A digital donor wall connects to the donor database you already use. You build your donor lists in that database the way you build any other list. The wall connects to those lists once. From then on, donor names, giving levels, and campaigns update on the wall on their own, in real time.
This guide covers what to decide before you connect, what the wall can show, what to build in each database, and who does what.
Every donor database connects the same way, in four steps.
Your database stays the one place where donor information lives. The OmniAlly connection is read-only: the wall reads your lists, shows what you chose to show, and never changes a record.
The wall also holds its content locally, so it runs on its own.
The connection is the short part. The thinking that makes a donor wall right happens before it, in eleven decisions. Each one is a choice your team makes once and records in the database. After that, the wall follows it for every donor.
A recognition name is often different from a legal name. "Dr. and Mrs. James Whitfield" may want to appear as "Jim and Carol Whitfield." Most donor databases keep a recognition name in its own field. Decide that this field, and no other, feeds the wall.
Decide whether a couple appears on one line or two, and whose name comes first. Settle one house style, such as "Carol and Jim Whitfield," and record each household that way.
Some donors give anonymously. Others want their name listed without a giving level. Record the preference on the donor's record. The wall follows it.
A gift made "in memory of" or "in honor of" someone carries its own wording. Decide where that wording lives in your database and how it reads on the wall. Our plaque wording examples show the common forms.
A name can appear when the pledge is signed or when the gift arrives. Capital campaigns usually recognize the pledge. Annual funds usually recognize what was received. Choose one rule for each list.
A donor's level depends on which total you count. Lifetime giving recognizes loyalty over many years. Campaign giving recognizes one effort. Annual giving recognizes this year. A single wall can show all three, as long as each has its own list.
When a gift arrives through a family foundation or a donor-advised fund, decide whose name is recognized. The same question applies to an employer's matching gift, and whether it counts toward the employee's level.
Set the dollar range for each level and give each one a name that fits your organization. Our donor level names guide has ideas for every kind of nonprofit.
Names inside a level can run alphabetically, by gift size, or by date. Alphabetical is the most common choice, because visitors can find a name quickly.
Corporate sponsors of your nonprofit can appear beside individual donors or in their own section. If you run events, your sponsorship level names can carry straight onto the wall.
Annual lists refresh each year. Campaign and legacy lists are permanent. Decide which lists reset and when.
A donor wall can show much more than a list of names. Anything you keep on a donor's record can feed it.
| What it is | Where it comes from | Where it appears |
|---|---|---|
| Recognition name | Standard field | Every wall |
| Giving level or society | Your lists | Every wall |
| Campaign or fund | Your lists | Every wall |
| Anonymity preference | Standard field | Every wall |
| Tribute or memorial wording | Standard or custom field | Every wall |
| Donor story or bio | Custom field | Interactive walls |
| Photo | Custom field | Interactive walls |
| A quote in the donor's words | Custom field | Interactive walls |
| Class year, department, or program | Custom field | Interactive walls |
| First year of giving | Standard field | Interactive walls |
| Any other custom field you keep | Custom field | Interactive walls |
On an interactive donor wall, a visitor can search for a donor by name and open that donor's story and photo. The story you wrote for a proposal or a newsletter can be the story on the wall.
Custom fields are what make this possible. If your database has a field for it, the wall can show it. A university can show class year and the scholarship a gift created. A hospital can show the unit a gift supports. A museum can show the gallery a donor named.
You build the lists with the tools you already use. The person who builds your lists and reports today owns this step.
| Donor database | What you build |
|---|---|
| Raiser's Edge NXT | A list in Lists |
| Salesforce | A list view or a report |
| DonorPerfect | A selection filter and a report |
| Blackbaud CRM | A query or a selection |
| Blackbaud Luminate | A group or a query |
| Bloomerang | A saved report |
| Virtuous | A saved query |
| Neon CRM | A saved report |
| Bonterra | A saved list or report |
| Ellucian | A list or a report |
| Tessitura | A list in List Manager |
Build one list for each giving level, campaign, or society. If your system is not in the table, OmniAlly connects to any donor management system and confirms yours before you sign anything. The full list is on our integrations page.
The person who owns your lists
Your development lead
OmniAlly
No. An OmniAlly wall runs with or without it, and you can manage names in the dashboard yourself. A small nonprofit with a short donor list can start that way.
The connection earns its place for three reasons.
If your donors already live in a database, connect it. Your side takes an hour or two at most, and the upkeep after that is nothing.
What access does the wall need?
Read-only. The OmniAlly connection reads your lists and never writes to your database. Your donor records stay exactly as your team entered them.
What does it read?
Only the lists you choose, with the fields you want shown.
Does it follow anonymity preferences?
Yes. Anonymity and recognition preferences are set in your donor database, and the wall follows them.
Who sets it up?
OmniAlly sets up its side for you. Your side is building the lists.
Build a list in Lists for each giving level, campaign, or society you want on the wall. OmniAlly connects to Raiser's Edge NXT, you say which lists to use, and from then on they sync with the wall automatically.
Yes. Build a list view or a report in Salesforce for each giving level, campaign, or society. OmniAlly connects to Salesforce and the wall follows those lists.
Yes. Once the wall is connected, a new donor, a corrected name, or a move to a higher giving level shows on the wall in real time.
Yes. Stories, photos, and any custom field on a donor's record sync from your donor database to the wall.
Yes. Donor search is built into OmniAlly interactive walls. A visitor types a name and opens that donor's recognition.
No. The wall runs with or without it. The connection takes updates off your to-do list, shows new gifts right away, and keeps the wall matched to your database.
Yes. The OmniAlly connection is read-only. The wall reads your lists and never writes to your database.
OmniAlly sets up its side for you. Building the lists in your donor database usually takes anywhere from a few minutes to an hour or two.
OmniAlly connects to any donor management system. Tell us which one you use and we will confirm it before you sign anything.
Your donor database already holds everything a wall needs. The decisions in this guide turn it into recognition your donors can see.