Names for Change
November 26, 2013 9:44 PM Subscribe
Name this mouthwash. Name this winter coat. Name this urinal. Name the herb garden. Name this salt and pepper. Name this fire extinguisher. Name this Case Manager. Name this pie.
North Carolina's Urban Ministries of Durham has kicked off an interesting campaign, Names for Change, to raise funds for their many programs providing services to poor and homeless people.
UMD is no stranger to harnessing digital media in support of their goals: previously.
North Carolina's Urban Ministries of Durham has kicked off an interesting campaign, Names for Change, to raise funds for their many programs providing services to poor and homeless people.
UMD is no stranger to harnessing digital media in support of their goals: previously.
I don't think anything is being sold. I think small-dollar donations are being taken to raise money to help the underclass. And a bit of fun is being had online.
posted by hippybear at 9:55 PM on November 26, 2013
posted by hippybear at 9:55 PM on November 26, 2013
This post is missing the "via Metafilter Projects" message.
kafziel, here's the explanation from the Projects page:
posted by Jacob Knitig at 9:55 PM on November 26, 2013 [2 favorites]
kafziel, here's the explanation from the Projects page:
Billionaires have libraries named after them. Presidents get airports with their names. And now you can have the honor of your name on a can of corn at a homeless shelter in Durham, North Carolina.Although I, too am not totally clear on this. The actual stuff doesn't get your name put on it, right? [/obtuseness]
We've launched a site for a local homeless shelter where you can claim naming rights to any of 169 items that connect people in need to food, shelter and a future.
posted by Jacob Knitig at 9:55 PM on November 26, 2013 [2 favorites]
From the website itself: What You're Buying
posted by hippybear at 9:58 PM on November 26, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by hippybear at 9:58 PM on November 26, 2013 [1 favorite]
Sorry, for some reason I thought the site would automatically add a "via Projects" thing here, but I guess it's unidirectional.
posted by threeants at 10:00 PM on November 26, 2013
posted by threeants at 10:00 PM on November 26, 2013
That is super-clever. (I am in the academic sector, and it's so profoundly saddening and angering when institutions that are on multimillion-dollar building and expansion sprees lay off staff and faculty because the endowment is in contraction and the deep pocket donors want things they can name.)
No offense, I hope, but the blinky-flippy-swippy-swappy interface is making me sort of crazy.
posted by gingerest at 10:07 PM on November 26, 2013 [1 favorite]
No offense, I hope, but the blinky-flippy-swippy-swappy interface is making me sort of crazy.
posted by gingerest at 10:07 PM on November 26, 2013 [1 favorite]
Yeah, the website is trying to be far too clever for its own good. I nearly lost patience waiting for the 250 items to load before the page would actually render.
posted by hippybear at 10:10 PM on November 26, 2013
posted by hippybear at 10:10 PM on November 26, 2013
I played Urban Ministries's SPENT several months ago and thought it was pretty cool. I like the idea of this project, too, but the interface doesn't do it for me.
posted by Jacob Knitig at 10:11 PM on November 26, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by Jacob Knitig at 10:11 PM on November 26, 2013 [1 favorite]
Ha ha, the homeless people of Durham will be eating my apple pie of deliciousness tonight.
Seriously, that interface is not so bad and the idea is clever, a neat way to get people involved and give you something back for your donation that doesn't cost the ministry that much extra.
It's still fucking ridiculous that you need services like this in the first place of course.
posted by MartinWisse at 10:43 PM on November 26, 2013 [4 favorites]
Seriously, that interface is not so bad and the idea is clever, a neat way to get people involved and give you something back for your donation that doesn't cost the ministry that much extra.
It's still fucking ridiculous that you need services like this in the first place of course.
posted by MartinWisse at 10:43 PM on November 26, 2013 [4 favorites]
I love what this organization does and love that they scored this sweet design/campaign agency to brand them and do rad funding projects like this.
posted by wemayfreeze at 11:27 PM on November 26, 2013 [2 favorites]
posted by wemayfreeze at 11:27 PM on November 26, 2013 [2 favorites]
All right I’m in. I still don’t totally understand it, but I’m sure they could use the money.
posted by bongo_x at 12:30 AM on November 27, 2013
posted by bongo_x at 12:30 AM on November 27, 2013
I tried to buy a toothbrush to name after my cat Shackleton who just got all his teeth taken out, but the PayPal link wouldn't work on my phone. Boo. But I will go back on my laptop because AWESOME.
posted by flyingsquirrel at 1:28 AM on November 27, 2013
posted by flyingsquirrel at 1:28 AM on November 27, 2013
Great idea and I love the posters!
