I understand there is a traditional Jewish belief that if a charity project is done visibly in someone's name, that the someone will be specially blessed by God for it."
More of this the concept of Jewish charity. According to Jewish law and tradition, the highest form of charity is charity done anonymously, with neither the recipient knowing who the donor is or the donor knowing who the recipient is.
I think anonymous charity is considered to be the ideal (second to giving them a loan, job or helping them be self-sufficient) when it's between individuals. When you give to an institution, though, there's no risk of anyone being embarrassed, and by publicizing the names of those who contributed, it encourages others to do the same.