Donating for rewards can be a part of a year-round campaign or a time-based campaign to acquire funds for a specific event or project. It is often integrated with crowdfunding campaigns, and can be a compelling feature for supporters that need an extra incentive to donate. Rewards levels can also encourage supporters to donate more than they would otherwise—if the difference between getting that shirt is $10, why not go up another giving level?
Rewards do not have to be physical prizes, they can also be various forms of recognition (a handmade thank you card), experiences (lunch with your leadership team), or even simple updates about the impact of your supporters’ donations.
At the end of the day, giving rewards to your donors is about showing appreciation for your donors’ support, and incentivizing higher levels of giving. You can be creative about what rewards to give!
Here are a few rewards ideas for your next campaign:
1. Updates on Measurable Outcomes
When supporters are informed in detail about the impact their donations have made, this makes donors feel good about their contributions and also feel connected to the work your organization is doing. When you create rewards levels, you can pair each donation with its corresponding impact according to how you plan to allocate funds ($20 contributes 4 books to a school, $50 contributes one desk). In addition, each reward level can be paired with a special form of acknowledgement, such as pictures and updates about how the books are being used at school, a personal thank you note from the students, and a visitation day with a presentation and in-person thank you from the students.
2. Experiences
Experiences are excellent rewards because they help your organization build lasting relationships with your supporters who are given the chance to feel like real participants in your organization’s work. Experiential rewards can include volunteer opportunities, invites to your workshops, a meal with your executive team, special event tickets, and site-observations (so supporters can see live the impact of their donations and the importance of your mission).
3. Branded Goods
Physical rewards that feature your organization’s logo, mission statement, and/or other information about your cause are a great way to advertise your organization and show thanks at the same time. While usually not very expensive to create, t-shirts, mugs, pens, and calendars with your organization’s branding are fun and gratifying rewards for your supports that will also bring more attention to your cause.
On Flipcause, you can use the Donate-for-Rewards tool to generate customizable rewards levels for donations. And remember that even if you are low on gift resources, your rewards can be as simple as handwritten notes and updates about the impact of donations. Your supporters will feel good and appreciate the extra acknowledgement!
Let us in on any insider knowledge your organization has about donating for rewards. What rewards have you given, and what have been the most well-received? Leave a comment below!
