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TY Thursday: Best Ways to Thank Donors in 2018

February 8, 2018 by Dennis Fischman Leave a Comment

Treasure chestEvery donor you keep is a treasure. It costs more to find a new donor than to retain a previous one. The more often a donor gives, the more loyal they become to your cause and the greater the lifetime value to your organization. So, saying thank you all throughout 2018 is not just a good idea. It’s money.

Need ideas to show your donors some love? Here are 14, just in time for Valentine’s Day, from Sandy Rees.

What makes a good thank you? Here are  5 easy steps to great acknowledgments, courtesy of The Donor Guru, Lynne Wester. (And also, check out my checklist for the ideal thank-you letter.)

If you prefer to look at a template, Network for Good offers this one to adapt to your donors’ needs.

spotlightGive up the spotlight! Don’t talk so much about your organization.

If you focus on gratitude, if you focus on love, if the focus is donor-centric, there’s something in it for the donor, they’re going to go, “Wow, that was really nice” (as Claire Axelrad tells us in this video from Bloomerang).

Ann Green is right: Even if someone donates online, she should get a thank you by mail or phone. If you haven’t sent a thank you letter to your year-end donors, do that now! http://ow.ly/h2L730hSWQS 

Now, remember these wise words from Tom Ahern:

Thanking someone promptly for a gift is just good manners: the bare minimum. Thanking is necessary, not sufficient. It does not equal “donor-centricity.” Thanking alone will not lead to better retention nor any predictable increase in future support.

Actions thank louder than words. Check out my guest post for John Haydon and at the end, you’ll find five ways you can thank donors like you mean it.

Besides saying thank you to renewal donors, you could also welcome new donors on board.

And the next time you ask for money, include the words Thanks in advance–especially if you’re asking by email! (A tip from our friends at The Agitator.)

Thanking donors makes you happy, so do yourself a favor and start putting these great thank-you tips to work today.

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TY Thursday: Steal from the Best

April 20, 2017 by Dennis Fischman Leave a Comment

steal from the bestAre you trying to come up with an original way of thanking your donors? Don’t worry too much about that. Instead, follow comedian Milton Berle’s advice: “If you’re going to steal, steal from the best.”

(That must be good advice. Kurt Vonnegut stole the quote from him!)

Steal These Top Ten Thank-You Ideas

There are lots of models for saying thank-you out there. Here are my top ten.

  1. Michael Rosen shows you how to thank your most loyal donors. (You should certainly make your supporters feel as appreciated as a big corporation like Marriott does with its guests!)

2. Ann Green tells you to create a thank-you experience that begins with the thank-you landing page on your website and goes on through email, mail, and phone calls.

3. If you’ve ever considered using video for your thank-yous to donors, take a look at these examples presented to you by Bloomerang.

4. Joe Garecht says you can take the classic thank-you letter to a whole new level. Take a look at his sample letter. And Pamela Grow’s thank-you letter template, too!

5. While you’re at it, take a look at my blog The Ideal Thank-You Letter Went Out Today–one of the most popular I’ve ever written–because you want to know the single most important thing about thanking your donors.

6. Gail Perry gives you a checklist of do’s and don’ts if you want to write a killer thank-you letter.

7. It’s a lot easier to say thanks if you develop an “attitude of gratitude” in everyday life. Mary Cahalane shows you how thanking donors can make you happy.

8. A thank-you can win the trust of your donor. Kivi Leroux Miller says your TY can be specific about how the gift is being used and show results: two things donors say they want above all else!

9. Rachel Muir tells us about The Best Thank-You Letter I Never Got, in her guest post on John Haydon’s blog. Do you donate? Can you put yourself in the shoes of the donor? Follow the golden rule of nonprofit writing.

10. Does someone at your nonprofit say, “Let’s just send out the same letter we sent before”? Lisa Sargent suggests you do a thank-you letter audit–and she provides a 17-point checklist to help you show the skeptics where you could be doing better.

Because Your Donor is Worth It

Are you as good at building loyalty as an airline?

pilot thanks you

Thank you for flying our nonprofit!

Every time I’ve flown in recent years, I’ve heard the flight crew say something like this upon landing. “We know you have many choices for your air travel. Thank you for choosing North-South-East-West Airlines.”

Your donors have many choices about what to do with their money. They could give it to another nonprofit in your field. They could give it to a completely different cause. They could blow it on pizza and beer. They could leave it to their grandchildren.

But they chose to make a gift to you. You are better off because of it. And you want them to make that same choice next time.

So, it’s worth sending that donor the best expression of thanks you can. Especially when you have so many good ideas to steal!

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TY Thursday: The Ideal Thank-You Letter Went Out Today

December 1, 2016 by Dennis Fischman Leave a Comment

I have seen the ideal appeal letter.  I haven’t yet seen the ideal thank-you letter.  But it went out today.  Did you send it?

Thanks in many languages

Write the ideal thank-you letter

If you wrote the ideal thank-you letter, you:

  • Called me by name.
  • Confirmed how much I gave you.
  • Told me how my gift would make a difference.
  • Illustrated my impact with a story.  (Not the one you told me to persuade me to give.  Another story.  You have more than one, right?)
  • Included a photo or image to make my impact real.
  • Told me about how else I can help: by volunteering, or liking you on Facebook, or spreading the word to my friends.
  • Signed it by hand, and wrote something just for me.

Most important: it’s the ideal thank-you letter because it went out today. 

The sooner you acknowledge my gift, the more likely I am to remember it, and give again. Within 24 hours of your receiving my check is ideal.  Within a week is acceptable.  But no matter how long it’s been, don’t put it off any longer.  Send that letter today.

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