Acknowledging Tribute Gifts
Notification of a Tribute Gift to Those Being Honored, or Their Family
With any tribute gift, you'll want to make sure you send an acknowledgement either to the person being honored, or a family member for honorees who have passed away.
It's crucial that the information you have for these tribute gifts is accurate - not only to be respectful of those your organization is looking to honor, but because this acknowledgement might be the first time the recipient has come into contact with your organization. First impressions can be long-lasting!
Questions to consider:
Is the tribute "in honor" of, or "in memory" of?
What is the relationship of the donor to the person being honored?
How will this donation have an impact on your organization, or a specific cause?
It's also important that you keep the following in mind while writing these types of acknowledgements:
If a tribute is "in honor" of someone, it can have an uplifting, exciting, and casual tone; tributes made "in memory" should instead be respectful, but not too somber.
You'll want to continue to respect donor privacy by not including the amounts that a donor contributed - instead, simply indicate that a gift has been made and provide details on what campaigns it will impact (if possible).
Most tribute gifts should be acknowledged with a physical letter or card - emails should only be used if "snail mail" isn't an option.
If the donor has given you permission, consider including their contact information in the acknowledgement, so that those being honored can send their own acknowledgements.
Be sure to acknowledge this tribute when you thank the donor in their own independent acknowledgement! Because the default tax receipt doesn't make note of tributes, including that information in your thank-you message to the donor will provide an added personal touch.