3 Ways to Use Your Activity Wall to Boost Donor Engagement

Donors want to feel noticed and appreciated when making a contribution to your campaign, fundraising on your behalf, or purchasing a ticket to your event. While follow-up emails are always an important way to show gratitude, a prompt, personalized message of appreciation posted in direct response to a donor’s gift is also an effective way of showing your supporters how much you value their generosity. 

On Classy, campaign pages have an activity wall that showcases posts and interactions, serving as a digital hub of communication between donors, fundraisers, and administrators to encourage real-time engagement and connection. When you use the activity wall to respond directly to a donor after they make a gift, that instant recognition can leave a lasting impression.

Why Should I Use It?

Just as responses or comments on social media accounts can be exciting or rewarding, the activity wall for your campaign can provide that similar, instant feeling of acknowledgement and appreciation for your supporters. 

This can be an especially helpful tool in the middle of your campaign. As your page builds traction, it can feel overwhelming to personally reach out to each individual donor as gifts come in. The activity wall provides a solution by offering your nonprofit the opportunity to easily recognize and thank donors in real time. This meaningful interaction creates a better giving experience and builds donor loyalty.

3 Ways to Leverage the Activity Wall

1. Comment on a Donation

Timing is everything when it comes to thanking a donor for contributing to your campaign. Once a supporter makes a donation, you can reply directly on the activity wall with a public, personalized message to express your gratitude and let them know how their individual donation will impact your campaign’s mission. 

The donor is then immediately sent an email with a link back to the campaign landing page, notifying them you’ve started a conversation. That immediate gratification and reassurance of appreciation can influence their decision to give again in the future.

Download Now: 13 Donor Retention Email Templates

2. Comment on a Ticket Purchase

The same effect applies when you acknowledge individual ticket purchases to your event. Comment on your event activity wall and thank your supporters. You might elaborate on the impact of each donation and ticket purchase on your nonprofit’s goal. 

When you celebrate your supporters’ contributions and express your excitement to share an event experience together, you emphasize the special value they add to your organization and boost their own positive feelings toward the event and your nonprofit. This connection is what keeps a community tightly bound and builds donor loyalty and a steady stream of support. 

3. Comment on the Creation of a Personal Fundraising Page

A supporter who chooses to fundraise on your behalf, rather than simply making a donation, is choosing to take more involved action with your nonprofit. Once they create their personal fundraising page, make sure to show your appreciation by promptly commenting on their page’s activity wall to thank and motivate them. This encouragement can boost their excitement to make progress on their fundraising goal.

Your comment can also encourage other donors and friends to use the fundraiser’s activity wall to send messages of good luck, acknowledge their progress, or simply cheer them on. This social proof can then motivate other donors to contribute or potentially create a fundraising page of their own to take their involvement one step further.

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How to Access the Activity Wall

The easiest way to view and comment on your organization’s campaign activity wall is to scroll down to the activity feed on your campaign page, hit Reply under a donation, and write your message in the text block. You can also engage with donors within your editor by selecting the Donations tab, hitting the Thank button next to each donation, and writing your message there. Tap the Comment button to send your message, and that donation will automatically be marked as “thanked” on your list to help you stay organized.

This tool is a great way to scale your personal outreach while saving time and simultaneously strengthening your donors’ affinity and trust with your organization. Continue showing your appreciation for every contribution to remind donors of the value they bring to your nonprofit, and how much of an impact they continue to make with each donation.