Alumni and giving · For annual fund and advancement directors
Annual fund donor recognition for every donor, every year
The annual fund starts over every year. Thank this year’s donors on the touchscreen by class, level and connection to the school, and keep every past year’s honor roll a tap away.
No account needed to start. Free to use. No payment details required.
What is annual fund donor recognition?
Annual fund donor recognition thanks the people who give to a school’s yearly fund, usually through an honor roll that lists alumni by class, parents, grandparents, staff and friends. HistoryShowcase lets an office import each year’s list from a spreadsheet into its own folder, so every completed year’s honor roll stays on the display while the new one goes up.
Updated
- Made for
- Annual fund and advancement directors
- Where schools put it
- Main office lobby, Alumni weekend registration, Your annual report email
- Layouts
- Honors ledger, Photo gallery
- Visitors can filter by
- Constituency, Giving level, Year
- Cost
- Free to use. No payment details required.
New donors every year. The wall stays the same.
The annual fund starts over every year. New parents give for the first time, young alumni send a first gift, and some longtime donors skip a year. A painted or engraved wall can’t keep up with that, so the thank-you often ends up in a printed honor roll in the annual report that is read once and filed away.
Annual fund donor recognition on a touchscreen gives each year its own honor roll without repainting anything. Import this year’s list when the books close, sort it into alumni by class, current parents, grandparents and staff, and publish. Last year’s list moves into its own folder, so a donor who gives every year can find their name in each one.
How does annual fund donor recognition compare with a printed honor roll?
| What matters | Printed honor roll | HistoryShowcase |
|---|---|---|
| Where donors see it | In the annual report, once a year | On the lobby screen and at a web address |
| Finding your class | Turn pages to the right section | Search by name or filter by year |
| Last year’s donors | In last year’s report on a shelf | A past honor roll folder a tap away |
| Correcting a name | Wait for next year’s printing | Fix it, preview and publish again |
What to put on an annual fund display
This year’s honor roll
Every donor to the current annual fund, listed by the same giving levels your annual report uses.
Alumni by class year
Each class gets its own list, so reunion classes can see who from their year has given.
Parents, grandparents and staff
Separate lists for each group, so a first-year parent and a thirty-year teacher both find their names.
Class agents and volunteers
The volunteers who wrote notes and made calls for the annual fund, thanked by name.
Past years’ honor rolls
Each completed year keeps its own folder instead of disappearing when the new list goes up.
What the annual fund supports
Photos of the things annual gifts help pay for at your school, such as field trips, classroom books or faculty training.
How to set up annual fund recognition
Make each giving year a folder. Inside it, ledger rows by constituency keep long lists easy to scan.
Your siteAnnual Fund Honor Roll
- This yearHonors ledger
Sub-collections for alumni, parents, grandparents, faculty and friends.
- Alumni by classHonors ledger
The class year goes in each entry so visitors can filter by year.
- Past honor rollsHonors ledger
One folder per completed year, kept exactly as it was published.
- Your gifts at workPhoto gallery
Photos from the classrooms and programs the annual fund supports.
Visitors can narrow it by
- Constituency
- Giving level
- Year
How do you set up annual fund donor recognition?
Export the year’s donor list
Pull the honor roll from your donor records as a spreadsheet with columns for name, class year, constituency and giving level.
Import it as one giving year
Import the spreadsheet into a new year folder, one row per donor, and check the preview for spellings and preferred names.
Publish, then start next year
Publish the new honor roll, move last year’s into Past honor rolls and open a folder for the year ahead.
Where should an annual fund honor roll go?
- Main office lobbyParents see it at drop-off, pickup and every conference night.
- Alumni weekend registrationReturning alumni can find their class and see who from their year gave.
- Your annual report emailLink to the published site’s web address so the honor roll lives in one place.
Annual fund recognition questions
We print an honor roll every year. Does this replace it?
It can sit alongside it or take its place. The list your office already prepares can be imported as a spreadsheet, one row per donor, and published on the touchscreen and at its own web address.
What if a donor’s name is wrong after we publish?
Fix the spelling, preview the change and publish again. There is no reprint and no new plate, and the correct name shows once it is published.
How do we handle donors who ask not to be listed?
Leave them out of the import or archive the entry. Archived stories stay hidden, and nothing appears on the screen until someone with publishing access publishes it.
Can alumni find their class quickly?
Yes. Visitors can search by name and filter by year, constituency or giving level, depending on the filters you set up for the collection.
