensure that donors across the College are treated equally and are recognised at a level commensurate with their donation. Where it lies in Birkbeck’s best interests to deviate slightly from the policy, a certain amount of discretion may be applied.

To help the College to maintain a level of consistency with regard to naming opportunities, all requests relating to naming must be approved by the Director of Development and Alumni or the College’s Gift Acceptance Committee, dependent on the value of the gift (see below for further details).

This policy sits alongside the College’s Gift Acceptance Policy.

Criteria for naming

The main criterion for naming will be a significant financial contribution to the College, that is, a donation in excess of £25,000. In some circumstances, an item may be named without a donation having been made towards it. This may be possible in recognition of:

  1. A donor who has made substantial financial contributions to the College over a period of time. The total contributions must be equivalent to the financial thresholds listed under Naming Opportunities when naming an item.
  2. A person who has made a substantial non-financial contribution to the College. People falling into this category will only be recognised in exceptional circumstances. Honorary Fellowships are the recommended method of recognising such a contribution in the first instance.

In either case, a written proposal must be submitted to the Supporter Engagement and Events Manager, who will refer it to the appropriate authority for a decision. 

The process

As new fundraising propositions are identified, proposed naming opportunities for donor recognition will be agreed in principle by the Development and Alumni department. When a member of staff wishes to present a potential donor with a naming opportunity, the process below should be followed in order to: 

  1. protect the College from reputational risk - all gifts are subject to the College's Due Diligence Procedures
  2. ensure that no two potential donors are presented with the same naming opportunity at any one time
  3. ensure the smooth administration of the gift.

Donation value below £25,000

  • Naming opportunities are not normally available for gifts of less than £25,000. If you believe that a gift of this size merits special consideration for a naming opportunity, please contact the Supporter Engagement and Events Manager. 

Donation value: £25,000-£100,000

  1. Before presenting a naming opportunity to a donor, it must be presented to the Supporter Engagement and Events Manager for approval. If approval is given, a funding proposal may be put to the prospective donor. 
  2. If the donor chooses to make a gift, the name they would like to appear on the item funded must be discussed with them. The College’s preferred style of naming is outlined under Style of Recognition below. The proposed name must be agreed with the Supporter Engagement and Events Manager, who will liaise with other key stakeholders at Birkbeck for approval.
  3. A gift agreement must be signed by the donor and a representative of the College. The College has a standard format for gift agreements, which can be obtained by contacting the Supporter Engagement and Events Manager. This gift agreement must include the name that the donor would like to appear on the funded item.

DONATION VALUE: £100,000 and above

  1. Before presenting a naming opportunity to a donor, it must be presented to the Gift Acceptance Committee, in line with Due Diligence Procedures, for approval. If approval is given, a funding proposal may be put to the prospective donor. 
  2. If the donor chooses to make a gift, the name they would like to appear on the item funded must be discussed with them. The College’s preferred style of naming is outlined under Style of Recognition below. The proposed name must be approved by the Gift Acceptance Committee.
  3. A gift agreement must be signed by the donor and a representative of the College. The College has a standard format for gift agreements, which can be obtained by contacting the Supporter Engagement and Events Manager. This gift agreement must include the name that the donor would like to appear on the funded item.

Terms of naming

Naming opportunities provide the College with a means of raising large amounts of money. It is preferable not to offer donors the opportunity to name buildings in perpetuity so that naming opportunities can be offered again in the future to generate further income for the College. If a donor wishes to name an item at the College in perpetuity, this should be discussed in further detail with the Supporter Engagement and Events Manager.

The maximum recommended term of recognition varies between items, as outlined in Naming Opportunities below. The period of recognition will be specified in the donor’s gift agreement, and naming rights will end on the date specified in that agreement. At this point, the naming opportunity should be reviewed with the donor, who may either make a further gift to continue the naming or decide to have their name removed. If, during the period of naming, the College’s academic priorities change such that the named item is repurposed (in the case of a building) or discontinued (in the case of academic or student support), alternative naming options will be discussed with the donor. Birkbeck reserves the right to terminate a naming agreement before this date if:

  • the donor fails to comply with the terms of the gift agreement
  • the donation is deemed to pose a reputational risk to the College.

Naming opportunities

Donors have the opportunity to name a number of items across the College, including the College’s estates, scholarships and academic posts. In each case, there is a minimum donation amount required for naming, and a recommended maximum time period that the item should be named for.  For each potential naming the Supporter Engagement and Events Manager will consult with necessary internal parties across the College i.e. Estates department, academic staff etc.

