Supporter Stories

Why Philanthropy Needs a Brain for Business:
Nancy Hochstetter's Recipe for Success
By: Jennifer Seeker Conroy

Nancy Hochstetter is a born businesswoman. She has been at the helm of Middleton-based Name Badge Productions for 25 years, growing the business from ten accounts to more than 30,000.

Hochstetter didn't get her business savvy from a high-priced MBA program. She says her "business school" was a McDonald's manager training program she attended after college. After a few years of running all aspects of the fast food business, Hochstetter accepted a sales position and stumbled into the business opportunity of a lifetime.

One of her customers was looking for a buyer for his small name tag company. Hochstetter jumped at the chance and was the new owner just days later. Over the years business has boomed. Name Badge Productions now offers all types of name tags, badges, and lanyards. Hochstetter and her colleagues invented magnetic name badge holders. The company was an early adopter of online sales and one of the very first companies to advertise on Google. Now Name Badge Productions is number one on Google for relevant key words and has secured one of the coveted top spots on the search engine's sponsored sites list.

Hochstetter enjoys the challenge of the business world but about five years ago, she began contemplating a big way to give back to society. She had always made charitable donations on behalf of her business but wanted to do something for herself. AFFW's mission statement immediately appealed to her, especially the first part: We encourage women to develop as philanthropists. "The more women see women giving, the more women will give," Hochstetter said.

Hochstetter says philanthropic organizations should be run more like businesses. She recognizes that not everyone will agree with her, but she asserts, "You have to spend money to make money." Hochstetter says donors should remember to support the administrative and overhead costs of running a charity. She believes that gives donors more bang for their buck. More money for promotion will lead to greater visibility and more donations so an organization like AFFW can do more good, Hochstetter says.

Now Hochstetter is funding her philosophy for AFFW. "I have agreed to give a certain amount of money every year over the next five years to administrative costs and operating expenses," Hochstetter said. She is now working with AFFW Executive Director Jan Gietzel to finalize the plan.

Hochstetter spends six months of the year in sunny Scottsdale, Arizona, but she says Madison is her real home. She isn't considering retiring any time soon. "I get a great deal of satisfaction out of employing people," she said. Hochstetter values her employees immensely and offers perks such as a four-week paid sabbatical after one year of work.

Her passion for business drives profits for Name Badge Productions, and now she hopes it will also help AFFW do more good for the women and girls of Dane County. "You can do so much more if you focus on that part of it," Hochstetter said.