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FREQUENT QUESTIONS

COMMON QUESTIONS ABOUT DONOR RECOGNITION PRODUCTS

Should I put my Donor Recognition Tree up now or wait until our campaign is further along? Put it up now, even if the leaves are all blank, because your new tree will be a MOTIVATING TOOL that will fuel giving. If on a tight budget, start with a smaller tree if necessary, but be sure you can expand the tree if you need to.

Are your Donor Trees easy to install? Very easy, they come with FULL SIZE PAPER MOUNTING TEMPLATES. Simply tape template to wall, drill holes through template where indicated, insert plastic wall anchors and mount acrylic modules. All leaves will already be mounted to acrylic modules to save you time. All hardware and templates are included, (except for wood silhouette - SH, and Wood Rectangular - RT Series Trees)

Do we have to install all the leaves ourselves, and is there a special way to arrange them? We will install all the leaves to the acrylic modules before we ship to save you time. If you have ordered different colored leaves, we recommend that leaves be dispersed throughout the tree in a RANDOM arrangement. If requested, we can make sure certain leaves are placed next to each other in the event that they are family.

How big are the tree trunks and what are they made of?

Ornella Tree / Expanding Modular Tree Trunk – 27”H x 17-3/4”W, 5/8” thick solid carved wood, 3D face
Miki Tree - 24" H x 20" W genuine 3D carved alder wood

Eila Tree Growing Tree Trunk – 15-1/2” H x 13”W, solid cast bronze, 3D

Alona Great Tree Trunk – 38” x 38”, solid cast bronze, 3D

Samara Expanding Solo Leaf Tree Trunk – 20”W x 26” H, cast resin, 3D

Wood Rectangular RT and Wood Silhouette SH Series Trunks made of cast resin with impregnated bronze

Will the Donor Tree be too heavy for the wall? No, not at all. All the weight is spread out and distributed on the wall. (Brick or drywall)

Can I install your Donor Trees on brick, cement or block walls? Yes, the hardware provided can be used for either sheetrock (drywall) or brick/block/cement walls. (Hardware not provided for SH and RT Trees)

Are your Donor Recognition Trees suitable for outdoor installation? The Ornella and Miki expanding modular trees, Wood Silhouette SH and Wood Rectangular RT Series trees, and the Samara solo leaf tree are for indoors only. The Alona Great Tree and Eila Growing Tree CAN be installed outdoors, but we need to switch leaves to an OUTDOOR POLYMER material with black plastic screws. Solo leaves, butterflies and donor tree accessories are for indoor use only.

Can you explain the construction of your Ornella and Miki Expanding Modular Trees? These trees consists of a solid 3D alder wood trunk mounted flush against the wall. Leaves are mounted in groups to a clear 1/4" thick CLEAR "acrylic module" using 2 brass screws per leaf. Each module has tapped holes to accept either leaves. Modules are mounted very close to each other, and installed on the wall using spacers so the leaves have a "floating" affect. From THIS DIAGRAM, you can see that the 74 leaf Ornella tree has four A modules and one B module.

Can you explain the construction of your Eila Growing and Alona Great Trees? These BRONZE DONOR TREES trees consists of a solid 3D cast bronze trunk and branches mounted flush against the wall. Leaves are mounted to a clear 3/8" thick CLEAR "acrylic module" using 2 brass screws per leaf. Each module has tapped holes to accept from 25 to 32 leaves. Modules are mounted a ways apart on the wall and connected with branches. All acrylic modules are installed on the wall using spacers so the leaves have a "floating" affect.

Why are your Eila Growing and Alona Great Trees so much more money? Primarily because the trunks and branches are SOLID CAST BRONZE which almost doubles the cost, versus a wood trunk tree like our Ornella or Miki Expanding Modular Trees. Remember, bronze can be considered a “precious metal!”

How high do you install a Donor Tree? Typically you want the middle of the tree installed at about eye level. Be sure to leave room if you will be expanding your tree in the future.

