Book Mural FAQs
Where is this mural going? The mural will stretch the entire north wall on the interior of our headquarters building in the East Village in Downtown San Diego. The wall is X’ long.
Can I come visit while it’s being painted? After it’s painted? Of course! We’d love to know you’re coming – but if you’re in the area and want to stop in, we’d love to see you! Our regular office hours are posted on our website.
How will you use this donation? Your gift will be designated to the Karen and Jeff Silberman Building Fund, named in honor of the family who gifted the building to Words Alive. The purpose of the Building Fund is to ensure a well-maintained, functioning, and safe building that can be used as a hub for community literacy efforts. The Building Fund can only be used for building upgrades, furniture/fixtures, non-routine repairs, or future renovations. A portion of your gift will be used to help pay for the installation of the mural.
Should I give to this project instead of making my normal gift to the organization? We’d really love for you to do both! We rely on your generosity and support to ensure we can deliver programming to more than 5,000 children, teens, and families each year. Gifts for the mural are restricted to the Karen and Jeff Silberman Building Fund, which can only be used for building upgrades, upkeep, and repairs – and not for our programming.
Payment
Do you accept gifts from donor advised funds? We sure do! Please contact Tracy Dahlkamp, Associate Development Director, at 858-274-9673 x 310 or [email protected].
Can we set up a payment plan? Sure! We will ask that full payment is received within XX months of the pledge. Please contact Tracy Dahlkamp, Associate Development Director, at 858-274-9673 x 310 or [email protected].
Can I buy more than one? Yes! The webpage is setup to only purchase one at a time right now. If you’d like to purchase multiple, please contact Tracy Dahlkamp, Associate Development Director, at 858-274-9673 x 310 or [email protected]. For donors purchasing multiple book spines, a request will be submitted to the Art Team to place the books near one another.
Logistics
When will the mural be started? Once we have the initial tranche of book spines locked in (enough to cover the costs of the mural), the Art Team will get to work! (If, for some reason, we can’t secure enough gifts to paint the mural – which we think is highly unlikely – donors will be refunded their gift.)
How long will it take to finish the mural? What’s the saying, you can’t rush perfection? We’ll provide periodic updates along the way. As soon as we have a better sense of timing, we’ll plan a great unveiling for all our investors!
Can I choose my book spine location? Color? Unfortunately, no, but you can choose the size. Our Art Team are design experts and will layout and place names on the mural to ensure it remains as vibrant and engaging as possible!
What can I write on the book spine? A standard book spine has space for up to 32 characters (including spaces). A large book spine has space for up to 46 characters with spaces. You might want to list your family, a family member or friend, a favorite book, or even an inspirational message. All request for naming must adhere to the Words Alive Naming Policy and be approved by organizational leadership. See the FAQ about “fine print” below.
How many book spines will there be? The mural will have 250 book spines. If excitement exceeds availability, we’ll work with the Art Team to transform more of the building!
Who is the Art Team? We have a stellar Art Team consisting of San Diego locals! Hugo Fernando Fierro is our muralist, with technical design support from Kyle Clark. Art direction for this, and the entire building transformation project, is being led by Janelle Despot.
What’s the fine print? In recognition and appreciation of their generosity, Donors who makes a certain type of charitable contribution to Words Alive will be offered the opportunity to select the name of an entity as outlined in campaign documents. These are subject to the Board-approved Naming Policy, which outlines the types of gifts that may carry naming rights, and provides information related to the specific amount required for specific naming gifts, name approval and duration, Donor recognition, and other terms.
This policy applies to gifts with associated naming opportunities at the organization as a form of recognition for the contributions of individuals or organizations to Words Alive. It includes physical entities (major facilities, components of building, workstations, bookshelves, murals) and non-physical entities (funds for specific purposes or projects Donor Recognition pieces: signage, walls, plaques, and other displays of names).
Gifts in the building that allow for naming recognition must be designated for the Silberman Building Fund.
The Donor may select the name of the entity and/or how they would like to be recognized. Factors may be considered by Words Alive in determining the appropriateness of a name including:
Consistency with the mission, vision, reputation, and values of Words Alive.
Whether a name may imply the organization’s endorsement of a political or ideological position or the use of a particular product or service.
Potential conflicts of interest.
Whether the name reinforces the organization’s branding standards.
Potential conflicts with existing named entities.
The Executive Director and/or the staff they designate is responsible for ensuring that the Naming Policy terms are tracked and used only as described in this policy. They will report to the designated Board Committee on naming steps for all gifts requiring approval. A gift is not recognized until a written pledge form has been completed and signed by a Donor.
The Executive Director and staff they designate manage the naming approval process, in consultation with a Board Committee, as appropriate. If the Donor does not wish to select a name at the time of the gift, Words Alive may accept the gift with the name determined later, subject to the guidelines outlined in this policy. A name may go into effect before the gift is paid for in full.
Upon majority of vote of the Words Alive Board of Directors, the organization may also revoke any naming that may materially damage the reputation after using reasonable efforts to inform the Donor or their estate of any revocation or change. If circumstances change so that a named physical entity is repurposed, deconstructed, severely damaged, or the organization is otherwise closed, Words Alive will contact the Donor or Donor’s estate to determine an appropriate way to recognize the original gift.
Words Alive may revoke a naming if the pledge obligation is unfulfilled and/or written off. If partial funding was received that is sufficient for an alternative naming opportunity, the Donor is able to receive that new opportunity instead. Words Alive may also revoke any naming that may materially damage the reputation after using reasonable efforts to infirm the Donor or their estate of any revocation or change.