The Significant Changes in Digital Recognition
Remember those old-fashioned brass donor plaques that lined the halls of college dorms? These days, they are rapidly becoming obsolete. These days, schools are looking for design options for digital gift boards that can do a lot more than just show names. As someone who works installing digital donor walls, I've seen firsthand how these moving displays enhance nonprofit recognition programs and create engaging storytelling opportunities.
If your organization, whether it's a college, university, or something else, wants to go digital with gift recognition, you will have to sort through many options. Let me break down the eight must-haves that will help you get the most money from your donors, especially for nonprofits.
1. An Easy-to-Use System for Managing Information
Your development team shouldn't be responsible for managing an additional complex technical system at the last moment. Look for content management systems that are easy to use and don't require you to know anything about computers.
With a successful digital donor wall solution, your staff should be able to:
- Updating donation information only takes a few clicks.
- You can quickly add new multimedia files and change the settings for the show without needing technical help.
- Set up things to happen at certain times.
When you're trying to decide, ask for a live demo and have real people on your team test the interface. If they struggle during practice, it must be frustrating to try to make important changes before a big event.
2. Database Systems Work Perfectly Together
The quality of your donor wall depends on the info that goes into it. The best digital donor boards work with the donor management system you already have.
Look for apps that have the following software:
- • Provide direct links to your CRM or interactive digital fundraiser tool.
- Notifies you automatically when new contributions come in.
- It allows you to retrieve data from various sources, such as custom APIs and spreadsheets.
- Keeps the accuracy of the info on all displays.
The university reduced the time it took to make changes from weeks to minutes by directly linking their gift recognition system to their database. Their advancement team could focus on building relationships instead of keeping track of donors.
3. Touchscreen Features That Let You Interact
Donor lists that don't change are almost obsolete in the age of dynamic donor recognition walls. Donors today, especially younger alumni, want events that are engaging, inspiring, and get people involved.
With touchscreen features, passive screens can be turned into exploration tools that let guests
- You can see full details about donors by clicking on their names.
- Look at videos and stories that have an effect.
- • Keep an eye out for specific contributions or classes that are coming to an end.
- Find different kinds of knowledge about successful fundraising strategies and donor engagement techniques.
A liberal arts college in the Midwest that we worked with found that their interactive donor wall was a hit during campus walks. Parents and people who want to go to college could see that the university had a strong support system among its graduates.
4. Adding Multimedia Materials to Your Story Tells It Better
There are more than just names and money behind your donors. They have wonderful stories about why they care about your organization.
Look for digital donor wall tools that can handle the following rich media elements:
- fantastic documentaries with donor stories.
- Pictures of improvements made to the site before and after
- interactive timelines showing how the campaign grew
- Infographics that show how things affect people
These multimedia parts make emotional connections that are much stronger than writing alone. According to research, good graphic storytelling can get donors much more involved.
5. Visual Customization That Is Flexible.
Your donor wall should display your university's values and business identity. Don't use fixes that are the same for everyone.
The wonderful digital walls that thank donors offer:
- Custom color scheme that goes with your school colors
- The typefaces you choose should fit with your brand.
- • The layout can be changed to fit different places and screen orientations.
- Ideas for events or projects that fit the season
We worked with a well-known university on the East Coast to create a modern digital show on a digital donor wall that used their historic architectural themes. The end result was a wonderful mix of new ideas and old stories that alumni of all ages could connect to.
6. Access From Mobile Devices and More Time
Have you considered recognizing donors beyond those who are present at your exhibit? These days, internet donor walls can reach people outside of your university.
Look for answers that give you insights into donor names and their giving patterns.
- QR codes that lead to mobile events
- Donor stories can be seen on a website.
- Sharing options on social media sites
- Alumni from far away can reach the donor wall virtually.
Digital systems that incorporate web experiences facilitate the recognition of all graduates, not just those who visit campuses, creating a more inclusive virtual donor wall.
7. Up-to-Date Comment and Analytics Tools
Smart organizations keep track of their progress and always improve their digital fundraiser boards, ensuring they highlight major donors effectively.
These are some of the useful tracking tools for your interactive digital fundraising efforts:
- Keeping track of exchanges to see what content gets people's attention
- Heat maps show which donor types are used the most in your donor recognition display.
- Use themes at different times of the day or week.
- Direct ways for donors to leave comments
With this knowledge, you can improve your content strategy and show your stakeholders how your digital recognition spending has paid off on your virtual donor wall.
8. Scalability in Terms of Future Growth
Your gift recognition needs will change as your university grows. This tool adapts to your changing needs.
Try to find systems that have features for effective donor wall design and digital display management.
- Adding just a few new displays spread out over several buildings
- • Different types of recognition can change over time, and all sites receive updates simultaneously.
- • We are requesting more donors without any performance issues.
One big state university system we set up started with just one screen in their alumni center and now has eight screens spread out across campus, all controlled from a single tablet.
Digital Donor Walls vs. Traditional Plaques
Here’s a look at the differences between digital donor recognition elements and traditional donor recognition methods:
Digital Donor Walls: Digital donor recognition walls are essential for modern fundraising efforts.
- Speed: The speed of updates on your digital display can significantly enhance donor engagement. Change weeks or months to minutes.
- Capacity for Content: Not known (presumably vast/unlimited).
- Media and Multimedia: Video clips, pictures, and hands-on items can enhance the experience of your virtual donor wall.
- Interaction: Engage your audience with features on your interactive digital donor recognition display. Interactive.
- Data: Detailed data on consumption.
- Maintenance: Updates for software are crucial to maintain the effectiveness of your digital donor recognition wall.
- Adding on a virtual donor wall can enhance your engagement with potential donors. Digital scale-up made easy.
- Cost Effectiveness: More up front, but lower ongoing costs.
Traditional Plaques:
- Speed: Obey the rules (implying slow/manual).
- Capacity for Content: Not enough room to move around your traditional donor wall can limit visibility for your generosity initiatives.
- Media and Multimedia: Text-only.
- Interaction: Passive watching.
- Data: No data can hinder the impact of your donor recognition wall; accurate tracking is essential for your interactive digital strategies.
- Maintenance: Fixing things and cleaning them up.
- Adding on: Cost-effectiveness in physical building (implying costly expansion).
- Cost Effectiveness: Less up front and more ongoing.
Make Your Digital Fundraiser Wall Work Harder
Overall, it will be worth it to make your digital fundraiser wall work harder. The switch to digital donor boards is more than just an update to technology. It's a fundamental change in how schools recognize and connect with their supporters. If you want your investment to have the most long-lasting effect, give these eight things the most weight when choosing software for your digital donor recognition wall.
Remember that the best donor walls use both smart, human-centered design and the latest technology. This type of display is meant to both honor past gifts and encourage people to give now by showing how much of an impact gifts really have on your university community through digital signage.
Do you want to enhance your university's donor appreciation program? Let's talk about how a custom digital donor wall solution that reflects the values of your school can change the way you recognize donors on campus through interactive digital experiences.