It doesn't come up too often, but when it does, it's a biggee. Changing the name of a venerable institution can be painful and wrenching.

If a university department can do it...so can you.  Boston College's well-known, oft-quoted and 20-year old Social Welfare Research Institute has changed its name to the Center on Wealth and Philanthropy.  My favorite researcher, Paul Schervish, describes their thinking on their site but I am sure  he underplays the amount of blood that was shed.  It's an interesting case study in this aspect of branding .

I belong to a small, volunteer run nonprofit called La Causerie Francaise.  It was formed nearly 100 years ago to support French culture and language.  Now the organization teaches Italian, Spanish AND French, so we probably need a name change.  Even potential French students have trouble finding our website because they can't spell lacauserie.org.  However, I'm not sure I want to be one the board member to raise this issue.  Those those formidible French scions who still participate in the group would be a tough sell on a name change!  Congratulations, Paul! 

 

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