Tribute Giving

Tribute Giving is an excellent way for businesses to honor their customers instead of giving gifts at special occasions such as holidays, birthdays, or office openings. It is an opportunity for companies to acknowledge a valued relationship with a customer.

Tribute gifts can be made in honor of opening a new office, birth of a child, Christmas, any holiday, birthdays, graduations, and more. In addition, tribute gifts to Special Olympics Pennsylvania are tax-deductible.

A tribute gift to Special Olympics Pennsylvania in honor of your customers instead of presents will evoke a powerful response. The business relationship is strengthened while also helping to support the athletes of Special Olympics Pennsylvania.

Memorial Gifts

A memorial gift is a wonderful way to remember a loved one and to benefit athletes in your community. To make a memorial gift, please call Special Olympics Pennsylvania at (800) 235-9058. We will need the name and address of the family member who should receive updates on those who gave in memory of your loved one.

You can advise your family and friends to send contributions to Special Olympics Pennsylvania, 124 Washington Square, 2570 Blvd. of the Generals, Norristown, PA, 19403, and mention your loved one's name. 

1. Make a list of customers you would like to honor with a tribute gift.

2. Send this list and your donation to Special Olympics Pennsylvania. The average tribute gift is $50 per customer being honored.

3. Special Olympics Pennsylvania prepares a customized recognition letter for each of your customers.

4. You approve the text of the letter, which will include why you are giving the (for example, Company XYZ has given a gift to Special Olympics Pennsylvania in honor of your new office opening).

5. Special Olympics Pennsylvania mails the letters to your customers.

6. Your business relationship is solidified!

Read the testimonial below for details on how a tribute gift to Special Olympics Pennsylvania helped Construction Coordinated strengthen its business relationships.

Tribute Giving for Businesses as Holiday Gifts

In a business situation, tribute gifts are an excellent way for companies to acknowledge a valued relationship with a customer without the trouble of finding an appropriate present. They also avoid the awkwardness in giving a gift when the honoree's corporate culture or policy discourages or even prohibits the receiving of gifts by employees.

This approach is particularly relevant in today's business environment. That's because corporations are realizing that developing a closer and more personal relationship with known customers can be much more cost-effective in encouraging repeat sales than trying to gain new customers.

A tribute gift can help to humanize the relationship between a company and its clients by making a statement that the company really cares.

If you would like to discuss making a tribute gift through Special Olympics Pennsylvania in lieu of giving holiday gifts to clients or for any other occasion for which presents might be appropriate, please call (800) 235-9058.

A Sponsor's Story

Joe Honeycutt, Construction Coordinated Inc.

In 1996, Construction Coordinated Inc., a national retail construction firm, celebrated its 20th anniversary by becoming a Silver Sponsor of the inaugural Special Olympics Pennsylvania Hall of Fame and by making the sponsorship in honor of our clients.

Instead of sending holiday presents to our clients, we requested that Special Olympics send them a letter notifying them that we had made our sponsorship in their honor. We also were able to increase our donation by asking some of our regular business friends and vendors to join us with a contribution that we matched.

For the past eight years, first as a coach and currently as a member of the Board of Directors, I have learned much about life through my involvement with Special Olympics. The personal rewards I've received in return have been immense.

I have seen one athlete, with whom I've become good friends, introduce President Clinton on national TV at the Opening Ceremonies of the 1995 Special Olympics World Games. I have seen another develop his skills in powerlifting so that he went beyond Special Olympics and for two years held the US national title in his weight class. However, most importantly, I have been inspired by the self-confidence and sense of determination by people who, only a generation ago, might have been forgotten in institutions.

From a business standpoint, Construction Coordinated's involvement with Special Olympics has been a true win-win relationship, and it's even possible that we've benefited from it more than Special Olympics has. We received a more positive response to the tribute letters sent at the holidays to our clients than we have ever received from giving presents. I also can directly trace one client's decision to negotiate a significant job with us to our involvement with Special Olympics.

As a result of voice mail, e-mail, fax, and busy work loads, it can be hard to humanize a relationship with a client who is based at the opposite end of the country. We've found that letting our clients know about our commitment to Special Olympics has helped to personalize our existing client relationships and to open the doors to new ones.

Procedure in making a tribute gift:
1. Fax or mail a completed data sheet to:
Attn: Development
Special Olympics Pennsylvania
124 Washington Square
2570 Boulevard of the Generals
Norristown, PA 19403-3697
(610) 630-9450
Fax: (610) 630-9456

2. For multiple honorees, attach a list with the full information as requested in the top part of this sheet.

3. Donors are encouraged to call and verify the receipt of the sheet and to determine an approximate mailing date.

4. The check should be made out to "Special Olympics Pennsylvania" and mailed to Development's attention unless prior arrangements have been made.

5. Development will prepare a draft copy of the tribute letter and send it by fax for the donor's review.

6. The donor will review the draft and contact Development for approval or fax back a modified copy.

7. The approved draft will be issued on letterhead, signed, and mailed to the person being honored.

Pennsylvania State law requires that this statement be included by a nonprofit organization on all fund-raising materials: A copy of the official registration and financial information may be obtained from the Pennsylvania Department of State by calling toll-free, within Pennsylvania, (800) 732-0999. Registration does not imply endorsement.