Sometimes the person who should send recognition isn't the one at the keyboard. A leader might be traveling, an executive might rely on an assistant, or a team might want one trusted person to handle recognition for several people. Delegate Giving lets you solve that without losing the personal touch.
With Delegate Giving, one person can write and submit recognition on behalf of someone else. To everyone else on your team, the recognition still looks like it came from that other person. In the product, you'll see this as Delegate Giving.
How it works
Two roles matter:
Principal: The person the recognition is sent from. Coworkers see the principal as the giver.
Delegate: The person who writes and submits the recognition. They act for the principal when they're allowed to.
A company admin sets up which delegates can act for which principals. A delegate can only give as the specific people they've been assigned. They can't send on behalf of anyone else at your company.
When a delegate gives recognition, they choose who they're giving as from the Recognize a team member modal (the Givebox):
As me: Normal recognition from their own account and balance.
As [principal's name]: Recognition sent from that principal's account and balance"
The Giveable Balance pill updates as soon as they switch accounts. When they select a principal, the pill shows that person's available points, and recognition sent on their behalf uses that balance, not the delegate's.
Setting up Delegate Giving (admins)
Only a company admin can turn Delegate Giving on and assign delegate relationships. Go to the Delegate giving section on the Admin > Recognition > Peer-to-Peer page to enable.
You'll see a toggle to turn the feature on or off:
Off: Only the title and description appear. Delegates can't give on anyone's behalf until you turn it on.
On: You can assign delegates and choose which principals each delegate can give as.
The page explains the feature this way: Set up a delegate to give recognition on behalf of someone else. Points are deducted from that person's balance, and the recognition appears as if it came directly from them.
As an admin, you'll:
Turn Delegate Giving on for your company.
Assign delegates and the principals each delegate can give as.
Each delegate is limited to the principals you assign. You can give one delegate access to multiple principals if that fits how your team works. Delegates won't be able to give as principals they weren't assigned.
Availability
Delegate Giving is available on all Bonusly plans. It is controlled by a feature toggle (proxy_giving). When it's enabled for your company and delegates are assigned for principles, delegates will be able to give for the principle(s). If the toggle is off, Delegate Giving won't appear in Admin Settings and delegates won't see the As [name] option in the Givebox.
Transparency for principals and admins
Your team sees the principal as the giver on the recognition feed. That's intentional: the recognition is meant to come from that person.
Two other views keep things clear behind the scenes:
For principals: You'll get an email notification when a delegate sends recognition on your behalf. That way you're never surprised by activity tied to your account or balance.
For admins: Open Admin Settings > Reports > Recognition Activity. Recognitions sent through Delegate Giving show a D icon next to the person in the From column (the principal). Hover the icon to see the delegate who submitted the post. If you export the report to CSV, you'll get a delegate column for your own analysis.
FAQs
What's the difference between a delegate and a principal? The delegate types and submits the recognition. The principal is the person it's sent from. Your team sees the principal as the giver.
Can any user set up Delegate Giving? No. Only company admins configure delegate relationships. Delegates can't add themselves or choose their own principals unless they are a company admin.
Does the delegate's giving balance get used when they give for someone else? No. When a delegate gives as a principal, the post uses the principal's available giving balance, which you'll see in the selector when you choose who you're giving as.
Can a delegate give for more than one person? Yes, if an admin assigned them to multiple principals. They'll only see principals they're allowed to act for in the giving selector.
Why don't I see "As [name]" when I give recognition? Either you're not set up as a delegate, Delegate Giving isn't turned on for your company, or you weren't assigned to that principal. Ask your admin if you think you should have access.
Does the principal know when someone sends recognition for them? Yes. The principal receives an email when recognition is sent on their behalf, so they can see activity on their account.
Can admins tell who actually sent a delegated recognition? Yes. In the Recognition Activity report, delegated posts show a D icon next to the From name. Hover the icon to see the delegate's name. CSV exports include the delegate as well.
What's the difference between Bizy recognition and Delegate Giving? They solve different problems.
Bizy helps you write and send recognition as yourself. You're still the giver on the post, and the recognition comes from your giving balance. Bizy is an AI assistant: it can draft a message, suggest hashtags, and walk you through a preview before you approve and send. Nothing changes whose name appears on the recognition.
Delegate Giving is for when recognition should come from someone else. A delegate (a real person you've assigned) writes and submits the post, but your team sees the principal as the giver, and the post uses the principal's balance. An admin has to set up who can delegate for whom. It's not AI acting for you; it's a coworker giving on behalf of a specific person you've allowed.
In short: Bizy helps you give your recognition faster and better. Delegate Giving lets a trusted person give the principal's recognition when the principal isn't the one at the keyboard.