6 tips to keep in mind as you ask for monthly donations
- Digital communications & marketing
- Fundraising ideas
- Nonprofits
- Donor Engagement
From early childhood, we are taught the significance of the words “thank you.” These two simple words are just as crucial to the relationship between a nonprofit organization and its donors.
Most nonprofits send acknowledgment letters after receiving gifts and routinely thank donors for their gifts. However, to truly engage and retain donors, it’s important to foster an attitude of gratitude and create a culture of appreciation for our donors. Developing a donor-centric gift acknowledgment policy is key to ensuring donors feel appreciated and board members are excited about fundraising—which is a win-win for any nonprofit!
To create an attitude of gratitude, reflect on the following questions.
Begin with deciding who should be involved in the thank-you process. Most nonprofits have their staff or volunteers handle thanking donors, but you can ask almost anyone in your nonprofit to help create an attitude of gratitude towards your donors. Here are a few ways you can request that people participate in the thank-you process:
Whomever you decide to involve in the thank-you process should be dedicated to fostering an attitude of gratitude. Ensure that they show their genuine appreciation for donors and can explain why each gift makes a difference.
Your nonprofit should have a plan for gift acknowledgment to help streamline the thank-you process. Ask yourself the following questions to help establish your policy:
Establishing a gift acknowledgment policy not only helps to streamline the thank-you process but also gives guidance on what the attitude of gratitude looks like at your nonprofit. By clearly outlining your expectations, your nonprofit’s staff will understand what kind of appreciation culture you are trying to foster.
It’s important to differentiate between your gift acknowledgment policy and your gratitude process—the former deals specifically with communications just after a donor has made a gift, whereas the latter is about your nonprofit’s attitude of gratitude in general. Consider when your nonprofit should show gratitude to donors by asking yourself the following questions:
Each donor deserves to feel appreciated, even if they haven’t made a donation recently. If you’re communicating with a donor who hasn’t made a gift in a while, you should still reference their previous gifts and extend your gratitude.
Make sure to center donors in your nonprofit’s activities. Acknowledge specific donors by name during meetings, so that your staff is aware of who has given to your organization. If you have an opportunity to thank a donor personally, take that chance. Here are a few ways you can thank donors:
Donors enjoy being thanked in quirky, unexpected, and fun ways. Brainstorm how to make your tokens of appreciation stand out. You might consider hosting a staff meeting where everyone helps come up with ideas—this will help you focus on donor appreciation and prioritize an attitude of gratitude!
John F. Kennedy once said, “As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.” This is especially true for nonprofits, who rely on donors to help work towards their cause. Focus on how the donor makes a difference, and facilitate a relationship between them and your nonprofit’s beneficiaries, and you’ll be able to create an attitude of gratitude with ease.
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