Are Your Letters Going Out with Errors that Result in Lost Gifts?

The Donor Attraction Letter

Wednesday, April 2, 2014

Recently I had dinner with a dear friend who shared with me that one of her favorite charities had really upset her.
 
The reason?
 
She and her husband, both in private practice, are sponsors of the charity’s annual walk. Together, they’re also members (writing a joint check for membership dues). For recent sponsorships and their membership payment, they received letters with errors and a distinctly different, highly impersonal feel than those they’d received in the past.
 
Their names were spelled incorrectly.
 
There was a “Mr.” instead of a “Mrs.” for my friend’s sponsorship letter.
 
For the membership letter, it was addressed to one of them, not both, and included a company name (this was a personal donation, not a corporate one).
 
Both were clearly form letters that showed no special appreciation for their recurring, longtime support.
 
On both, they noticed it wasn’t signed by the Executive Director as it had in the past and neither had a handwritten note jotted in at the bottom as they had been accustomed to (which they loved!).
 
And here’s a doozy: A Visa gift card was enclosed with the membership thank you letter without clear explanation about whether this was sponsored or paid for by the charity.
 
This couple’s level of giving is considered major for this nonprofit, the gift amounts are significant to this couple, and they both had felt especially close to and confident in this charity.
 
So, when my friend opened up these letters, saw all the errors and lack of personalization, along with confusion about the gift card, it stung.
 
She no longer felt special or appreciated.  
 
She questioned how her funds were being used.
 
The joy she once felt through her giving was replaced with a feeling of regret.
 
She also shared how they weren’t really happy about how the charity handled their past sponsorships and how this was the straw that broke the camel’s back. They have plans to reduce their annual giving, stop the walk sponsorships, and they may decide to lessen the amount designated to the charity in their will (or remove it altogether).
 
Is this happening to you?
 
Are these troublesome feelings bubbling up in your donors?
 
I hope not!
 
The lesson I’d like to hammer home here is how important your communications are for keeping your donors happy + giving over time. Without adequate attention on making sure they’re accurate, heartfelt, and full of personalization, donors (especially your major ones) will feel left out in the cold and uninspired to continue their giving.
 
If your thank you letters are stale, overly-professional, organization-centric, and impersonal—or if your overall donor communication strategy needs work—make the investment now to improve these critical donor retention tools.
 
Maybe your nonprofit is already in good shape with all of this. If so, bravo!
 
If not, I urge you to make it a priority and take steps toward better donor communications today.
 
Need some help?
 
I’d love to work with you!
 
Email me at Jen@JenViano.com or give me a call at 248.957.8918. Let’s talk about where you’re at, where you want to go, and how I can help you get there.
 
Dedicated to helping you attract and keep your donors,

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