Empower Your Board and Engage Donors with a Meaningful Gift

Ways to Use Gift Cards in Your Fundraising Campaigns

1. Regular Donor Appeal: Highlight the gift card as a unique, mission-driven option for donors who want their gift to have a direct impact on leadership and governance.

Example: “Your support can help our board operate with confidence and clarity — empower them with a handbook today.”

2. Special or Targeted Requests: Send a dedicated appeal to key donors or major supporters, positioning the gift card as a strategic way to strengthen the organization’s leadership.

Works well for milestone donors or those interested in capacity building.

3. Sponsorship Packages: Include gift cards as part of sponsorship recognition, demonstrating how donors’ investments support not just programs, but the board guiding them.

Example: “Sponsor a board handbook to ensure leadership excellence across the organization.”

4. Board or Donor Recognition Events: Offer gift cards as a highlighted way to contribute during annual meetings, retreats, or donor appreciation events.

Donors see their gift as tangible and meaningful — impacting both the board and mission outcomes.

5. Campaign Milestones: Integrate gift cards into end-of-year giving, anniversary campaigns, or capital campaigns.

Example: “Celebrate our organization’s milestone by giving a handbook that strengthens our board and mission impact.”

6. Matching Gift Challenges: Create a challenge for donors: “If X number of handbooks are gifted, we’ll unlock a matching donation toward capacity building.”

Encourages engagement while showing measurable impact.

7. Peer-to-Peer / Board-Led Fundraising: Engage board members themselves as advocates: ask them to encourage supporters in their networks to purchase a gift card.

Positions the board as a proactive part of development and donor engagement.