Donors are very important to organizations because their money has helped them finish projects and move campaigns forward. The accomplishments would not have been possible without the generous support of contributors.
Donors should be recognized in some way by organizations. One good way is to put up a “donor recognition wall” at their business that proudly lists the names of donors and the amounts they gave.
You may have already placed an order for a donor wall that will be set up soon, but figuring out the best way to show off the names of your donors is a whole different challenge. Here are three things to consider when creating a donor wall.
What is a Donor Recognition Wall?
One way to permanently thank benefactors is with a “recognition wall.” Instead of the static, plain metal plaques of the past, modern donor walls can (and should) be interactive stories with branded design, interactive parts, and digital or virtual displays.
Which Organizations Use Donor Walls?
Organizations that want to show their donors how much they appreciate them can put up recognition walls. Usually, these barriers are put up by places like hospitals, universities, sports leagues, churches, and other charitable groups.
How Do Donor Walls Work?
Strategies for thanking donors that include “recognition walls” should be seen as important parts of any successful program. You may build a wall to commemorate any amount of support, not only those who provide a lot of money or who sponsor large-scale initiatives.
The minimum amount required for a donation to be considered valid will most likely need to be adjusted upwards or downwards depending on the total amount of money raised by your organization.
Create Recognition Wall with Donor Names
Generate a List of Potential Donors
Gather all of your donors’ information, and remember everybody! You probably have a document or spreadsheet where you’ve listed all of your donations and their information. If you’re in the process of designing a donation wall, this might serve as a useful guide.
There are a few options for how to present your list of donations. The most typical method is to list contributors in alphabetical order, but you may alternatively sort them by how much they gave or give top donors more weight.
Some recommended procedures for citing benefactors:
- The men’s names should go first when a couple is being mentioned.
- Don’t forget the middle initials
- Keep your associations to yourself.
- Please do not use periods after doctoral degrees such as “MD” or “Ph.D.”
- Avoid shortening ampersands.
Calculate the Share
On certain donor walls, just the donors’ names would be shown. You may take it a step further by disclosing the total amount they have contributed, but only after doing some basic math.
When figuring out how much money your donors have given you, you may use one of two methods:
- Payments made each year
- Amount of all contributions
If you sort your contributors by how much money they’ve given, the second technique becomes much more manageable. It also bolsters the confidence of your contributors, whether they give often or just once. Check out these suggestions for sponsor-level names if you’re in need of some categorization and naming inspiration for your next.
Keep Room for New Names of Potential Donors
More campaigns mean more contributions as your organization develops and expands. Your donation wall will need to be expanded, so you should prepare for that. Remember to leave enough room so that other people may sign their names. Or, you may plan ahead and acquire another donor wall.
The Bottom Line
Building a donor wall is a fantastic gesture of appreciation for those who have contributed to your cause. It may also encourage potential new contributors to make future contributions to your campaigns. Donor recognition deserves thoughtful preparation and thoughtfulness, so use these guidelines.
