Have you ever held a door for someone without a thank you? How about letting someone in front of you in traffic without so much as a wave? These are small things that happen all the time, yet they still get under our skin. Now, here’s a bigger question, have you ever freely given of your time, talent, energy, ideas and money and not received a thank you? Or, you received what looked like a thank you on the surface, but quickly realized it was another solicitation masquerading as a simple act of gratitude.
It is hard to believe, but there are some organizations that forget — for any number of reasons; some more valid than others — to give a thank you to their members, volunteers and donors. And, more often than no thank you at all, many organizations attempt the art of the thank you but don’t seem to nail it.
The art of the donor thank you
Thank you letters come in all shapes and sizes, and there is no hard and fast rule (with the exception of the necessity to send them) on how to craft one. A thank you letter to a committee chair, a thank you for a volunteer who worked an event, and a thank you to a donor will all look a bit different.
With the siren song of year-end giving growing louder each day, let’s take a look at a few traits of a solid donor thank you letter.
As I write this, I’m looking at a pile of thank you letters I’ve received over time. I save these letters (and, nowadays, emails) both as a professional communicator and as a donor who appreciates knowing where my money goes and seeing that the organization really appreciates my helping them meet their mission. From my personal and professional experience, I suggest that powerful donor thank you letters:
- Are prompt and personal: Donations aren’t wedding gifts; there is not a one-year grace period. You need to get right back in front of your donor as quickly, professionally and with as much impact as possible because the sooner you engage your donor with a thank you, the sooner you can continue to grow your relationship with her.
- Put pen to paper: Going old-school with a hand-written note will help you break out of the noise your donor encounters through his email and ‘snail’ mailbox. If nothing else, show a personal touch with an additional hand-written note and signature at the bottom of a typed letter.
- Give a true thank you, not an additional appeal veiled as a thank you: People are savvy enough to know when your thank you is an additional appeal. A well-written thank you will show gratitude for current giving and knowledge of past giving, and it doesn’t ask for another gift or any further action at that time.
- Are well, and intentionally, written: When is the last time you felt warm, fuzzy and inspired by a form letter? Your donors are no different! Taking the time to send a well-written letter that intentionally calls out the reason for the thank you has a greater impact than a mail-merged form letter ever could. Remember, to raise money, you need to build a personal relationship, and there is nothing personal about a form letter.
- Make the donor proud and instill confidence in his decision: It’s a simple concept – people want to know they made the right decision when they give of their time, talent, energy, ideas and money. Writing your thank you letter in a way that reinforces the donor has made a solid decision in supporting your mission (e.g., share how the money will be used, point out your Charity Navigator rating, etc.) will keep him engaged and proud to be a part of your group of donors.
- Are a reflection of your brand’s personality and infused with the warmth they received during their courtship period: Remember, if your organization has a name and a mission, it has a brand. And, your brand has a personality. Make sure your thank you not only sounds like the person signing the letter but also blends your brand personality into it as well. This is where working with your colleagues in communications, or a communications consultant, can help you a great deal.
- Provide new information: As you are working on language to instill pride and confidence in your donor, make sure you are using this thank you as an opportunity to provide new information. Lack of time and resources can make it all too easy to cut and paste from your website or previously sent donor materials. Fight that urge! This is your chance to move the donor along with new information. Even if it is one small nugget, tailored to the relationship you have with the individual donor, your new information will resonate.
- Thank recurring donors and newly acquired donors with the same fervor: Just because someone has given once, doesn’t mean she will give twice. And, just because she’s given 100 times, doesn’t mean she will give 101. While the messages will be different, the passion and gratitude should be on the same level – no matter if it is the first gift of the fifth gift. Of course, the more letters you send to one donor, the more creative you’ll need to be to ensure she has something new and tailored with each gift (and, granted, there will be some repetitiveness eventually), but the effort will go a long way. And, now more than ever, retention is just as important as acquisition, so make sure you thank old faithful just as wholeheartedly as you would thank your new donors.
In all, the best way to make sure you have a donor thank you letter that wins is to ask yourself one simple question: Would I feel special, inspired, confident and willing to give again if I received this letter? If the answer is yes, head to your mail room and begin the inevitable dance with your postage meter. If the answer is no, I suggest you grab a notebook and a pen and write something you would be excited to receive. If you have writer’s block, let check with your colleagues in communications or just drop me a line at emeadows@causecollaboration.com, and we’ll talk!
Let’s Collaborate: Here’s a great next step – Once you have the art of the thank you mastered, just imagine how much impact you’d make if the thanks came pouring in. Imagine you’ve given a gift and you receive a thank you from the development professionals who solicited the gift; you receive a thank you from the head of the organization and/or board of directors; and you receive thank you from someone who will be impacted by your gift. With new studies showing donors want to know more about their donations and who they help, perhaps we need to consider a multi-touch thank you approach. Let’s chat about this, and other ideas together in the comments below!
