As nonprofit marketers, one of our primary storytelling goals is to recognize funders. And, as a fundraiser, part of the job is to make your donors feel great about their support of your cause.  This is an essential part of donor stewardship.

A few years ago, my marketing team at United Way of Miami-Dade was looking for new ways to recognize our individual and corporate donors. In partnership with Zubi Advertising, we launched a corporate recognition campaign, featuring images like these.  The campaign ads were displayed throughout Miami International Airport in partnership with the County to recognize the top ten United Way corporate supporters.  Each person featured in an ad was a United Way program participant.  From graduates of the United Way Center for Excellence in Early Education to older adults keeping active to youth engaged in mentoring programs to women recovering from domestic violence, these men, women, youth, and children all benefited from the generosity of their neighbors.

We also used longer narratives to connect the corporate support of our top donors to the lives changed by our United Way programs. Those stories were shared at United Way board meetings, in print and digital media, and at our events.

Our strategy was to clearly place the companies and their employees at the center of our community impact.