Further reading on this topic (SLNwYrkrNoRegRqrd)
posted by KMB at 2:54 AM on November 27, 2013
Further reading on this topic (SLNwYrkrNoRegRqrd)
posted by KMB at 2:54 AM on November 27, 2013
Ask Metafilter green mouthwash, anybody?
posted by ardgedee at 3:58 AM on November 27, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by ardgedee at 3:58 AM on November 27, 2013 [1 favorite]
We bought naming rights to a... soap dispenser, I believe? The Smidgeo Soap Dispenser of Notfood.
posted by Metroid Baby at 4:27 AM on November 27, 2013 [1 favorite]
posted by Metroid Baby at 4:27 AM on November 27, 2013 [1 favorite]
Is there a character limit to the naming field because if not they are gonna end up with a lot of Treaty of Westphalia beans.
posted by elizardbits at 5:41 AM on November 27, 2013
posted by elizardbits at 5:41 AM on November 27, 2013
welp
posted by elizardbits at 8:49 AM on November 27
A thing of beauty is a joy forever.
posted by Mrs. Pterodactyl at 6:03 AM on November 27, 2013
posted by elizardbits at 8:49 AM on November 27
A thing of beauty is a joy forever.
posted by Mrs. Pterodactyl at 6:03 AM on November 27, 2013
Helpfully named notfood.
Incidentally, if there was such a thing a portable laser engraver, I think people would definitely kick in an extra $10-$20 to have the name physically engraved on the thing. Or even Sharpied on!
posted by ignignokt at 8:04 AM on November 27, 2013
Incidentally, if there was such a thing a portable laser engraver, I think people would definitely kick in an extra $10-$20 to have the name physically engraved on the thing. Or even Sharpied on!
posted by ignignokt at 8:04 AM on November 27, 2013
Person who worked on the site awkwardly chiming in:
We did initially want to literally put people's names on things. But we quickly realized that it gets awkward when it comes to things like tampons and rolls of toilet paper.
In the end, we decided doing things virtually made the most sense and offered the least disruption for the clients and staff at UMD.
Jus taking photos of all the stuff in the building and writing the descriptions required a huge amount of help from UMD. One staffer actually counted every light socket in the place! So we wanted to give them a solution that would be somewhat self-sustaining and not too intrusive.
If you guys have any other questions about the site or feedback, I'd love to hear it. We've been so close to it for so long!
posted by missjenny at 8:18 AM on November 27, 2013 [4 favorites]
We did initially want to literally put people's names on things. But we quickly realized that it gets awkward when it comes to things like tampons and rolls of toilet paper.
In the end, we decided doing things virtually made the most sense and offered the least disruption for the clients and staff at UMD.
Jus taking photos of all the stuff in the building and writing the descriptions required a huge amount of help from UMD. One staffer actually counted every light socket in the place! So we wanted to give them a solution that would be somewhat self-sustaining and not too intrusive.
If you guys have any other questions about the site or feedback, I'd love to hear it. We've been so close to it for so long!
posted by missjenny at 8:18 AM on November 27, 2013 [4 favorites]
Also, you guys are generous and awesome. That is all.
posted by missjenny at 8:19 AM on November 27, 2013
posted by missjenny at 8:19 AM on November 27, 2013
In case you have to clean your hands after petting the Killer Rabbit of Caerbannog.
posted by Kabanos at 12:32 PM on November 27, 2013 [2 favorites]
posted by Kabanos at 12:32 PM on November 27, 2013 [2 favorites]
Can I name the processed meat product "Soylent Green" or just "It's People"?
posted by Redfield at 2:07 PM on November 27, 2013
posted by Redfield at 2:07 PM on November 27, 2013
It sounds like even if you can, you'd be the only person who'd know that was its name, because they aren't actually physically branding or naming anything or telling anyone. You just get the satisfaction of knowing that according to this confirmation email you got, a plate of meat was called Soylent Green.
posted by kafziel at 4:29 PM on November 27, 2013
posted by kafziel at 4:29 PM on November 27, 2013
Can I name the processed meat product "Soylent Green" or just "It's People"?
S P A M
o e r i
m o e s
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l s
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gposted by hippybear at 7:13 PM on November 27, 2013 [1 favorite] It sounds like even if you can, you'd be the only person who'd know that was its name, because they aren't actually physically branding or naming anything or telling anyone.
You do get some kind of persistent link with the named product, because a friend of mine had some sanitary napkins named after him as a joke. He took it as a point of pride and posted it to his Facebook page (which is how I found out about this project).
posted by cjorgensen at 6:39 AM on December 12, 2013
You do get some kind of persistent link with the named product, because a friend of mine had some sanitary napkins named after him as a joke. He took it as a point of pride and posted it to his Facebook page (which is how I found out about this project).
posted by cjorgensen at 6:39 AM on December 12, 2013
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posted by kafziel at 9:47 PM on November 26, 2013