Honorifics - is anyone not using them and what feedback did you get good or bad

Michelle Booth

Hello,

We are thinking about removing honorifics (Mr. Mrs. etc.) from all of our records. I was wondering who if anyone else is not using them and if you received feedback good or bad.

In doing research I read that it could be offensive to some cultures so we are hesitant to make the change.

I wanted to get others thoughts. We are a boarding school for reference.

Thanks

Aldera Chisholm

@Michelle Booth Well, I just wrote a very long response and it glitched out on me. So, here is the short version. I've done this very successfully in the past.

A good starting point is looking at your usual tone - if you use an informal chatty format for your communications, then a formal title at the top might feel jarring.

Our protocol was to use the chosen default unless: the contact made a preference clear (eg how they signed a note). The challenge becomes if you want to go back and change existing ones - that is a bigger discussion and I'm happy to chat on that if you want to DM me!

Overall, I've found that some donors aren't shy about telling you their preference, but rarely are they angry about you getting it ‘wrong’ … the first time. It can be a fantastic opportunity to communicate with your contacts to ask them how they prefer to be called.

Meri Grube

@Michelle Booth Choosing to remove honorifics for us (Contemporary and Modern Art Museum) was more about inclusion. We are supported by a diverse community, and the specificity of the honorific seems to narrow, so we adopted a first name last name policy. Of course we will honor people's requests for how they wish to be addressed, but our default avoids presumptions on our part. We have received no complaints from our constituency.