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Getting Started: Donut Shoutouts

Donut Shoutouts makes it easy to recognize teammates in Slack. This guide covers setup, management, and what to expect once it’s live.

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Written by Essence
Updated this week

🎥 Watch: How to Set Up Donut Shoutouts

Prefer a quick walkthrough? This short video covers:

  • How to configure your emoji, points, and channels

  • How to create and manage rewards

  • What happens when you launch

  • What it looks like in Slack


🛠 Step-by-Step: How to Set Up Donut Shoutouts


Step 1: Set Your Shoutouts Program Basics

Go to the Donut dashboard Shoutouts tab and configure the Basics:

  1. Emoji picker: Choose an emoji (like 🍩 or 👏) that teammates will use to give points.

  2. Points name: Customize what your points are called (e.g. Kudos, Tokens, High-Fives).

  3. Slack channel: Pick where Shoutouts happen—this is where teammates will tag each other and recognize wins.

  4. Weekly points: Set how many points each teammate can give per week

  5. Reactions: Allow points to be given via emoji reactions by turning on the toggle in the reactions section:


💡 Each emoji used in a Shoutout = 1 point.




Step 2: Build Your Reward Store

Create rewards that reflect your culture—monetary or not. On the Rewards tab, you can:

  • Add custom rewards (PTO, coffee gift cards, team swag, etc.) or start with Donut’s templates.

  • Set a name, description, image, point value, and visibility for each reward.

  • Rewards are hidden by default—toggle them “on” when you're ready to launch

🚫 Don’t need rewards? No problem.


You can now launch a Shoutouts program without a rewards store. On the Rewards tab, just toggle off Enable rewards program. Recognition and point-giving will still work as usual—no rewards required.




Step 3: Assign Admins

By default, Donut Account Admins have Shoutouts admin access. You can also add more Shoutouts-specific admins in the Permissions tab.


Admins can:

  • Create and manage rewards

  • Fulfill rewards or mark them complete

  • Deactivate Shoutouts



📦 Step 4: Create a Fulfillment Channel

Set up a private Slack channel where Donut will post when someone redeems a reward.


Messages will include:

  • Who redeemed a reward

  • Reward details

  • A one-click “Mark Fulfilled” button

Example fulfillment message:


Once marked fulfilled, Donut will update the message to reflect completion.



🚀 Final Step: Launch Your Program

Head to the Launch tab in the Donut dashboard to complete setup and go live.

The Launch tab includes:

  • ✅ A checklist of everything required to launch

  • 🔄 Links to quickly fix any missing steps

  • 📣 A sample Slack announcement you can post to your Shoutouts channel

To enable the Launch button, you'll need to:

  • Select your emoji

  • Configure 1+ Slack channels for Shoutouts

  • Create a fulfillment channel

  • Add at least 3 visible rewards

Once you click Launch, teammates can start giving and receiving Shoutouts in Slack immediately.


📌 What Happens After Launch

Once your program is live:

  • Teammates give Shoutouts by tagging a colleague in the designated Slack channel and including the chosen emoji.

  • Donut tracks points and sends confirmation messages in Slack.

  • Recipients can view and redeem rewards right from Slack.

  • Admins manage setup, track fulfillment, and visibility from Slack and the Donut dashboard.


🏆 View and Use the Leaderboard

Once your program is live, Donut automatically tracks Shoutouts activity in a Leaderboard—accessible from the left sidebar menu in the Donut dashboard.

  • Top Givers and Top Receivers are highlighted for admins

  • You’ll also see each teammate’s Donuts given, received, and redeemed

  • Non-admins will only see their own totals in Slack—leaderboard visibility is admin-only

📊 Use the leaderboard to recognize high participation, celebrate milestones, or spotlight unsung heroes in team meetings or newsletters.

Pro tip: Add a fun monthly reward or team shoutout for the #1 giver!


💡 Helpful Links

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