Gift catalogue: make giving feel like receiving for your donor
Every charity should create a gift catalogue, as it is one of the most effective fundraising tools you can use. With a gift catalogue, you make giving feel like receiving for your donor.
What makes a gift catalogue such an effective fundraising tool?
A gift catalogue is a wonderful and effective tool to engage donors during the holiday period and motivate them to make a donation in a fun way.
- It does not feel like fundraising
A gift catalogue makes you feel like you are ordering something for yourself. The donor is in control and gets to choose their gift and how much they want to pay. You can show happiness and success and include pictures that radiate positivity. - Donations are concrete and tangible
Donors choose a gift for someone in need: a text book, a food package, a safe place to sleep or psychosocial support. Instead of saying ‘support our work’, you say: ‘For €600 you can give one student all the text books they need for an entire semester.’ - Ideal for integration in your end-of-year campaign
You can include a gift catalogue in your end-of-year campaign or holiday promotion. During the holiday season, people are more likely to make a donation and to donate gifts with real meaning. A gift catalogue is the perfect way to capitalise on that desire. - A wonderful way of showing what you can/have achieve(d) together with your donor
Using brief product stories to accompany the gifts, pictures and other visuals, you can illustrate what you have already achieved together with your donors — and what you can achieve in the future. Donors immediately see what their gift achieves.
- You can boost your response rate with e.g. a matching gift
You can use an additional incentive to boost your response rate, such as a matching gift from a company willing to sponsor your charity. If someone makes their donation before a specific date (e.g. before Christmas), that company will match their donation.
How to create an effective gift catalogue?
An effective gift catalogue should contain:
- Clear information about how it works
- Inspirational stories that illustrate the importance and impact
- An overview of the available gifts, with various price points and types of gift
- Concrete amounts per gift, linked to a clear result
- An order or donation form (physical and/or online)
What gifts should you include in your gift catalogue?
A good gift catalogue lets donors choose from a variety of gifts. Be sure to offer plenty of options to fit different donor profiles and budgets.
Make the gifts as concrete and tangible as possible. Think of material support, such as text books or food, or services like tutoring, shelter or counselling. Choose products that:
- suit your mission
- satisfy a clear need
- have concrete and measurable results
For each gift, write a brief product story:
- Why is it important?
- What will change because of this gift?
- How much does it cost?
Points of attention for the order and donation form
The order and donation form is crucial for conversion. On this form, the donor specifies:
- what gift(s) they want to give
- the quantity
- the payment method
Be sure to include these two options for the donor to choose:
- whatever is needed the most
- one of everything
A good order and donation form gives donors the option to select multiple gifts. As donors will actually use that option, it is an effective way to boost your average donation amount.
The gift catalogue is a strategic and valuable mailing
A gift catalogue:
- concretely illustrates the difference that a donor can make
- boosts engagement
- activates
- inspires your donors to give in a different way
This makes a gift catalogue more than just another mailing. It is a strategic fundraising tool.