Best Technique to Show Your Organization’s Need to Donor's!

Best Technique to Show Your Organization’s Need to Donor's!

Want to know the number one problem I see with organization after being awards grant funding…

I still am truly taken back when I see nonprofits that don't show a bit of grace when it comes to thanking their donors.  When I inquire why they aren’t thanking their donors on a normal basis their responses imply that they are too short-staffed, don’t have the money, too busy or the gift purely wasn’t worth a thank you.  What..!

Expressing gratitude to donors does not have to be time consuming or luxurious.  Here are 6 tactics to thank your donors cheaply, creatively and even for free:

    Powerful phone calls - Depending on the level of gift, think about having your Executive Director, a high level staff member or maybe even a volunteer make a personal phone call to thank the donor for their gift.  It doesn’t have to take a long time but it does have to happen within 48 hours of the contribution.

    Generous thank you notes - And I don’t mean just send an E-Card!  A letter on your organization’s letterhead is okay nevertheless, in my opinion; I still prefer the hand-written note.  For Pete’s sake, you can get a box of 10 note cards at any store! That's next to nothing.  Maybe time is an issue, have volunteers write the notes.

    Your newsletter or any other publications - freely acknowledge your donor's in your publications whether you direct mail them or deliver them electronically.  To go a step further, “feature” them by including their photo or advertisement.

    Using photos - remember that a picture is worth a thousand words.  Use a photo that illustrate your project in action and include them in your newsletters and other correspondence.

    Creative use of video - Websites similar to YouTube makes it super easy to record private messages to your top donors.  Simply record your message and email the link to your donor for them to open their very own thank you.  You can also freely acknowledge individuals the same way by posting the videos to your Social media pages.

    Extend invitations to join with your organization - Another approach of thanking generous donors AND keep them engaged?  Invite them to join a committee or, if appropriate, maybe even you’re Board of Directors.

Thanking donors should occur more than just once a year.  Most veteran fundraiser concurs that donors should be thanked at least seven times for their gift.  More thoughts to show they’re appreciated include calling on them occasionally to ask their opinions or advice.

Have any other ideas not listed here to make your donors feel valued? Share them with us here!

And, to show my appreciation to you for stopping by, I invite you to please take advantage of my free 2 week grant writing Ecorse.  Sign up today and receive your first lesson immediately!