By Michael Bacon, CFRE
Every now and then, I receive a thank you from a nonprofit that is thoughtful and considerate. I wish that every appreciation note from a nonprofit managed to do that! More often, I receive a tax receipt signed by a Staff member that feels more like a cursory duty than a genuine statement of appreciation. And rarely do I receive anything beyond that letter.
A sincere thank you entails doing something more than sending a gift receipt with a printed message. It is opportunity to strengthen the relationship between your organization and the donor.
Just as 2011 ended, we received a packet from a nonprofit that we had supported financially. Full disclosure is that the nonprofit is a former client of ours. I was very pleasantly surprised by what I found. Here is a photo of the contents:
You can see a copy of the annual report and an oversized handwritten note from the Executive Director, personally thanking us for our support in 2011. The entire package is wrapped in an attractive bright bow that begs you to pull it open.
This packet was in addition to the charitable gift receipt we had already received. It was an incredibly thoughtful additional thank you for our support.
For her landmark study that became the book Donor Centered Fundraising, Penelope Burke surveyed thousands of donors in the United States and Canada. One of her many survey findings jumps out:
53% of study donors could recall an instance when a charity did something unexpected or out of the ordinary to acknowledge their philanthropy.
The thank you we received from the Children’s Bereavement Center of South Texas (www.cbcst.org) certainly fits the bill. It got my attention and felt genuine. I do believe that the nonprofit appreciates me. Will I give to them again? You bet!
As we start 2012, what can you do to appreciate your donors? Perhaps you focus on the most generous top 10% of your donors. As you start a new calendar year, can you come up with a way to make those supporters feel personally appreciated? Now is the time to thank your donors, especially if you have a spring solicitation planned.
Here are a few ideas for you:
- Have your Board members call donors to thank them personally. Sincerity trumps training every time.
- At the next Board meeting, allocate 10 minutes for Board members to use their cell phones and make three calls each. Have a prize for the Board member with the best story about their thanking conversation.
- Send artwork created by the clients your nonprofit serves. Add a short note of thanks and explain that the enclosed piece of art is a small way to share your gratitude for their support.
- Do you have a particularly meaningful letter from a client, expressing their gratitude for the help they received? Include it as part of a thank you note to your top donors. What our clients say about us is powerful.
- Valentine’s Day is coming up. What can you do to reach out to your donors and let them know you appreciate them?