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TY Thursday: I Wrote This Poem Just for You

February 11, 2016 by Dennis Fischman Leave a Comment

Poems for donors

Have you heard the advice that you should thank your major donors seven times before you ask them for the next gift?

People dispute it. Pamela Grow says you should ask again during the honeymoon period after the first gift. But there’s no denying that you need to thank your donors early and often–and in many different ways.

Here’s one way you might not have thought of. Send them a poem.

Poems that Say “Thank You”

If you want to find poetry that expresses gratitude, you can find plenty to quote online. Choose the verse that fits your donors the best. If they like inspirational messages, you might try this one:

For what you have done,
for what you have said–
For what you have helped me with,
thanks seem not enough.
I want only to tell you one simple phrase,
Yet I feel the need to ensure
that the emotion is conveyed.
If I could just say it, and ask you, please,
multiply my thanks by infinity.

Perhaps your donor is slightly more literary. You could send her this excerpt from Giving, in Khalil Gibran’s book The Prophet:

And you receivers – and you are all receivers – assume no weight of gratitude, lest you lay a yoke upon yourself and upon him who gives.

Rather rise together with the giver on his gifts as on wings;

For to be overmindful of your debt, is to doubt his generosity who has the free-hearted earth for mother, and God for father.

No matter what kind of poetry you borrow and share, this is vital: add your own thoughts at the end, by hand. (For instance, if I sent the Gibran verse, I might add, “You are exactly the type of generous person that the poet is talking about. Let’s continue to rise together!”)

Writing Your Own

A hand-made gift can be more precious than anything bought in a store. When you write a poem yourself, it says–better than any famous poet can–“I love what happens when we’re together, for a cause.”

You hesitate. You’re not a writer? It doesn’t matter, really. The feeling is more important than the words.

For instance, here are a few words from me to you:

Who says “thanks” to you? You toil all year,
each day (long days) to bring the money in
so people seeking help will find it here
and not be stopped before they can begin.

You meet the donors, send out your newsletter,
Share stories face to face and through email;
write posts and then rewrite them, make them better,
bring
them to life: find the vivid detail

to win the memory, photos to catch the eye.
And when the precious gift does finally arrive,
you thank the giver: right away, reply
so the love they’ve shown will be returned, and thrive.

I send my gratitude to you, fundraising pro.
Donors would too, if they knew you as I know.

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Thank-You Thursday: Get on Their Screen with Video

January 21, 2016 by Dennis Fischman 4 Comments

 

If you work at a nonprofit organization, you’re probably pretty charitable yourself. Are you getting a lot of thank-you letters in the mail? Great. But have you ever received a thank-you video on your phone or computer?

You would remember if you had.

The Personal Impact of a Thank-You Video

There’s something about the face and voice of a real person saying “thanks.” Yes, I love getting thank-you letters in the mail.Video can’t substitute for an envelope with a stamp on it that you can hold in your had. But it can add.

A video can show you where your donation made a difference. That’s the approach The Nature Conservancy takes.

It can present the faces of the people who are doing the work, as charity:water did with their staff.

Or it can show you the faces of the people whose lives are better because you helped. The Children’s Hospital Foundation took that approach. They even titled their video “Thank you for supporting kids like me.”

Making Your Thank-You Video

These examples come from larger organizations, but the thank-you video is a great tool for the small nonprofit too. If you have a smart phone, you have a video camera in your pocket.

Production values are not what matter in a thank-you video. Here’s what does (according to Raymund Flandez, writing in the Chronicle of Philanthropy):

  1. Be brief. Don’t send out a fifteen-minute description of everything you do. One minute of gratitude says it much better.
  2. Say thanks–and say why. Let the donor know the impact his or her gift has made.
  3. Speak personally. Make sure the donor can tell who it is that’s saying thank-you and why they care.

Sharing Your Thank-You Video

Once you’ve made your thank-you video, you have multiple ways to share it.

You can email it to the donor–but sending it as an attachment may make recipients worry about being spammed. Your video is more likely to be seen if you’re using an email service like MailChimp that allows you to embed the video in your message.

You can distribute the thank-you video through your Facebook page or other social media. You can post it permanently on your website or YouTube page, so you have the link to share in the future.

And you can personalize it. With a very little bit of editing skill, you can add the individual donor’s name to the basic video and thank him or her directly. Try personalizing some of your thank-you videos and see how that affects your donor renewal!

 


 

You should plan to thank your donors throughout the year. But how? Every Thursday, I’ll share a different idea. (The first one was Give Your Donor a Voice.)

 

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Thank You Thursday: Give the Donor a Voice

January 14, 2016 by Dennis Fischman 2 Comments

You should plan to thank your donors throughout the year. But how? Every Thursday, I’ll share a different idea. Here’s the first installment of Thank You Thursday.

One great way to say “thank you” to your donors is to let them do the talking.

donor speaksIf you’re a Downton Abbey fan like me, you’ll recognize this face. For ten seconds before each episode, philanthropist Darlene Shiley comes on screen and tells us why she donates to keep the program on the air.

This is a fabulous thank-you idea that your nonprofit should steal, and I’ll tell you why:

  1. What’s a greater compliment to your donor than making him or her the voice of your organization?
  2. What’s more convincing to other donors than hearing heartfelt support from someone who already gives?
  3. No one reads the list of donors scrolling by except for fundraising professionals (and donors looking for their own name). But everyone watches a video.

Why Video is Right for Your Nonprofit

PBS provides a great example of using what you have to say thank you. They have Downton Abbey, a studio, cameras, lighting.

Your nonprofit might not have a TV show (unless you’re taking advantage of community access television), but you do have lots of media. Your website, your email, your social media…all of them offer you chances to give your donor a voice.

And sure, if you have someone on staff or on your Board who’s great with a video camera, call them in. But it doesn’t take a professional. If you can hold your smart phone steady, you can take a video. And there are tons of software programs that let you edit your video. A few rough edges may even make it look more authentic.

Thank You, Donor, You’re a Star!

Which donor should you ask to speak for your nonprofit? It doesn’t have to be the richest donor, or the one who gave the most. Jeff Brooks  lists Things no donor said, ever and includes this:

Would you please tell me more about your wonderful wealthy donors who give far more than I ever could?

That’s why you’re not telling us about all your donors. You’re choosing donors who will love the chance to tell us about your cause.

Darlene Shiley gives a lot–but she also speaks with genuine warmth. That’s why not only PBS but San Diego State University, California State University, and other organizations have given her a voice on video (out of all the philanthropists they could have chosen).

Find your Darlene. It may be someone who gives a tiny amount but gives every year. The amount doesn’t matter. What matters is that the person on screen wants to speak up for you–considers it a privilege to be asked. Find that person and put him or her on screen.

Why Stop at One?

You may be blessed with more than one person who can speak for you on video, especially if you let them tell their story. Don’t fret about which one to choose. You can say thank-you to all of them by giving them a voice on your different channels.

Asian Women for Health lets donors and activists tell their story on the News page of their website and on YouTube.

JOIN for Justice runs “Our Stories,” a series of videos, on its homepage and all over its website, and on Youtube, and periodically on its Facebook page.

In my community, the Somerville Homeless Coalition shared its new video, It Takes a Somervillage, by email. The video includes donors as well as public officials and partner organizations. All of them took it as a compliment.

You can feature the voices of many supporters over time. The important thing is to get started. You want to thank your donors all year long, and the time to begin is now.

 

 

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