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TY Thursday: Are You Annoying Donors?

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pet peevesWhen people find out I consult to nonprofits, they tell me their pet peeves. Most of what’s annoying them is how we ask for money.

Thanking and Asking Again in the Same Letter

More than one friend has complained to me about what Lynne Wester has called the dreaded thask: the thank-you note combined with a new ask. “I just sent a donation, and here they are asking for more. It’s like they’re trying to tell me I gave too little the first time!”

I tell them that the numbers show a certain number of donors will give right away if you ask them again. That doesn’t impress my friends. They want nonprofits to know that a certain number of donors will get that “thank-you, now give more” message and never give again.

You know we have a tremendous problem with donor renewal in our sector. The chances are that two of three people who gave to you for the first time in 2017 won’t give again this year. Could the “thask” have something to do with it?

Claire Axelrad tells us:

An Abila Donor Engagement Study found that 21% of donors say they were never thanked for their gift. Some weren’t, but my hunch is that a lot were. They just didn’t perceive what you sent them to be a thank you. Too often thank you letters sound exactly like fundraising letters.

What Donors Want You to Do Instead

Now, when you thank donors, you do want to ask them to take a next step. The “call to action” can be to join your email list, or follow you on Facebook, or even come to an event.

And you do want to give them more evidence that they made a good decision when they made their first donation. Show the impact they made.

But what you don’t want to do is ask right away for more money.  And what you really don’t want to do is what my friend who tweets under the name @thewhinydonor describes as her pet peeve:

The first thank you letter arrived today. And it contained an enormous reply envelope, bigger than the letter. COMPLETE TURNOFF.

When the first thing I see when I open your acknowledgement is a big reply envelope asking for more, my warm glow of giving is obliterated.

How are your favorite charities annoying you (and probably not even realizing it)? What’s your pet peeve?

TY Thursday: Best Ways to Thank Donors in 2018

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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!

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.

TY Thursday: Thank You for Not Annoying Donors

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pet peevesWhen people find out I consult to nonprofits, they tell me their pet peeves. Most of what’s annoying them is how we ask for money.

Thanking and Asking Again in the Same Letter

More than one friend has complained to me about the dreaded “thask”: the thank-you note combined with a new ask. “I just sent a donation, and here they are asking for more. It’s like they’re trying to tell me I gave too little the first time!”

I tell them that the numbers show a certain number of donors will give right away if you ask them again. That doesn’t impress my friends. They want nonprofits to know that a certain number of donors will get that “thank-you, now give more” message and never give again.

The Thask is Just Plain Annoying

You know we have a tremendous problem with donor renewal in our sector. The chances are that two of three people who gave to you for the first time in 2016 won’t give again this year. Could the “thask” have something to do with it?

Claire Axelrad tells us:

An Abila Donor Engagement Study found that 21% of donors say they were never thanked for their gift. Some weren’t, but my hunch is that a lot were. They just didn’t perceive what you sent them to be a thank you. Too often thank you letters sound exactly like fundraising letters.

What Donors Want You to Do Instead

Now, when you thank donors, you do want to ask them to take a next step. The “call to action” can be to join your email list, or follow you on Facebook, or even come to an event.

And you do want to give them more evidence that they made a good decision when they made their first donation. Show the impact they made.

But what you don’t want to do is ask right away for more money.  And what you really don’t want to do is what my friend who tweets under the name @thewhinydonor describes as her pet peeve:

The first thank you letter arrived today. And it contained an enormous reply envelope, bigger than the letter. COMPLETE TURNOFF.

When the first thing I see when I open your acknowledgement is a big reply envelope asking for more, my warm glow of giving is obliterated.

How are your favorite charities annoying you (and probably not even realizing it)? What’s your pet peeve?

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