Relationship Building / Recognizing Donors

How should you recognize your donors? Thank them visibly. Display their names prominently in your materials, and make obvious your appreciation for their funding.

These are some ways you can thank organizational donors:

• If they sponsor a fun run, put your sponsors’ logos on a T-shirt.
  
• If they underwrite the costs of an event, list their names in programs and on brochures, posters, and flyers touting the event.
  
• If they give office equipment or other property that lends itself to this approach, festoon a plaque that displays their names.
  
• Send a news release that notes each sponsor’s contribution, explains how you will use the contribution, and outlines how families and children will benefit from the contribution. Include a quote from your director that says how much your office appreciates the contribution.
  
• Add donors’ names to your Web site. If they give you a substantial gift of property, consider posting a picture of it along with a note of thanks.

Here are some ideas for recognizing individual donors:

• Send a postcard or letter of thanks that highlights how their gift helped others.
  
• Send a certificate of appreciation.
  
• List their names—in an event program, on a brochure, on your Web site, or in a newspaper ad.
  
• Offer a token of your appreciation—a gift certificate to a nearby store or restaurant, or a mug, T-shirt, frame, or other item with your logo on it.