What color/material are the leaves and what are they used for? Our metal leaves are available in brushed Satin Gold (brass), brushed satin silver (nickel or aluminum), and brushed satin copper (copper). Polymer leaves come in brushed gold, silver, copper, bronze and verde green. Leaves come in a variety of colors so you can designate many levels of giving if necessary. Gold would be for your highest donors, silver for mid-level givers and copper for your lower donations. Use stones, apples, acorns or doves for additional levels of giving (all found in our “accessories” section).

How big are the leaves and what Trees are they on?

Small French Curve leaves measure 1-3/4” x 3-1/2” (Eila Growing Tree and Alona Great Tree, Samara Expanding Solo Leaf Tree, Wood Rectangular RT Series, Wood Silgouette SH Series)

Standard Leaf (eyeball shaped) measure 1-1/2” x 4” (Ornella Expanding Modular Tree and Miki Expanding Modular Tree)

What are the leaves made of on your ST and SH Series Recognition Trees? They are made of a POLYMER, with a thin metal faced laminate. They are a French Curve shape (1-3/4” x 3-1/2”), and are laser engraved.

What are the SH and RT Recognition Trees made of? They are not made of solid wood, otherwise they would likely warp being so large and thin. Instead, they are made of a warp resistant fiberboard laminated with a cabinet grade vinyl overlay. The leaves set into a recessed leaf area that is routed out of the fiberboard before the laminate is applied. The trunk is 3D cast resin and inlayed into a recessed cavity. Wood finish colors for the SH and RT Series Trees can be found HERE

How are the ST and RH Series Donor Trees installed? We do not provide mounting holes. You will need to remove some leaves, drill mounting holes, countersink and install into studs or use wall anchors.

What vinyls for the SH and RT Trees would you recommend? All look very realistic except for the Rosewood. Walnut and Mahogany are our favorites.

Will the leaves tarnish or age? No.........Polymer leaves – definitely not. Metal leaves typically will not because they are poly-clear coated. Over time, metal leaves may “pit” and corrode if placed outdoors, especially in a “salty” environment near the ocean.

How much of a donation should I ask for the leaves? This is difficult to answer. It depends on your DEMOGRAPHICS. For example, a large church located in a wealthy 3rd ring suburb in Chicago can ask more money for the leaves than a small rural church in the country. Other factors may play a role in what you can fetch for a leaf, such as how well you market your campaign, what your donations will be used for, etc..

How do I get the leaves engraved? You can have a local vendor engrave or print your leaves, or we can do it for you. We LASER ENGRAVE polymer leaves, and WE PRINT metal leaves. Both methods produce black legible text. To have leaves imprinted by us, send us an e-mail with the text specifications. We will print your e-mail, create an order, and hold your order until we receive your leaves. Once received, we can print them in about a week. We will mail your imprinted leaves back with an invoice. When sending us leaves, carefully remove the leaves from your tree, WRAP THEM BETWEEN PAPER or paper towels, BUNDLE TIGHTLY with tape or rubber binder, and MAIL IN A BUBBLE PACK. Include your e-mail or text specs with your leaves.

Why do you print and not engrave on metal leaves? It's quicker, less expensive for you, and the text comes out BLACKER, BOLDER AND MORE LEGIBLE. Engraving can cost as high as .35 cents per letter which can add up to $21 for a 3 line engraved leaf!!

How do you prefer we prepare the list for text specs for leaves? Word Doc, Spreadsheet, or in the “body” of an e-mail. If a spreadsheet – NO COLUMNS for lines....... rows only.

Will you provide proofs of what the text on the leaves will look like before you proceed? Yes, if you request this. Typically, proofs are provided when we first print leaves for you, however we do not provide proofs for leaves printed after..... primarily because we follow the standard used at the beginning.

How much text can you put on a recognition leaf? Up to 3 lines, 20-23 characters and spaces per line.

