Finding and nurturing donors to your charity is essential to the long-term viability of your nonprofit. Being able to show appropriate and constant appreciation for their contribution is essential to establishing these relationships. For some leaders of nonprofits trying to find the appropriate words or methods to thank donors is a problem. Here are five suggestions to express gratitude and keep your donors committed to your cause: NPO software
- Personalize
There’s no problem with automated email responses to donors online or traditional thank-you emails as a way of expressing your gratitude. However, these messages will be much more effective when they are personalized in some manner. The easiest way to personalize your messages is to make use of your mail merge function in your database software for contacts (ACT! is a fantastic option). Also, snail mail notes as well as postcards could be printed using the initial or last initial of the person who made the donation, without long.
- Please specify
Inform the donor of the way in which their donation was utilized and what impact it had on the cause. The phrase “thanks for $500” is nice but, like the thank you letters you needed to write to Aunt Tabby The donor wants to know that the donation was well-used and appreciated. If they contributed to a particular cause be sure to keep them informed of the developments. If their funds went to general operations, simply inform them of what has transpired since they made their donation (served seventeen new clients because of your contribution).
- Be sure to include true anecdotes
People love stories. Make it easier for people to see the difference they created by writing about the successful stories from your most valuable clients. It is important to emphasize that these success stories are only the result of the generosity of donors to the mission of the organization. Incorporating photos can be effective. Make sure you’ve got written permission from the clients you feature…otherwise make sure you modify the titles of people who do not wish to be identified, and include this in printed materials.
- No Solicitation
Do not solicit cash in the initial few thank you attempts. It is a good idea to Thank you 3 times, before asking for money in the next time. It is not necessary to have written and three times must be the norm. Continuous solicitations will cause donors to feel unappreciated and may even question your leadership’s ability to lead the company. In the end, if you’re soliciting more funds in every single thank-you it is likely that you have not made the most of their initial donation.
- Experiment
Explore different ways to show gratitude to determine which one affects your specific donor base the most. Think about writing a note on occasion from staff, board members or even volunteers. If you find it too for you to handle (high amount of donors) you could consider writing notes only for your top donor or printing the note however, you must address the envelopes by hand. For instance, a non-profit that focuses on early childhood development could draw children’s artwork on the