I was talking recently with a very smart Marketing and Development Coordinator (which really means, “She Who Writes Pretty Much Every Damn Thing That Needs Writing.”)
I asked how she handled their ‘thank u’ letters. How much time did she put into them? Were they actual ‘thank u’s or the glorified receipts that everyone seems to send out?
Not only did she send real thank you letters, she also sent a mid-year letter whose only purpose was to thank the donors for all their donations, and tell them some of the good things their support had accomplished.
I asked how she handled their ‘thank u’ letters. How much time did she put into them? Were they actual ‘thank u’s or the glorified receipts that everyone seems to send out?
Not only did she send real thank you letters, she also sent a mid-year letter whose only purpose was to thank the donors for all their donations, and tell them some of the good things their support had accomplished.
These are the kinds of things I wish more orgs would do. Show gratitude to your donors and they’ll show you more money…
There was no ask in the letter. But she did include a donation envelope – which is standard procedure for pretty much every NPO communication.
I asked if she got any donations. She didn’t have exact numbers, but out of a list of about 900, the letter pulled in almost $10,000.
Showing gratitude pays.
Don’t assume your donors know how much you appreciate them. Tell them!
Tell them how much you love them, and why. Tell them all the good things their money’s done in your hands. They’ll be more likely to keep giving you money if they know it’s going to a good cause.
And what is that good cause? Solving problems AND making the donor feel good about themselves.
Now, will this kind of thing work for every org that tries it? Probably not. Nothing works "all the time." Will it work as well as it did for other orgs that try it? Maybe not.
But why not try?
For the cost of printing and mailing - and I know many of you out there get these services donated, so don’t plead budget poverty – you can build some serious good will with your donors (and possibly see a nice return too!)
There was no ask in the letter. But she did include a donation envelope – which is standard procedure for pretty much every NPO communication.
I asked if she got any donations. She didn’t have exact numbers, but out of a list of about 900, the letter pulled in almost $10,000.
Showing gratitude pays.
Don’t assume your donors know how much you appreciate them. Tell them!
Tell them how much you love them, and why. Tell them all the good things their money’s done in your hands. They’ll be more likely to keep giving you money if they know it’s going to a good cause.
And what is that good cause? Solving problems AND making the donor feel good about themselves.
Now, will this kind of thing work for every org that tries it? Probably not. Nothing works "all the time." Will it work as well as it did for other orgs that try it? Maybe not.
But why not try?
For the cost of printing and mailing - and I know many of you out there get these services donated, so don’t plead budget poverty – you can build some serious good will with your donors (and possibly see a nice return too!)
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