How big will the characters be on my leaves? Between 16-18 point depending on font, and amount of text.

What type styles can I use on the recognition leaves? We have a font sample sheet we can send you of our most commonly used fonts. Common fonts can also be found HERE

What about some leaves where I have a whole bunch of text? When we lay out your leaves we do not sacrifice the text on all leaves because of a few lengthy ones. We try to keep the text as large as possible, but the few lengthy leaves will have slightly smaller or condensed text that will be hardly noticeable. Once we arrive at a size, we stick with it........we strive for consistency in text size.

What are the recognition stones, acorns and apples used for and where are they placed? These ACCESSORIES are typically for your “big-hitters”....for larger donors. Stones go at the bottom of your tree along the bottom baseline of your trunk. Apples and acorns generally go around the leaves, however, be aware that they may need to be moved someday if you expand and increase the number of leaves on your tree.

Do the accessory prices on the recognition apples, stones, acorns, etc, include the imprint charge? No, imprint charges are additional and can be found on the product page in the options section.

How many lines or how much text can fit on recognition stones and acorns? We have gone up to as many as 6 lines, but as a rule, like the leaves, up to 3 to 4 lines and 20-23 characters and spaces per line.............it's the same as the leaves because we use larger font sizes on the accessories.

Why are BRONZE recognition stones and acorns so expensive? They are solid cast bronze. If you are on a tight budget, consider our resin stones, (made of cast resin with fine impregnated bronze millings)

Can you make a sign showing the levels of giving? Yes, we would call this a “KEY” plaque, and this would be done on our plaque shown on our “Accessory” page(s). It can be 4x6” or 5x7”, and is made of a gold imprinted front plate mounted to a larger piece of laser cut black acrylic creating a black border or edge.

How will it take for me to receive my Donor Recognition Tree? Typically 2-3 weeks (a little longer for Wood Rectangular RT Series and Wood Silhouette SH series trees)

Does the Donor Tree include everything, and what extra charges can I expect? The trees are sold as complete TURNKEY UNITS, but prices do not include leaf imprinting charges which is an added charge as well as freight charges. Otherwise, everything you need to install a complete tree is included: trunk, leaves, mounting hardware, instructions, templates, etc..

What if I have a trunk and just need leaves.....what is the cost? Metal and polymer leaves can be purchased HERE. Imprinting is an additional charge. We also sell on our accessories page(s) individual leaves with individual acrylic backers. This way, you can mount the clear acrylic backer permanently to the wall, and the leaf mounts to the acrylic with 2 screws allowing for easy changeability.

Do you provide discounts for non-profits? I'm sorry but we do not. Almost all of our customers are non-profit organizations, and we try to price our products as competitively as possible.

Should I order products over the website? Yes, especially if you are ordering accessories or leaves. If you want to order a tree, and feel comfortable ordering on our secure website, please feel free to do so. We recommend you call us if you have any questions, and will gladly accept orders over the phone.

What are your payment options, can you bill me later? Minimum ½ down by check or credit card, balance due before shipment.

I worry about whether you can service us in the future and if you will be around? We have been in business since 2004. We do not plan on going out of business! Nevertheless, leaves are available elsewhere, and many Award Shops can sublimate, engrave or print on the leaves.

I found the Eila Growing and Alona Great Trees on other websites.....why? We sell many types of trees.....some made by us and some not. The Eila Growing and Alona Great Tree is made by a manufacturer in Chicago who sells through distributors like us. Most of the time, we still bring these to our facility, and check the entire tree for quality and fit before shipping. In addition, all the “LEAF WORK” would still be done by us to assure your tree is perfect.

Do you have an alternative for your bronze letters, they seem expensive? Yes, our economy laminate letters are a great option.

Do you help in making a marketing brochure? No we do not. The SAMPLE MARKETING BROCHURE on our website is just an example we provided that you may use as a guide. We can send you a pdf of this by e-mail if you desire.