How to Write Donor Thank You Notes
Video Transcript
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Nonprofit leaders – a donor thank you note is the beginning of future gifts.
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Let me share my hard-earned
lesson learned about donor gratitude.
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It was early in the formation of the foundation that I helped establish and ran for 10 years.
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The staff headed out for our week-long, annual convention that was months in the making.
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Consequently, we left a skeleton crew at the office and planned to respond to any gifts received upon our return.
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We knew we would have gifts
to process when we returned.
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With great surprise, a major gift came in the mail when we were out.
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Immediately upon my return, I received a call from the major donor.
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He was not happy.
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He had not heard from us.
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You see, he mailed in $5,000 and wanted to know if we had received his gift.
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To say the least, I was devastated.
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Obviously, I apologized to the donor
and tried to explain that we had
been out at our annual convention.
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It didn't matter to the donor.
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He had not heard from us.
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As you can imagine, he wanted to know
that we had received his gift that he had
put in the mail over a week ago.
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I will tell you –
I pledged to never let that happen again.
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Without question, I pledged to always be prompt in thanking donors.
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Here are some lessoned learned from this painful experience of mine:
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First, donors want to know
you received their gift.
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They want you to appreciate them and their gift.
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Second, they want to feel
valued by the organization.
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Letting the donor know
they are appreciated is critical.
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The first step upon receiving a major gift is to make a personal thank-you call.
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And as soon as you hang up from that phone call, write a personal note of thanks.
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Now, not all thank you notes are created equal.
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Let’s look closer at a
thank-you note.
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Here are three absolutes
with every donor thank you note:
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#1. Write a hand-written, personal, and heartfelt note.
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Consider your personal connection and what the donor values about your organization.
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It's important to be sincere
when you write your message.
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A quick tip is to always
make your first line memorable.
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You have only one chance to make a first impression when someone opens your note.
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Make your words count.
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#2. State specifically in your donor thank you note how their gift will make a difference.
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It’s about the donor – the impact they are making. It’s not about the organization.
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Help your donors understand
that they are part of the solution.
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Let them know they are the hero
for your organization.
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Share a story that conveys
the impact of their gift.
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Say, for example, “thanks to you, 140 homeless women and children received a community style holiday dinner this year.”
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Share recent conversations you had with beneficiaries of your work.
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#3. Send your thank you note
within 24-hours of gift receipt.
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After immediately making the phone call to the donor to say thank you, send a note.
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Sending a note promptly sends a message of how much you value them and their gift.
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State the amount in the note – it lets the donor know you know the size of their gift.
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Donors put much thought into
how much they would contribute.
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It was not on a whim.
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They had been thinking about it for some time.
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Ok, to wrap up,
remember these three tips.
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And remember these handwritten notes are in addition to the acknowledgment letters
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generated from your customer relationship management system – your CRM.
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For a couple of additional tips, have your board chair sign the acknowledgment letters with a special hand-written note at the bottom.
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Have other board members send thank-you notes or make personal calls to say thanks.
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Provide sample language and script to help make it easy for your board members!
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Be creative in how you show gratitude.
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Most important, you cannot
over thank your major donors.
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They have more to give.
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My goal as a fundraising coach is to make sure you treat donors like they should be treated –
with great respect and admiration.
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Your major donors allow your organization to fulfill its mission and keep the lights on.
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Now, my question to you is:
How do you make your donor
thank-you notes special and personalized?
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Let me know!
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Provide a comment below!
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I look forward to seeing you next time!
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Bye for now!
Nancy Rieves, Ed.D. is a fundraising coach. She provides executive and development directors with a roadmap to maximize and sustain major gift fundraising. She prepares leaders to be confident and successful in raising money. Reach her at [email protected].
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