Organizations highly value their donors because they have provided funding for their projects and have helped them move forward with their campaigns. Without donors, the successful results that were attained would not have been possible.
Organizations should show their gratitude to their donors — even just through a simple act of honoring them. One of the best ways to do this is through a donor wall paraded in their establishment that highlights the names and contributions of each donor.
You might have already ordered a donor wall to be installed soon, but figuring out the best way to list your donors’ names is a whole different ball game that requires careful planning. Here are three important things to consider to list names on your donor wall.
1. Compile and Organize Donor Names
First things first — compile the names of your donors and make sure that you don’t forget anyone! Chances are, you have recorded the names and other details of your donors in a document or spreadsheet. This would be helpful to refer to when planning your donor wall.
When it comes to the manner in which to list your donors, you can go about it in several ways. The most common and standard way is by listing them alphabetically, but you can also arrange them according to the sum of their contributions or by prioritizing top donors.
Here are some good practices when listing donor names:
- For couples, list the male’s name first
- Include middle initials
- Omit affiliations
- Omit periods between titles such as “MD” and “PhD”
- Do not abbreviate ampersands
2. Calculate the Contribution
Some donor walls would limit the information to the names of the donors. But if you want to go a little further and wish to reveal the sum of their contributions, you can — but not before crunching the numbers.
There are two ways you can calculate the contributions of your donors:
- Yearly contributions
- Total contributions
The second method, i.e. categorizing your donors by total contributions, is much easier to calculate. It also makes your donors feel more confident about their donations — even if it was a one-time contribution to your cause. If you’re looking for ideas about classification and unique names for your next, check out these tips on sponsor level names.
3. Leave Space for Future Donor Names
As your organization grows and progresses, you will have more campaigns and consequently, more donors. You need to plan for the expansion of your donor wall. Make sure to leave some space where you can add more names. Alternatively, you can consider getting another donor wall in the future.
Honor Your Donors With DonorSigns
A donor wall is a great way to honor and show your gratitude to donors of your cause. It can also motivate new donors to contribute to your future campaigns. How you list the names of your donors requires careful planning and consideration, so make sure to take these tips!
DonorSigns is a provider of custom donor walls and plaques. We work with your timeline and budget to create the best donor signage solutions and help you honor your valued donors. Fill out our form to schedule a consultation with us and let’s discuss what we can do for your organization.
