Wondering how you can personalize keepsake ornaments to use for fundraising or as donation gifts? For nonprofit organizations who choose to work with Beacon Design for custom ornaments, the sky’s the limit. Brass ornaments can be cut into any shape, and you can even add text like names, dates, or special messages to these custom keepsakes. With our enamel finishes, you can also create colorful designs that will last a lifetime.
Below are a few ideas to consider for nonprofit keepsakes that donors, volunteers, or members will love to collect. Pick one (or several) of these creative customizable ideas to create something unique!
Add Your Name
When creating personalized keepsakes, names are something to consider. This could be anything from a family name to the name of an individual recipient or the name of your organization. When choosing how to inscribe your ornaments, think carefully about what your custom keepsake is representing. This will help you determine who should be represented and celebrated with your inscription(s).
Include the Date
Dates are also an imperative element to consider when creating custom keepsakes. Many people love collecting new ornaments year after year, so placing the date on each helps these individuals keep track of their collectables by year. For that reason alone, you may considering dating your custom keepsakes.
There are a couple of ways to go about this. The first – and most obvious – is to use dates to commemorate and celebrate achievements or anniversaries. Display the year or the anniversary date prominently, or even design an ornament where the date is the focal point.
Even if the most important element on your custom keepsake is something other than the date, it can still be a good idea to include it in a less conspicuous spot. For example, if the ornament represents a year’s worth of volunteer work, you could still include the year “2020-2021” in a small font on the back or underside of your ornament. This way, the date is still there for reference but it does not interfere with or take over the overall design of the ornament.
Make the Design Relevant to Your Organization
When you’re giving out gifts for donations or as nonprofit keepsakes, feel free to make the ornament design all about your organization. For instance, if you’re a firefighter’s association, you could incorporate designs like fire engines, helmets, or other firefighter-themed graphics as the focus of your ornament. The great thing about basing your design around the cause an organization supports is that your supporters are almost guaranteed to enjoy the graphic display, too, since they’re already interested in (or directly support) this cause.
Focus On a Theme
The key to creating a custom keepsake that is meaningful to recipients is to base the design around a relevant theme. For example, the White House Historical Association Annual ornament features a different piece of White House history each year. When it comes to creating a theme, you could consider your organization’s history, the work that you do, or even focus on traditional holiday-related themes like wreaths or doves.
Highlight a Special Event
Many organizations hold special events throughout the year, and these are great times to give out ornaments (especially if their design coincides with special celebrations). When considering ornament personalization, think about the events that your organization hosts, like charity balls, kick-offs for new projects, or potlucks, for example. Personalizing ornaments to commemorate these events makes them all that much more special.
Use Your Logo
Logos are another great way to create a keepsake that is not only collectible but also keeps you and your work at the forefront of your supporter’s minds. Create custom ornaments featuring your logo, or variations of it, and use them to help raise funds for your work. You’ll find that your volunteers and donors are proud to display your ornaments year after year in support of your cause.
Create a Completely Custom Design
If you’re a creative individual, you could also consider creating a completely customized design. When it comes to brass ornaments from Beacon Design, there is little you can’t do. So use your imagination and get creative with colors, enamel, and engraving to create beautiful keepsakes. Remember that ornaments come in all shapes and sizes and that with colorful enamel, you can bring any design to life.The customization options are virtually limitless, and when you design ornaments with Beacon Design, you’ll be able to combine more than one of these ideas. We make the ornament customization process easy so you can create custom keepsakes that will last a lifetime. Our personalized ornaments are perfect to commemorate major events, raise funds, or build awareness about the work that your organization does. To get started, visit our frequently asked questions or check out the custom ornament process to begin designing.
