Effective Donor Recognition Programs: Ideas That Boost Engagement

Published on: May 16, 2019

What motivates donors to give? Perhaps your organization has a compelling mission. Or, maybe it’s an important project that resonates with hearts far and wide. While either of these may command attention from potential donors, your funding aspirations may potentially fall flat if you don’t have a plan for showing donors that they make a difference and are valued.

Showing gratitude to donors is crucial to meeting or sustaining your fundraising goals. Effective donor recognition programs can encompass multiple elements, from mailers and gifts to special events and even commemorative displays. The donor recognition program you choose should be targeted to your donor community, unique to your organizational values and an appropriate response to the size of the contribution.

While a gift-based program of gratitude for smaller donations will undoubtedly be part of your overall donor recognition program, more consequential acknowledgments—like a donor display or wall—can drive higher, even stronger engagement.

Choosing Elements of the Most Effective Donor Recognition Programs

Anyone who has ever contributed to a fundraising effort understands how small recognition gifts can be engaging motivators for giving. You may receive a calendar, return address labels, or stationery featuring photos of who your gift helps support. And it feels good, so you give more.

Often, however, organizations make the mistake of thinking that these smaller recognition objects require spending less of the financial gift to create. But that’s not always the case.

While a donor recognition display, for instance, may be a significant cost, it might just as well represent a smaller fraction of the donation to create than a series of individual plaques. And, it can have a far more powerful impact, both on donor perception and your organization’s brand image.

3 Ideas for Creating Donor Recognition Displays That Inspire

Consider donor recognition walls as an opportunity to create a conversation between your organization and your patrons—one that generates enthusiasm and galvanizes broader engagement, within your donor community and beyond.

Here are a few strategic ideas that did just that.

1. Interact and engage.

Drew College Preparatory leveraged a sense of community when they created an interactive display to celebrate and honor donors. The display features an abacus-like design where donor name panels can be moved back and forth by users. Moving the panels reveals different portions of an underlying photograph featuring the college’s new building, made possible by individual donors. This display conveys a sense of unified purpose and invites others to join in the fun as well.

2. Show how everyone matters.

When Lobero Theatre wanted to create a program that was true to the past as well as scalable, they created a display that complemented the historical significance of California’s longest continually running theater. They worked with local artisans to craft displays that integrated with the architecture, preserving its history and recognized individual contributors. Essentially, they made their donors a part of their legacy through the display, which inspires future donors to give. The display shows how everyone can make a difference in a tangible way.

3. Integrate strategies.

Davis High School had a lofty goal: they needed to bring in $1.5 million for a new stadium. Not only did they build onsite donor recognition displays, but they also came up with an intriguing donor booklet that showcased those displays. That booklet served as a centerpiece for highlighting their donor program and encouraging ongoing fundraising. Integrating the two donor recognition strategies provided multiple touchpoints for the campaign to communicate to donors and beyond.

Create Effective Donor Recognition Programs, Expertly

While all these examples have been successful, your organization’s donor recognition programs need to be uniquely tailored to your mission, goals, and community. A professional design consultant can help you focus on the messages that matter and create an appropriate donor recognition program that seamlessly integrates with your other fundraising strategies. With expert guidance, you can turn your program into a legacy that encourages people to give for years to come.  

---