JR Huckel & Associates

Election and Induction Services for Halls of Fame

Donation or Loan?

04-11-2011
Is it a donation or a loan? Fail to make this distinction with your contributor at your peril.

(November 2, 2011) A recent column on Yahoo! Sports highlighted a vexing if not everyday issue Halls of Fame and museums of all types face – is the artifact(s) being donated or is it on loan?

In the situation put forth in the column, father Bill Christian and son Dave Christian uniquely won Olympic Gold Medals in ice hockey, one in Squaw Valley in 1960 and the other in Lake Placid in 1980. Following Dave’s “Miracle on Ice,” the Hockey Hall of Fame asked for and received the hockey sweaters of each from Bill. They provided Bill with a letter thanking him for the donation.

Now, all of us in the industry know what a donation means, but do we make sure the donors do? As quoted in the column, Craig Muder at the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum makes clear the circumstances by asking the donor/loanee to sign a gift/donation form. Perhaps in 1981 we had not evolved to the formal and legal stage, but it certainly is necessary today.

The column raises some interesting questions regarding the hockey sweaters, the donation, and today’s controversy. It’s a circumstance that could lead to a bad relationship and, perhaps, that may consume time and money from both sides. Consequently, it is incumbent upon each Hall of Fame to make sure for both parties that the agreement regarding any artifact is clear, that the transfer is documented and signed by both parties, and that the opportunity for misunderstanding is minimalized.

Are you doing that?

Jack Huckel, Founder & Principal of J.R. Huckel & Associates, offers election and induction consulting services to Halls of Fame. Jack served the National Soccer Hall of Fame and Museum as Director of Museum and Archives for 9-1/2 years after more than 10 years as a volunteer. More information is available at the firm’s web site. He can be reached at jack@jrhuckel.com or 518/852-3033.

Jack is a member of the International Sports Heritage Association.

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JR Huckel & Associates is pleased to announced the establishment of its blog site here
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Jack Huckel is pleased to announce the formation of JR Huckel & Associates, an induction and elections consulting and management firm for Halls of Fame.

Jack Huckel, Founder and Principal of JR Huckel & Associates, announced today the establishment of jrhuckel.com, the new business web site.

 

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