The College's estates

Opportunities to name spaces within the College are currently available for gifts of £100,000 and above. These opportunities include new buildings as well as the College’s existing estates. As the donation amounts associated with naming opportunities vary between buildings, please contact the Supporter Engagement and Events Manager for current naming options before approaching a donor. The list below includes guidelines on naming opportunities, donation amounts and duration of naming.   

  • A building: The donation amount is 10-20% of the cost of the building. The duration of the naming is 40 years.
  • A large or prominent space (e.g. lecture theatre or laboratory): The donation is between £1m and the amount required to name the building. The duration of the naming is 30 years.
  • A smaller or less prominent space (e.g. lecture theatre or laboratory): The donation is between £250,000 and £1m. The duration of the naming is 25 years.
  • A classroom: The donation amount is between £100,000 and £250,000. The duration of the naming is 10 years.

Institutes

A potential donor may wish to establish an institute or to name an existing one. Due to the diverse nature of institutes at Birkbeck, please contact the Supporter Engagement and Events Manager for advice on the donation amounts associated with naming an institute.

Student support

Donors may fund scholarships or bursaries at any level of academic study, all of which must be funded at a minimum level in order to be named. The naming of the given item continues for the duration of the donation, and until the final student benefitting from it has completed their course. 

  1. Undergraduate and master’s scholarships and bursaries: A donor must give £25,000 or more (in instalments of at least £5,000 per annum) in order to name a scholarship or bursary. Scholarships or bursaries to be named should be presented as a package, with a £5,000 donation per scholarship and a minimum of five students being supported.
  2. PhD scholarships: In order to name a PhD scholarship, a donor must cover the full cost of the PhD, including both fees and a stipend, at a cost of £25,000 per annum. 

Other (including academic posts)

If you would like to offer another naming opportunity to a donor, including an academic post such as a postdoctoral fellowship, readership or chair, please discuss this with the Supporter Engagement and Events Manager who will be able to advise on funding amounts required to name each item. 

Style of recognition

  • A donor may choose how they name an item and might wish to name it after themselves or another individual including a historical figure, family member or friend.
  • In general, it is not encouraged to name something after a public figure or a current member of Birkbeck staff, though proposals to do so will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.
  • Families should be recognised as an entity, with the names of no more than two individual family members appearing in the name of any item.
  • In the case of funding from a company, logos and slogans will not usually be permitted to appear as part of the name as this can be considered advertising and is subject to different regulations than philanthropy.
  • The donor’s preferred name will be approved providing that it is in the College’s best interests. If the College deems that the donor’s choice of name could damage its reputation or otherwise harm its interests, Birkbeck reserves the right to reject the donor’s preferred name.
  • Wherever possible, names should include a designation of the item’s primary function e.g. “The J. K. Rowling Scholarship for Creative Writing” or “The Rockefeller Teaching Centre.” Birkbeck reserves the authority to edit proposed names to conform to College practices with regard to style, length or presentation. Any changes will be shared with the donor prior to naming being finalised.
  • If a donor wishes to change the name of an item, for instance due to divorce or corporate merger, Birkbeck will endeavour to meet their request where practical. Any costs associated with renaming will be met by the donor.

Location of recognition

All donors giving £25,000 or more will be recognised on the digital donor wall at the Malet Street campus for the duration of their donation and for three years after the final instalment is paid. In addition to this, donations to the College’s estates and to other items at the College will be recognised as below:

  1. The College’s estates: If a donation is given to name a building, the name will, where possible, appear on the outside of the building. This will be subject to permission from the relevant local council as well as constraints in the design of the building. The name given (or a shortened version of it) will be used to refer to the building in all public materials including lecture timetables. The names of rooms and other spaces within a building will appear at destination i.e. in, outside of or as close as possible to that room or space. The name will not be used to refer to the room or space for directional purposes. By way of example, if Warren Buffett were to name lecture theatre B34 in the Malet Street building, students would not be directed to the Warren Buffett Lecture Theatre, but to MAL B34, as per the College’s current way-finding conventions.  
  2. Institutes, student support and other support: Donors will be recognised in all communications about their named items. Depending on the item named, this may include but will not necessarily be limited to: the Birkbeck website; press releases; news articles; academic research papers; and advertisements for scholarships, bursaries or staff posts.