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
online donations
auction
new nonprofit
training tip
lapsed donor
ticket sales
Thank You
ticketsales
raffle
animal rescue
on site training
operational costs
GivingTuesday
tech tip
community broadcasting
development director
appeal
mailing
capital campaign
entering auction gifts
arts
Tickles
product news
support
office
Reminders
brick campaign
announcements
merge notes
training
merge fields
salutation
mode code
data entry
donor advised funds
annual maintenance plan
campaign
National Change of Address
memorial giving
premiums
online donations
donor prospects
Reporting to IRS
Company culture
donor
general
add ons
adding personal notes to letters
look and feel
LYBUNTS
grants
GoFundMe project
pledges
customer service
ROI
new leadership
holiday letters
motivation code
how-to videos
passwords
community supported gardens
tribute gifts
community arts nonprofits
donor retention
updates
flash sales
custom page
budget
Excel
New Year
correspondence
case study
relationship tracking
holiday
Groupings
donor attrition
gift acceptance policy
FundRaiser Hosted
disaster relief
nonprofit fundraising
grassroots campaign
fundraising letters
security
targeted mailings
spreadsheets
upgrade
campaign management
letter
board members
membership programs
communications
donor profile
new donors
texting donors
spare fields
planned giving
pictures
mission driven
giving history
legacy giving
new version
donor recognition
large donations
moves management
holiday giving
Task List
solicitors
Importing Data
word processor
tax summary letters
in honor of donations
happiness
letter templates
Resiliency
Volunteer module
Snow Birds
Cloud
publicity materials
features
government grants
Network for Good
NCOA processing
Codes
correspondance
membersip benefits
phoning donors
importing csv
transparency
the Ask
recurring gifts
increasing giving amounts
appeal letters
vacation
volunteering
advanced tab
building donor relationships
password protection
Crowdfunding Campaign
technical support
overview
donor slip
Facebook
endowment campaign
donor relations
annual campaign
Thanksgiving
accounting software
user spotlights
alumni
operating systems
understanding giving trends
repeat donors
follow up
donor attrition rate
membership benefits
Donor Portal
Alternative Addresses
donor loyalty
thank you letters
role of nonprofits
Personalizing
anonymous donors
customer portal
Congratulations
reports
segmenting donors
event management
#GivingTuesday
foundations
planning
PayPal
social media
donor targeting
gift notes field
Facebook campaign
charity golf tournaments
new features
data analysis
monthly giving
welcome packet
backing up data
banquet
donor source
FundRaiser Basic
how to handle auction gifts
Constant Contact
volunteers
corporate sponsors
direct mail
donation history
email
donor preferences
change of address updating
SYBUNTS
End of Year Letters
small donations
personalizing letters
giving levels
prospects
FundRaiser Spark
gift entry
donor engagement
donor contact information
donor retention rate
data conversion
major gift prospects
user interface
fundraising
major donors
motivation
In-Kind gifts
upgrading donors