Thanking Your Donor!

You can never make someone feel over encouraged or over thanked.  

Think about that next time you contemplate how to thank your donors, large and small, for their partnership in your ministry.  

They want to hear about the work that is being accomplished.  They want to hear about your progress. So keep sending the newsletters and updates. 

But they also want to be thanked. So here are a few ideas: 

Think About Ratio: Your communications of all kinds should carry a rough ratio of “ask to non-ask”.  What we mean here is that for your communications that go out, keep your ask-centered communications around 40% and your non-ask communications around 60%.  In non-ask communications, share stories and give updates or measurements against your goals. And thank, thank, thank your donors. Over and over.  Remind them that they are critical to getting your work done.  

Use Your Words: For every single one of these, emails, texts, phone calls, and other communications are a must.  And, the more money they give, the more personal these communications should be. For smaller levels, use mass-text services that just shoot a thank you out and no ask.  For larger donors, don’t use mass thanks, because they can sniff it out. Take the time to thank them in your communications.   

Now, About Those Gifts:  For most donors, you don’t need to spend a lot of money, but a token of appreciation is often helpful.  It helps if you make it something that will remind them about not just you, but of the impact, you made together.  The difference? A logo magnet vs. a magnet with a quote from one of the lives you transformed together and a small logo or URL somewhere in the design. Send it with your year-end ask postcard.  As donors become larger or more regular, you might consider larger gifts. Items from the country where you work, personalized letters from those who are impacted, or a commemorative item that your donor can display are options.  Or, take the route that highlights the common interests you discovered that also remind of your shared impact, like a book about the type of work or the area where you serve. Add a personal note on the inside.  

Notice we didn’t say, “For everyone who gives $XX amount, do this.”  That is helpful only once you test out a few things and ideas of how to thank donors.  But the key is to never, ever take the donor for granted or think that they are giving without the need for an acknowledgment.  Your receipt matters, but you have to go beyond that.  

When you are ready to organize it, create a Donor Appreciation Grid that allows your whole organization to know how you thank donors.  It not only allows them to be aware, but they can also reference the thanks when they speak with the donor next!