How to Launch & Grow a Tribute Giving Program for Your Nonprofit

Your donors and supporters start searching Google for “holiday gifts that benefit nonprofits” in early August, yet most nonprofits do not update their holiday tribute giving program until November or December.?Now?is the time to update and?launch a holiday Tribute Giving Program for your nonprofit!

Tribute giving is when a donor makes a donation in someone else’s name to honor that person or to celebrate a special occasion. Tribute gifts are most often made by supporters with a strong belief in your mission who prefer to donate to a good cause rather than spend money on traditional gifts.

According to the?Global Trends in Giving Report, 33% of donors worldwide give tribute gifts. The top five occasions they prefer for tribute giving are:

1. Memorials:?When a donor makes a tribute gift in memory of a beloved family member, friend, or pet.
2. Birthdays:?Tribute gifts to celebrate someone’s birthday.
3. Religious holidays:?Tribute gifts given in lieu of Christmas gifts, Hannukah gifts, and Eid al-Fitr gifts. Other holidays to consider for your tribute giving program are the Lunar New Year and Diwali.
4. Weddings:?Most often requested by the couple getting married, wedding tribute gifts are made to the couple’s favorite nonprofit in lieu of traditional wedding gifts.
5. New baby:?Less common, but for fitting for nonprofits whose mission is to improve maternal health and infants.

Our first guide,?How to Launch & Grow a Tribute Giving Program: A Step-by-Step Guide for Nonprofits, will help your nonprofit launch (or re-launch) a tribute giving program to better serve your donors and to maximize fundraising success.