FundRaiser Blog
The FundRaiser Software Blog is an excellent resource for nonprofit organizations looking to learn more about fundraising, donor management, membership management, and much more.
6 Ways to Stay Quick and Genuine with Your Thanks
Thanking donors seems like something so basic that we shouldn’t even have to talk about it. But more mistakes, with more devastating results for donor loyalty, are made in the thanking of donors than anyplace else. So, let’s go over six rules for saying “thank you” that are absolutely essential.
- Thank a donor immediately. Send out a thank-you note for a gift no later than the day after the gift is received. Nothing is more important than a prompt thank-you.
- Be humble. Don’t act as if or communicate the thought that you were expecting the gift as something that was the donor’s responsibility to do.
- Praise the donor’s generosity. Do not stint. Let the donor know how important the gift is.
- Praise your donor’s leadership. Anyone who gives is a leader and should be treated as such, and call attention to the fact that their gift will influence others to give.
- Thank donors for past support. When you receive today’s gift remind the donor how appreciative you are of past support, but do not talk about future support. Do not say thanks out of one side of your mouth and hint at future requests out of the other.
- And finally, never let a hint of disappointment show. Never, ever show a lack of gratitude for a gift, whatever its size.
There are two things that must be remembered about saying thanks. Donors expect it, and they deserve it.
To learn how FundRaiser can help you send out thank you letters quickly
About the author
Tony is the founder of Raise-Funds.com. For 20 years Tony was director of development for The Cleveland Orchestra. As such he was responsible for Cleveland’s largest annual institutional fund-raising campaign. Since 1993, Tony has been a fund-raising consultants. Tony’s experiences have won him a wide audience. He is the author of the widely used and praised book It’s a Great Day to Fund Raise, a step-by-step guide to help volunteers and professionals be as successful as possible as they carry out their fund-raising responsibilities.
Author's recent posts
Related Posts
Wait a minute, while we are rendering the calendar
holiday
support
password protection
how to handle auction gifts
building donor relationships
campaign management
the Ask
board members
transparency
motivation
campaign
entering auction gifts
correspondance
SYBUNTS
pledges
welcome packet
donor relations
anonymous donors
letter
Crowdfunding Campaign
GivingTuesday
End of Year Letters
recurring gifts
membership programs
giving levels
Congratulations
major donors
FundRaiser Spark
donor
letter templates
premiums
email
new version
word processor
spare fields
features
new leadership
giving history
FundRaiser Hosted
PayPal
Volunteer module
volunteers
Snow Birds
appeal letters
operating systems
In-Kind gifts
online donations
personalizing letters
GoFundMe project
direct mail
endowment campaign
arts
happiness
customer portal
animal rescue
community supported gardens
donor engagement
small donations
event management
charity golf tournaments
Thank You
flash sales
upgrading donors
corporate sponsors
correspondence
gift notes field
passwords
grassroots campaign
Personalizing
capital campaign
planned giving
planning
Reporting to IRS
salutation
adding personal notes to letters
National Change of Address
donor retention rate
merge notes
mode code
donor recognition
donor loyalty
custom page
targeted mailings
accounting software
on site training
donor profile
reports
Alternative Addresses
solicitors
Cloud
merge fields
new nonprofit
community arts nonprofits
raffle
fundraising letters
moves management
Excel
tax summary letters
brick campaign
Resiliency
phoning donors
operational costs
fundraising
disaster relief
data analysis
online donations
vacation
donor advised funds
Network for Good
Reminders
lapsed donor
training
tribute gifts
donor attrition
auction
Codes
#GivingTuesday
donor attrition rate
alumni
foundations
budget
technical support
user interface
gift entry
appeal
security
Importing Data
understanding giving trends
look and feel
gift acceptance policy
new features
training tip
LYBUNTS
major gift prospects
overview
FundRaiser Basic
tech tip
monthly giving
ROI
membersip benefits
holiday giving
change of address updating
donor prospects
product news
donor slip
office
Constant Contact
how-to videos
pictures
Company culture
thank you letters
ticketsales
mailing
donor retention
spreadsheets
upgrade
volunteering
annual maintenance plan
Tickles
user spotlights
donation history
data entry
backing up data
publicity materials
donor preferences
general
announcements
relationship tracking
holiday letters
grants
prospects
donor source
government grants
New Year
Groupings
advanced tab
increasing giving amounts
nonprofit fundraising
role of nonprofits
add ons
Donor Portal
Facebook campaign
memorial giving
importing csv
donor targeting
Thanksgiving
data conversion
banquet
membership benefits
mission driven
large donations
customer service
updates
motivation code
texting donors
legacy giving
segmenting donors
Facebook
in honor of donations
communications
donor contact information
social media
Task List
annual campaign
NCOA processing
case study
new donors
repeat donors
community broadcasting
ticket sales
development director
follow up