Publicly acknowledging the contribution you’ve received follows closely on the heels of the thank you letter in establishing good karma at the beginning of the funder/ grantee relationship. To start with, you’ll want to add the funder’s name to the list of donors on your website or anywhere else you publish a list of donors. This can be your next concert program, a donor recognition wall, or any publication. On your website, you can also provide a link to the funder’s website.

Carefully note the spelling of the funder’s name on its letterhead, and use that form in all acknowledgments (unless the funder instructs you otherwise). Is it “The Smith Foundation” or just “Smith Foundation”? These little things can matter a great deal.

Occasionally, a funder will ask in the award letter that their grant remain anonymous. Always scrupulously honor this request. Mark their database record, and let program and development staff know about their request. If the letter says nothing about anonymity, you can assume the funder won’t mind being listed, but if you intend to do anything else to publicize the gift, always ask for permission.

Your donor lists make your donors known largely to an internal audience (even if on your website) because only those seeking your services (or your colleagues at other charities looking for prospects) will be likely to read them. If you have received a major grant, you’ll also want to let the world know about it by issuing a press release. Always get the funder’s permission before issuing a press release. You’ll want a quote from them for the release anyway, but also give them the option of seeing the press release draft before you issue it.

You can do a press release for an anonymous gift, but unless you’ve received a really large gift, the press won’t be interested because one of the major facts (the donor’s name) isn’t available to them. And if you receive a really major gift (say, in the millions), some reporter will try to ferret out the identity of the donor and probably will succeed.