The Ins and Outs of Donor Celebration: What To Know
Donor celebration is one of the most important parts of the stewardship cycle. Click here to learn more about how your organization could leverage it in the best possible way.
We all have fond memories of past celebrations. Whether it was a certain holiday, activity, or occasion when we experienced joy, celebrations stick in our minds for a long time.
In our personal lives, we often help to plan, support, and anticipate a time of celebration with others. The same is true of our nonprofit donors. So what if we looked at our donors through the lens of celebration?
Celebration is the act of joyously measuring continued giving. It’s not a simple acknowledgment, a recognition, or even an appreciation. Instead, it should be a time of celebrating your donor’s impact on advancing the vision and mission of your nonprofit.
This article will break down the specifics of donor celebration into bite-sized, easy to understand snippets, helping you to create a system of your very own. We’ll cover:
What is donor celebration?
Types of donor celebration scenarios
Using Dot Drives to celebrate with your donors
What Is Donor Celebration?
Donor celebration is best described as a festival of impact. Unlike thanking donors, celebrating with donors provides incredible insight into the impact of fundraising for your nonprofit. If you’ve done a good job aligning the right donor with the right organization goals, your donor will be elated to celebrate all accomplishments made.
As you might have imagined, celebration looks very different depending on the organization in question. Some nonprofits rely on virtual events where impacts are discussed in a more formal way. Others put on jamborees and parties where celebrations can be put on display. Although the methods are different, they all have the same goal in mind: gathering and recounting lives that have been positively impacted!
An important aspect of donor celebration is that it is public. Unlike the thanking process, which can be done through a private note or email, celebration is a public expression of gratitude. It shouldn’t come off as an obligation, and it definitely shouldn’t be treated like a once-yearly chore. Instead it’s a powerful tool that personally engages your donors in a highly relational way.
Donor celebration is about bringing the experience of impact to your donors. It’s not enough just to thank donors for their efforts; it’s absolutely vital to bring the excitement of a job well done right to their door.
Types Of Donor Celebration Scenarios
Retaining donors through joyful celebrations isn't just a nice-to-have extra: it’s essential for reaching fundraising goals. According to recent numbers, less than 2% of new prospects will actually give to a cause. 70% of previous donors will. Nurturing, caring, and communicating with your donors through the act of celebration is one of the most important things you could do for your nonprofit organization's financial sustainability.
There are many ways to accomplish celebration depending on the donor segment in question. We’ll explore three of the most common types below.
1. Non-face-to-face celebrations
Asynchronous scenarios (phone calls, emails, newsletters, etc) are considered non-face-to-face celebrations. The simplest and most effective way to invite donors to celebrate through this medium is with a “Giver Update.” This could take a variety of forms, including:
A newsletter
A personal phone call
A short video shared through multiple platforms
A meaningful written report
2. Personal meeting celebrations
Meeting with major donors one-on-one provides a chance to celebrate in a more personal way.
It’s important to tailor the celebration in a way that makes the most sense to the donor’s interests. For example, some donors are more interested in celebrating the statistical impact of your organization, while others prefer a single testimonial or short quote. In either case, tailoring your celebration to meet donor needs is absolutely essential.
Create personalized ‘Giver Updates’
Personally explain where their money is going
Be prepared to deliver delight by sharing verbal examples of lives impacted, stories of lives changed!
3. Major gathering celebrations
Like birthday parties and holiday get-togethers, major gathering celebrations are events that involve dozens of donors, staff, and special guests. Make it memorable with testimonials, stylized ‘Giver Updates,’ and impact touchstones that everyone can enjoy. Don’t forget to:
Invite donors to celebrate with you by highlighting the organization’s biggest impacts
Think ‘party’ rather than ‘event’ -- remember, it’s a celebration!
Include donor testimonials when appropriate. Why they support the mission
Seek donor feedback to refine future celebrations
Using Dot Drives To Celebrate With Your Donors
Donor celebration doesn’t need to be complicated. At Dot Drives, we believe in taking the simple-but-effective route.
Dot Drives provides quick, easy to access information regarding donor amounts, pipelines, goals, and more, all with an intuitive interface to help you work smarter. With multiple integrations available and fast collaborations from team members, your next donor celebration could be better than ever. Our application has a built-in reporting feature as part of managing donor relationships, which streamlines the celebration process without breaking the bank.
Interested to see how our CRM could revolutionize your upcoming celebrations? Schedule a demo with one of our team members to see the software in action. Talk soon!
