How to say “Thank You” to your Donors — Harness
We know how much you (and your staff) do for your organization and we truly hope that you are receiving the recognition you deserve for your commitment. With that being said though, your focus in terms of recognition and appreciation in your organization’s posts should be focused on the Donors in order to increase the chance of future donations. In other words, “Honor your Donors” as award winning writer Leon Fooksman would say.
Everyone appreciates recognition and many times a simple act of recognition can inspire a donor/follower to give again in the future. It’s a FREE way for you as an organization to inspire and show appreciation for your donors and make them truly feel connected to your cause. So, if you aren’t doing it already, just remember to show recognition and appreciation to your donors on your blog, social media and other online sites.
Make it PERSONAL
We’ve all seen the broad “Thank you to our donors” messages that organization’s send out. It’s a nice gesture, however it is most likely viewed by most people who see it as a generic boiler-plate message that doesn’t really recognize donors specifically. Think for a second how much better you feel when you are thanked by Name publicly, whether by another individual or an organization. Don’t you feel like your efforts that you are being thanked for are actually more appreciated and ultimately make you more likely to do it again?
In conclusion, It’s perfectly fine to send out the all encompassing message of appreciation, but it should be complemented by personal thank you messages. By taking the extra few seconds to customize your messages to personally thank donors by name and the impact they truly had on your cause through their donation you will separate yourself from the large pack of other organization’s who don’t follow this practice.
*** This blog article was based on a few of the key takeaways from a wonderful presentation by Leon Fooksman at Planet Philanthropy 2017 (presented by the Association for Fundraising Professionals). Leon has generously given permission to use some of these great takeaways from his presentation in order to help Nonprofits improve their storytelling. Be sure to check out more of his work at DigitalStoryline.com
Originally published at https://blog.harnessgiving.com on June 26, 2017.
