What’s the difference between a memorial gift and a tribute gift?

A memorial gift is made in memory of someone who has died; a tribute (honorary) gift is made to honor someone living or to recognize a milestone.

Should the honoree’s name appear on the donor wall?

If you choose to display honorees, establish a consistent format (e.g., “In memory of [Name]”) and confirm permissions for public recognition when appropriate.

How do we keep tribute recognition from becoming inconsistent?

Use standardized labels (In Memory Of / In Honor Of), a clear character limit, and a correction workflow so staff aren’t making one-off formatting decisions.

Memorial & Tribute Gift Donor Recognition

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Donor Recognition Use Cases /
Memorial & Tribute Gift Donor Recognition

Plan your donor recognition experience

Get a walkthrough of touchscreen donor walls, donor trees, giving societies, and campaign progress displays.

Browse donor recognition templates

Live Example: Rocket Alumni Solutions Touchscreen Display

Interact with a live example (16:9 scaled 1920x1080 display). All content is automatically responsive to all screen sizes and orientations.

Intent: demonstrate

Memorial and tribute giving is emotionally significant—and recognition needs to be careful, consistent, and consent-aware. Use the templates below to acknowledge the donor, respect the honoree, and present tribute recognition cleanly on a digital donor wall.

When to Use This

You receive “in memory of” or “in honor of” gifts year-round
Your organization hosts memorial funds, tribute pages, or remembrance events
You want a donor wall section that treats tribute recognition with dignity (and avoids formatting chaos)

Memorial/tribute acknowledgement (copy artifact)

SUBJECT: With gratitude for your tribute gift

Dear [Donor First Name],

Thank you for your gift of $[Amount] to [Organization] in [memory of / honor of] [Honoree Name]. We are grateful for your generosity and for the meaningful tribute you are making.

Your gift supports [impact statement] and helps [community served] through [program/service].

If you would like, we can recognize this tribute publicly in our donor recognition listings. Our standard public format is:
  “In [memory of / honor of] [Honoree Name]”

If you prefer that the honoree not be named publicly, please reply and we will list the gift without the honoree reference.

With appreciation,
[Signature]
[Name], [Title]

Donor wall section copy + listing rules

Section title: “Memorial & Tribute Gifts”
Standard labels: Only “In Memory Of” and “In Honor Of” (no ad hoc variations).
Consent: If the honoree is living, confirm permission before public display.
Character limits: Set a max length for honoree names and notes; keep the wall readable.
Avoid duplication: Decide whether you list the donor, the honoree, or both—and do it the same way every time.

DonorsWall implementation notes (make tribute recognition feel dignified)

Create a dedicated Memorial & Tribute category with consistent label styling.
Add optional photo + story cards (with explicit permission) for remembrance campaigns.
Use remote content management so corrections don’t require reprints.
Maintain ADA WCAG 2.1 AA readability and navigation so all visitors can engage.