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Donating money sometimes means your name will be on a building ... or maybe even on a 'waste receptacle.'

Want an ego rush and lots of pats on the back? Well, sign your check for a large sum, sit back and watch your name go up in lights or, more accurately, on a library or hospital wing. Or even an elevator or elephant exhibit.

Sound crazy? Ohio State University once offered the opportunity to have a donor's name as part of their heating and cooling system – at a cost of $300,000. Similarly, the City of Woodstock, Ontario, Canada, has provided $1,500 naming privileges for the installation of "a high capacity, in-ground waste receptacle."

In the last 25 years, "legacy giving" (sometimes called "planned giving" and involving large sums of money) has gained significant popularity, with countless parks, buildings, scholarships, hospital wings and grants being named after donors.

Colleges and universities, in particular, have become fertile grounds for those wanting to create a legacy, as such institutions provide for gifts supporting libraries, athletic stadiums and departments and institutes.

Not surprisingly, there has been since the 1980s a proliferation of nonprofit organizations assisting people in the effort to have their names etched on buildings and attached to grants. Some, including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, are world famous. Others are purposely obscure. But all will gladly take your money.

Be True to Your School

The majority of legacy givers are 50 and older, but younger donors are becoming more common. And while most wish to remain anonymous in their giving, some are comfortable with a taste of the donation limelight. Universities and hospitals, in particular, target such outgoing benefactors, emphasizing their emotional or personal attachments to the institutions.

In 2002, officials at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington announced the school's then-under-construction Watson School of Education would offer 50 naming opportunities, ranging in price from $10,000 for information kiosks to $4 million for the entire building.

The University of Iowa's Hawkeye Visions Endowment Program allows various giving levels, with the lowest being $50,000 to $199,999. Write a check for $1 less than $200,000 and you'll provide for a named, endowed partial athletic scholarship – though not for a specific sport or position.

Laura C. Simic, associate vice chancellor for development at the University of North Carolina Charlotte, says scholarships are especially popular among name-seeking donors.

"Alumni of UNC Charlotte are far more likely to give ... and to want to leave a lasting legacy, than non-alumni," Simic said. "Alumni have the real emotional connection to the place and were most impacted by their experience here."

Of course, there are guidelines. At UNC Charlotte, those wanting buildings in their names are required to provide a gift that is at least 25 percent of construction costs. That's actually a bargain compared to most schools, which require up to 50 percent of construction costs.

Make a Name for Yourself

Benefactors interested in the name game should know that the legacy giving world is a diverse one: For every Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (the nation's largest healthcare grant-making entity), there are hundreds of low profile entities named after philanthropic citizens.

The legacy giving process often requires various levels of official approval from some board of directors or trustees.

"I wouldn't call the solicitation process complex but it is highly individualized, with great attention to the nuances of each relationship," Simic said.

"It's a more traditional style of philanthropy," Christopher Ellinger, a veteran of the donor education industry, said of benefactors interested in a legacy gift that includes their name.

Ellinger, co-director with wife Anne of the Boston-based nonprofit Bolder Giving in Extraordinary Times, says the majority of donations his group receives are anonymous.

"I've encouraged people to be more public with their giving so as to inspire others," he said, while distinguishing between a name being "associated with a cause as opposed to having it on a building."

Ellinger says many donors are modest and don't want to receive media attention or unsolicited requests from other gift-seekers. They are not particularly interested in having their names used on a permanent structure, he added.

"Putting your name on a building isn't as effective at being a role model and inspiring people to give a significant and effective gift."

Maybe not. But it's still fun.

Here at ReZoom, we're exploring ways to leave behind a positive legacy. Click here to see the rest of our stories. Get inspired. It's never too late to create a legacy. More