Picture this: You’re in the middle of a big campaign, your nonprofit event is buzzing with energy, or you’re launching a new project that needs multi-year support. We’ve all been in scenarios where the excitement is palpable. And your donor feels that energy, we all know that’s the perfect time to make an appeal. And your best friend at that moment? A pledge card.
What is a Pledge Card?
At its core, a pledge card is a simple, physical card or a digital form that a donor fills out to commit a gift or a certain amount. It’s like a formal IOU, a non-legally-binding promise from your donor that they’re going to support your work.
Pledge cards can be extremely useful because they allow you to secure a donor’s commitment on the spot, even if they aren’t ready to donate at that moment in time. This is especially helpful during events or campaigns where you want to capture the excitement of the moment or in cases where you may be seeking support for future projects.
Pledge cards can also be a benefit to donors as they allow them to plan their giving over time, which can be more manageable, especially for larger donations.
Because they create a clear, documented record of a donor’s intent, pledge cards are also a key part of your donor stewardship plan and follow-up strategy. They will help you, or your fundraising team, know who to thank, who to follow up with, and how to plan for future campaigns.
While the idea behind pledge cards is relatively simple, we also realize that creating pledge cards can be time-consuming. To ease the lift, we’ve created The Pledge Card Playbook— a guide to help you create pledge cards that includes 5 pledge card templates.
If you want to jump right in, you can download your playbook now:
But if you want a recap of a well-rounded pledge card and some guidance on how to use the playbook, we’ll dive into that now.
Key Components of a Pledge Card
While the details will change for each type of card, all effective pledge cards should include the following things:
Your Logo and Brand
Display your logo prominently. Good branding will not only make it look nice, but it will also build trust with your donors.
A Clear Call to Action
Include a brief, compelling statement that explains the purpose of the gift. This will remind your donors of why they’re making their pledge and the impact that their gift can make.
Gift Amount Options
Your card should include pre-set donation amounts with space for a custom amount. The pre-set amounts will (and should) vary depending on the donor, campaign, and type of ask.
Payment Options
How will donors make their gifts? When will their gift be paid? Will it be a one-time gift or be paid over time in installments? Make sure your card captures how and when the donor intends to fulfill their pledge. Some people may want to send gifts by check (especially larger ones to avoid processing fees), while some may prefer to give online through a donation form.
Donor Information
Make sure to gather the basics that you’ll need for follow-up: name, address, phone, and email. Once a donor makes a pledge, you want to know exactly how to get in touch with them to ensure that their commitment turns into an actual gift.
Signature Line
Though it’s not legally binding by any means, providing a place for the donor’s signature can help formalize their commitment. Include a place to note the date so you can know exactly when this pledge was made.
Thank You
A brief note of gratitude at the bottom, even as simple as “Thank you for your support of our work,” can be a tasteful way to acknowledge your donor’s generosity as they fill out the card.
Another thing you could add, if applicable to your ask, is matching gift information. This could be a simple check box with text like, “My employer offers matching gifts and may be able to double my donation.”
This can help donors determine if their employer offers corporate matching gifts or prompt them to look into it, if they haven’t already.
The Pledge Card Playbook
We crafted our Pledge Card Playbook to not only capture the key elements noted above but also to lay out templates (and examples) of pledge cards in action.
These templates are just suggestions, so feel free to adapt and adjust them as you see fit for your organization’s needs. We’ve also included different designs and layouts for each type of pledge to give you an idea of the different formats you could use when designing your own pledge cards!
We’ve made templates for five different scenarios.
1. General Pledge
This all-purpose pledge card can be used for year-round fundraising. It’s simple, direct, and can be used for walk-in or mailed appeals.
2. Event Pledge
This card is designed to be used on the spot at a fundraising event. It’s a shorter, more visually engaging card that focuses on the energy of the moment.
3. Capital Campaign Pledge
This card is designed for a long-term, multi-year commitment to a specific project. This type of pledge card emphasizes the long-term vision and investment.
4. Matching Gift Pledge
This card is designed for donors to commit to matching funds, which would be applied to a fundraising campaign and used to inspire other supporters to make a gift and double (or triple or quadruple) their impact!
5. Company Sponsorship Pledge
This card is designed specifically for corporate partners. It focuses on business benefits and captures the way that businesses could support your work.
Turn Promise into Partnership
As is hopefully clear by now, pledge cards are more than just a piece of paper. They’re a documented record of a donor’s intent to give. If you’re using integrated fundraising tools, like Neon One, you’ll want to keep close track of these pledges too as they can play a key role in your donor follow-up and donor stewardship plan.
When you’re doing great work, it’s important to make it easy for people to get involved. A pledge card can be your best friend as you turn promise into partnership (and hopefully long term support!) You got this!
