20 Ways to Thank Your Donors Year-Round and Keep 'Em Giving

The Donor Attraction Letter

Wednesday, November 27, 2013

Here in the U.S., tomorrow is Thanksgiving!
 
With our thoughts turning to all that we’re thankful for, I’ve got your donors in mind—–the special people who make your life-changing work possible.
 
In the spirit of giving thanks, today’s issue is focused on how you can use the incredible power of thanking your donors year-round to keep them inspired to give again … and again … and again.
 
If you’ve been reading my posts for any length of time, you know I’m passionate about this topic. And lately I’ve been coming across more examples of donors who are feeling left out in the cold after making their gift:
 
Major donors who give to capital campaigns and don’t feel adequately appreciated and thanked.
 
Annual fund donors who don’t receive a thank you for weeks … or not at all.
 
First-time donors who receive impersonal, unemotional form letters instead of warm, welcoming communications that get them smiling and excited to keep their giving going.
 
Do Better with Thanking Donors and Your Donors Will Keep Giving
 
I want to help make sure your donors always feel appreciated and never feel neglected! With donors leaving in droves these days, exceptional stewardship of your donors is so important.
 
Let’s get started—–lean in and take a look at 20 of my favorite ways you can thank and appreciate your donors during the year:
 
#1: For every donation, send a thank you letter via postal mail within 48 hours.
 
#2: For every donation, send at least 3 thank you communications.
 
#3: Be a thank you super star by finding 5-7 ways to thank your donors after each gift. Use direct mail, handwritten notes, email, social media, video, phone calls, and face-to-face meetings.
 
#4: For online donations, thank your donors immediately with a warm, personal, engaging autoresponder email or a post-donation landing page on your website.
 
#5: Recruit a “thank you ambassador” (or a group of them!) whose job it is to place personal calls to every donor after they give. Board members, beneficiaries, advisory council members, and close supporters are perfect for this—–especially those who aren’t so keen on asking for gifts.
 
#6: Thank your donors on Facebook and Twitter. This is a GREAT way to make emotional deposits with your donors and leverage social proof. When your followers see others donating, they’ll be more inclined to give, too.
 
#7: Know your donors’ birthdays and use this special occasion to send well wishes and big thanks for their ongoing support. Facebook is a terrific tool for this! Build up your Facebook following with as many donors as you can and use this platform to remember your donors on their birthdays.
 
#8: Recognize and thank donors in your annual report … now being renamed “gratitude report” by many smart nonprofits. Bonus: Include heavy personalization and a handwritten note in the cover letter that goes with it for major donors who’ve shown extraordinary support.
 
#9: If you don’t publish an annual report, send an annual letter with the sole purpose of stewarding and thanking your donors. In it, show your sincere, enthusiastic thanks and provide a mini-report of what donors’ support has helped accomplish during the past year.
 
#10: Send short thank you videos. You can easily record these using a phone with video capability or a Flip Cam. Videos are the BEST for making a strong emotional impact! Tip: Instead of organizational folks, capture authentic, unscripted, genuine, heartfelt thank you messages from people who are benefiting from donors’ support.  
 
#11: After your annual fund campaign or fundraising drive ends, send an email thanking everyone who participated and share outcomes, including if you met or exceeded your goal.
 
#12: After any event, thank each participant, volunteer, sponsor, and donor highlighting who was helped and what was achieved because of their involvement.
 
#13: Send short bursts of thanks for little milestones you reach along the way during a fundraising campaign or any special initiative your supporters are helping to make happen. Donors love to know about even small gems of progress that are being made because of their gifts. Punch up the emotional impact with a straight-from-the-heart anecdote, a lovely testimonial, or an impressive statistic.
 
#14: Send a “just because” mailing (or email) to thank your donors for making your cause one they care about and share a story of someone who’s been helped because of their support.
 
#15: Send a “Happy New Year” email that thanks donors for making the past year a big success. Include a sneak peek at what’s to come in the new year.
 
#16: Send a “Happy Valentine’s Day” email that showers your donors with love and thanks. You can also get very creative with a postal mailing here, perhaps something with a “donor love” theme sent to a select group of your top supporters.
 
#17: For your volunteers, recognize and thank them during “Volunteer Appreciation Week” (slated for early April in 2014).
 
#18: Send a “Thank You” email (or postcard) leading up to Thanksgiving.
 
#19: Send a “Happy Holidays” email that extends well wishes around the two big December holidays, Christmas and Hanukkah, while also sharing your thanks for donors’ support.
 
#20: At least once a year, send a brief survey to your donors that does double duty with showing thanks and asking for their feedback so you can better understand their impressions, preferences, values, and priorities.
 
Although this is not an exhaustive list, I hope you got a little more “thank you” inspiration from it!

Click here for even more inspiration on how to delight your donors with a giving experience filled with plenty of thanks and appreciation year-round.
 
The big takeaway is this:
 
You must remember: How you thank your donors after they give plays a HUGE role in whether or not they give again … and how much they give. Good stewardship and loading on lots of donor thanks in between your appeals is an investment that will help you retain more of your donors and get them giving at higher levels. Research shows that even a 10% reduction in attrition can yield up to a 200% increase in lifetime value of your donors.  
 
Dedicated to helping you attract and keep your donors,

Jen Viano
Nonprofit Writer/Consultant
Editor, The Donor Attraction Letter

PS: Need some help putting together a donor communications calendar for 2014 that has the perfect blend of fundraising appeals and messages of thanks and gratitude? I’d love to work with you on it! Email me at Jen@JenViano.com or give me a call at 248.957.8918.

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