What are the best and most creative ways to show donor appreciation? Recognizing and thanking donors is crucial for maintaining strong relationships and encouraging continued support. When you publicly express your gratitude, you provide increased visibility for your organization and a feel-good moment for your individual donors. Further, these public displays of thanks inspire others to donate. Of course, a heartfelt private acknowledgement of the generosity of your donors remains as important as always.
When thanking donors, be sure to emphasize the positive impact of their contributions. This could be photos of new costumes or chairs your theater purchased with proceeds, or you might highlight the effect on your community such as reaching children in underserved areas. In short, when individuals see the positive impact of their giving, they are motivated to continue to make your organization extraordinary.
We've compiled 15 creative ways for performing arts theaters to incorporate special "thank you's" into fundraising efforts. The more ways you use, the greater levels of financial support and new donors you'll achieve!
- Real Time Video Feed: By now, you surely have used a QR code, so would-be donors can quickly access your donor pages. Those work, but you can amp it up a bit by using a real-time feed displaying the names of donors as their contributions roll in. This is guaranteed to generate lots more donations!
- Donor Spotlight on Social Media: Showcase donors on your theater's social media platforms with a dedicated post or story. Include a brief bio, their connection to the theater, and express gratitude. Don't miss the opportunity for social shares of your post by including the donor's username or handle with the appropriate link along with good hash tags (ie. #ArtsSupporters, #DonorLove).
- Featured Donor Wall: Create a physical or virtual donor wall prominently displayed in your theater. Include the names and levels of contributions to recognize donors for their generosity. Don't forget to add a QR code inviting generous contributions that earn a spot on the wall.
- VIP Access: Provide donors with special perks such as VIP seating, backstage tours, or exclusive meet-and-greet events with performers to make them feel appreciated. Many software platforms (such as ThunderTix) allow you to tailor your fundraising tiers with special benefits depending on the contribution.
- Personalized Thank You Videos: Create personalized video messages from key figures in the theater, expressing gratitude to individual donors. Share these videos on social media and through email. You can even add closed captions and let videos run in a loop inside the lobby.
- Donor Appreciation Events: Host exclusive events like cocktail parties, receptions, or private performances for donors to show appreciation and foster a sense of community. Special events might include a very brief showcase of talented young adults that you sponsor as part of your community outreach to underserved areas. The effect of seeing the transformative power of the arts in children will be remembered when you approach donors again with requests.
- Incorporate Donor Testimonials: Feature donor testimonials in newsletters, on the website, or in promotional materials to showcase the impact of their contributions. For your website, use a scrolling banner to share testimonials from multiple donors.
- Annual Donor Awards: Establish annual awards to recognize the most significant contributions or the longest-standing supporters. Present these awards at the start of holiday performances in a delightful surprise to your donors waiting for the show.
- Dedicate Performances: Dedicate specific performances to donors, publicly acknowledging their support before or during the show. As above, these public acknowledgements are a wonderful opportunity to share heartfelt thanks with those sitting in the audience.
- Naming Opportunities: Provide donors with the chance to have certain spaces or aspects of the theater named after them or their loved ones, immortalizing their impact. Of course, these are reserved for a select few contributors who have provided unmatched levels of support.
- Exclusive Updates: Offer donors behind-the-scenes insights and exclusive updates on upcoming productions, ensuring they feel connected to the theater's progress on renovations, changes, or the upcoming show. Incorporate a variety of creative ways to show donor appreciation with your donors to elevate their giving!
- Public Acknowledgment in Press Releases: Include donor names and contributions in press releases about major events, productions, or milestones to garner media attention.
- Donor Appreciation Day: Designate a day of or a week of the month to celebrate and appreciate donors, featuring them in various activities, interviews, or online spotlights.
- Collaborative Art Projects: Work with local artists to create unique pieces inspired by donors, showcasing their names or initials in a prominent and artistic manner. Incorporate their work in a silent auction during a run of performances with their donated artwork funding a special program. Make it annual, so artists can look forward to the next auction.
- Interactive Map: Develop an interactive map on your website or within the theater that highlights the geographic locations of donors, emphasizing the widespread impact of their support. (Of course, residential addresses should never be shared!) Or incorporate the map showing the reach your organization has made in underserved areas using the contributions made to your theater.
Remember to tailor these ideas to fit the preferences and interests of your donor base. The key is to make donors feel valued and appreciated, and much of that comes from seeing the effect their dollars made on the community or the organization itself. Using a variety of ways to show creative donor appreciation will have a positive ripple effect of attracting new supporters!
Happy fundraising!