Sunday, 26 October 2014

How and Why to Thank Your Donors

While creating a good donor base and receiving a steady flow of donations is an important part to any nonprofit organization, this is only one step of an effective donation process. It’s also important to remember that you must come up with ways to keep these donations coming for as long as possible. One way of doing this is by making sure that your donors feel appreciated.

Why you need to thank your donors

Your donors are essentially providing your organization with the funding and help that it needs in order to be successful and make a difference. Without them, your nonprofit won’t be able to do much. Because of this, it is extremely important to make it clear to every single one of your donors just how thankful you are. Doing so will not only put a smile on their face, but it will make them much more likely to give again in the future. Everyone enjoys feeling appreciated, even if it’s just a simple word of encouragement or thankful letter.

How to thank your donors

If you are unsure of how to thank your donors, there are fortunately plenty of ways that you can go about showing your appreciation. There are even ways of doing so that won’t cost you a single penny. In the end, the thing that matters most is that your donors feel valued, important, and respected. If you can keep them feeling this way, you can count on their continued donations and support for years to come.

Just a few ideas on how to thank your donors include:

• Verbally—The easiest way that you can convey your appreciation is with your words. Thank your donors in person if possible, or over the phone is you are distanced. Make sure they know that their contribution is appreciated.

• A thank you email-Simple and quick, a thank you email is sure to brighten anyone’s day. To make your thank you even more special, try to personalize each donor’s email and include their name and type of donation or contribution so that they know they are individually recognized.

• A thank you card or letter-If you have a special card you want to send, don’t hesitate to do so via mail. Handwritten letters or cards that are signed in ink are even better because they show that time was taken out in order to show appreciation.

• An extremely friendly and positive attitude-Always treat your donors with respect and a friendly attitude. Even if a donor that has previously given to your nonprofit before declines to do so when you ask them again, do not treat them any differently. On that note, treat anyone that you ask for contributions as if they had donated, because although they may not choose to contribute at the present moment, they may one day in the future.

• A photo of what their donation helped achieve-To really show your appreciation, send each of your donors a picture of what their donation helped do. That way, they will be able to actually see the difference they helped make.

Taking the time to thank your donors can go a long way to ensuring the success of your future fundraising efforts.

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