To keep good relationships with your donors and attract additional funds, it is crucial to thank them openly. There are several alternatives available today for saying thank you to donors. Still, this piece will concentrate on one of the most well-liked ones: virtual donor walls, and why your organization should start utilizing them.
The Benefits of Using a Virtual Donor Wall for Nonprofits
It has been a while since donor walls, a nonprofit tradition, were modified. The traditional “donor wall” can be made up of plaques with the names of donors, a “donor tree,” or even just one big thing that hangs from the ceiling.
Nonprofits are getting rid of their old donation walls in favor of digital alternatives that look better and have more features. A traditional donor wall takes up space on the floor or a wall, and an interactive donor wall could be too pricey for certain nonprofits.
Instead of spending much on a traditional recognition wall, many NGOs are going digital and virtual. Donors can get the sense of being recognized without making an effort to physically visit a site if you employ a virtual donor wall. Let’s explore what a “digital donor wall” means.
How Does a Virtual Donor Wall Work
How does the virtual donor wall work? The answer is that it reaches a broader audience than a digital donor wall and accomplishes everything that a traditional donor wall does.
List your contributors’ names, spotlight large donations, provide fundraising campaign information like announcements and updates, showcase impact stories from people whose lives you’ve affected, and more with a virtual recognition wall that may be as interactive or non-interactive as you choose.
Benefits of Virtual Donor Walls
Recognizes smaller contributions
Donor walls on raised funds are an intriguing way to thank people who gave small amounts publicly.
Nonprofit organizations can easily make and use virtual donor walls for free and spread the word about them on social media to reach more people and make donor recognition campaigns more effective.
Smaller organizations can benefit significantly from digital donor walls. It’s a great way to show gratitude to donors, no matter how much money they provide.
Affordable
In most cases, a physical donation wall would be unnecessary for a nonprofit. A college or university should always thank its donors for helping with a capital campaign for a new building. A delightful donor wall that costs the institution can cost you a fortune. It is a drop in the bucket compared to the expense of constructing a new building that costs the university millions.
However, suppose your organization still needs to undertake a multi-million dollar capital campaign. In that case, a cheaper and faster-to-build donor wall, such as a virtual donor wall, might be a better choice.
Increase site traffic
Your virtual donor wall will grow in proportion to the number of visitors to your website. This is a fantastic addition to organizations that already have digital donor walls or are planning to develop one because the number of people who visit your website is likely to be far higher than the number of people who visit your physical location.
Save wall space
In all honesty, only some non-profit organizations have a spare wall on which to put a donor wall, whether it be a physical one or a digital one. Virtual donor walls eliminate concerns about limited storage.
Modifiable with more ease
Virtual donor walls provide a one-of-a-kind answer for situations in which you desire the flexibility to recognize a greater number of contributors or alter names in an organized and uncomplicated manner.
Increase online presence and communications efforts
A virtual donor wall is a smart choice if you want to expand your online profile and connect with more people. When you proudly display your donors on your website, you grab the attention of first-time visitors. Not to mention, as we’ve already discussed, virtual donor walls can be shared on social media sites, expanding your reach and generating more interest in your cause.
Bottom Line
Donor care is critical, and one of the most important parts of it is having a donor display to show how much you appreciate your donations. As the practice of thanking donors grows quickly, there are more and more ways to do so.
Even though digital donor walls are becoming more and more popular, traditional donor walls will still be an option. A virtual donor wall is a perfect choice; however, if you want to preserve wall space, honor all of your donations, and grow your organization’s internet visibility simultaneously. You are not constrained in any way by the capabilities of a virtual donor wall.
