Unlike in other sectors, healthcare fundraising operates in an environment defined by privacy laws and some of the lowest points in patients’ lives. While most nonprofits have easy access to marketing lists from their communities, hospitals and other healthcare facilities aren’t able to access protected patient data, which creates a fundraising hurdle. And while most nonprofits build lists of individuals with positive experiences, many healthcare organizations can’t say the same.
Fundraising in the healthcare sector is difficult. Long-term financial success is built on both one-time, small-value traditional donors and large, multi-million-dollar donations. Organizations must be constantly on the lookout for new strategies to inspire potential donors to give and retain existing donors’ support. That’s where donor walls come in. With the right strategy, you can leverage them to facilitate more fundraising revenue for your healthcare organization, ensuring you can continue providing life-altering care.
This guide outlines how you can improve healthcare fundraising through hospital donor walls. Before we do that, let’s go over the frequently asked questions about this topic.
A donor wall is a display typically featured in a mission-driven organization’s facilities. They usually come in one of three forms:
A hospital donor wall is a donor wall installed for a hospital or other healthcare organization. It can take any of the forms listed above.
When you have a small lobby, your best option is to use a digital hospital donor wall. This option enables you to provide donor recognition while not taking up too much real estate with an imposing physical installation. Your digital donor wall can be as simple as a screen in the corner of a lobby, or more creative and visually appealing, depending on your budget.
Yes. This is because digital donor walls feature information about your donors, not your patients. If you do decide to add impact stories or quotes from patients, you can remove identifying information to maintain their privacy. Additionally, no matter whose information you display, be sure to obtain their consent first.
Now that you understand what hospital donor walls are, here are a few ways you can leverage them at your hospital:
Donor recognition is one of the main uses of all types of donor walls. From traditional physical installations to digital donor boards, your donor walls can build supporter relationships and boost healthcare philanthropy by honoring those who give to your campaigns. These donors may even feel inspired to give again after seeing how you show your gratitude.
Here are a few ways you can use donor walls to recognize your donors:
Especially with digital donor walls, it’s possible to go beyond static names and contribution levels and create a display that truly engages and speaks to the viewer. Plus, a digital donor wall makes it easy to update when donors upgrade their gifts and reach new giving tiers.
Beyond simple recognition, donor walls can also offer a powerful, visible means of communicating the tangible results of your hospital’s programs. Here are a few ways you can use donor walls to highlight your impact:
When community members see the direct link between philanthropy and improved patient care, their motivation to give increases, resulting in more gifts for your healthcare organization.
Your donor walls can also showcase your healthcare organization’s history and legacy of impact. By integrating historical content, you showcase your track record of success and your commitment to maintaining it. This strategy helps potential donors understand the foundational importance of philanthropy to your institution.
Here are ways you can feature your organization’s history on a donor wall:
By outlining your history, you pay tribute to your past, reinforce your organization’s credibility, and communicate the lasting power of charitable giving.
For potential donors to understand that you have a fundraising need, you must clearly communicate it. Use your donor walls to broadcast everything from your fundraising project details to overall objectives. Feature your online donation page or upcoming fundraising events to inspire community members to get involved and give.
In particular, your hospital donor walls should answer the following questions about your fundraising activities:
This will simultaneously build awareness and excitement for your fundraising campaign or project.
Since your fundraising projects are time-bound, these types of messages are best suited to digital donor walls that you can easily update. That way, all your staff members, visitors, and patients can see and learn more about your fundraising needs as they occur, whenever they are in your hospital.
Healthcare donor acquisition starts by attracting potential donors with eye-catching content, making hospital donor walls the perfect choice to boost fundraising. Consider your hospital’s needs and the type of content that best speaks to your community. This will help you choose the type of donor wall to install and the content you should feature on it.
Since digital donor walls are dynamic, eye-catching, and easy to design, they are the best tools for attracting donors. If you’re interested in installing a digital donor wall, reach out to OmniAlly today—we’ll discuss your needs and how our walls can fulfill them.