the art of the thank you

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4 Ideas for Personalizing Annual Giving Stewardship Efforts

rescignos thank u  

As fundraisers, you know that special days take on a new meaning for nonprofits.  Your workload intensifies by random donation requests and volunteering questions, for example.  It’s easy to see how donor stewardship during the holidays and special occasions, like this Sunday’s Mother’s Day, can get put to the side.

These special days should be a prime time for you to steward your donors.  Often, you will see a number of first time gifts and additional gifts from regular donors.  This means you need a plan for donor retention.

It’s the savvy fundraiser who knows that  making stewardship a priority during these special times will result in better ROI in future campaigns.  Though I certainly know that offering great stewardship for annual giving donors is challenging because of the volume of donors you may have, I want to offer you 4 Ideas to personalize stewardship for annual giving donors to help you capitalize on future donor retention:

  1. Handwritten Note on Acknowledgement Letters or Tax Receipts – You’ll need some parameters for this.   For example, for 1st time donors or gifts over $500 send a note.  Be sure to track stewardship activity in your database.  Who responds to what?   Examples:  “Your compassion will be felt by many people during this special time.”  Or, “On paper your gift is a number, but in life it’s giving someone hope for a brighter future.  Thank you!”
  2. Send a Holiday Card that Includes a Handwritten Element to It – Many nonprofits send cards to their supporters. My one recommendation here is to send a handwritten note on the card you send.  It will make it stand out as much less mass produced.  In other words, as Penelope Burk noted in a seminar, make your supporters feel like you have taken the time to create something just for them.
  3. Make a Thank You Phone Call – I understand that making thank you phone calls is very time consuming.  Remember though, that someone has taken the time to make a gift to your nonprofit and as a good steward of that gift you should take the time to call to show your appreciation.  Usually, these calls will only take a minute or two and they are a great way to connect on a personal level with donors.   I read not too long ago that less than 10$% of nonprofits make thank you phone calls to their donors (Engage Telemarketing).  Seems like a whole lot of possibility to play in a field of opportunity to stand out above the competition to me.
  4. Create a Short Thank You Video for Online Donors – I reallylike this one a lot — Consider filming your executive director or Bd Chair delivering a short thank you message that can be emailed to the supporters after their gift has been made.

Do you have any ideas for personalizing annual giving stewardship that you could add to the above list?  What’s working?  What isn’t?

 

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Stop Nickel & Diming Your Donors into Submission

Webinar Photo  

Flying is quite the chore these days.  It really is.  Just one inconvenience and imposition after the other.  Complying with security regulations can be downright unnerving and very humbling, especially for women.

Customer service?  As far as I’m concerned, it’s a lost art in the “friendly skies.”  And the nickel and diming that goes on!  Why, I oughta!!

My wife, Sue, and I go everywhere together and gee whiz, we actually like to sit next to one another.  Can you  believe it?  If you want to sit next to your spouse, it’s an extra $40, each.

Just the other day we encountered a new “add-on.”  Pay extra to reserve a specific seat number on the flight.  The new reality is that paying for a ticket reserves you a seat…nothing more.  If you want to choose where you sit it costs anywhere from an extra $10 to $40!

If that weren’t bad enough, they’ve long since stopped serving meals as part of the ticket price.  Oh, you can still get a piece of fruit and maybe a snack bar for $5-$10, but only rarely have I been able to secure a bag of peanuts on recent flights.

Charging for checked luggage is a new nickel and dime gimmick (Southwest is the notable exception).  I know for a fact that there are some airlines that will cancel flights or claim maintenance problems if the flight isn’t capacity or close to it.  Anyway, you get the idea .

What does this have to do with donors?  Just this – if you ask for money each and every single, solitary  time you send out a direct or email letter, you just might be nickel and diming your donors to the point of “enough already.”

Another tactic that disturbs me no end is when I am on the receiving end of a phone call from a charity that begins with, “I’m just calling to say thank you,” or “I’m not asking for money today.”  Then the caller proceeds to ask for my support again.  Or I’m asked for a pledge, which is the same as asking me for money.

Last fall, I got a letter in the mail which was pure cultivation.   No ask, no return envelope.  It made a big impression on me.  A positive impression, to say the least.  It’s rare to find those today.

The art of cultivation is what it was.  It’s not  just a thank you letter soon after receiving a gift.  It’s a strategy deeply integrated into a year-long fundraising and marketing schedule. 

So don’t be like the airlines.  Don’t nickel and dime your donors to attrition or submission.  Treat them with dignity.  Appreciate them.  Be a friend.

Do you have any similar airline tales to tell?  Anything I missed?

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Donors Try to Tell Us How to Raise More Money! Listen!!

Ron-Rescigno  

I am of the belief that donors try to tell you how to raise more money.  They try to tell you that they will give again, and that they will increase their gifts.  But you have to pay attention to them…you have  to listen!

I also believe the vast majority of donors appreciate recognition but want more meaningful information.  When you donate, don’t you want to know how your gift was used?  Isn’t it common sense that the more meaningful the feedback given to donors is, the greater the likelihood that they will continue to give increasingly generous contributions?

Donors consistently tell us they need the following:

  • prompt, personalized gift acknowledgement;
  • confirmation that their gift is being used to do the work intended;
  • measurable results from past gifts prior to being asked for another contribution.
  • affirmation that you, the fundraiser, know them;
  • acknowledgement that his/her gift is making a difference (after all, it is what we told them their gift would do if they sent it in response to our appeal, remember?).

Shh!  Quiet now.  this is the time of year to listen. All those gifts are coming in.  What is the donor telling you?  Is he expressing his wishes as far as how he would like his gift used?  Let’s take that one step further.  Do you provide the vehicle for the prospect or donor to communicate his wishes to you?

This whole premise probably sounds rather simple, right?  Ask yourself, though, is your customer service up to par?

Here are comments we’ve heard, word for word, from donors this fall:

  • “When I make a gift,  I expect sincere thanks, evidence of making a difference, and stories about people helped through my gift.”
  • “I expect the organization’s staff to be capable, knowledgeable, efficient and respectful of my time.”
  • “I expect an accurate accounting of my giving history.”
  • “I am hopeful for a good overall experience from start to finish.”
  • “If I am disappointed, I may not say so in words; more likely,my giving will decrease or cease.”
  • “Worse yet, I may mention my disenchantment to another potential supporter.”

Are you listening?  These are real-life donors speaking.    Pay closer attention to them, their wants and needs, honor them as best you can.  Donors want to help your cause if you connect with them and give them avenues to communicate with you.  Document those communications and use them in future personalized solicitations you send to them.  They’ll appreciate the effort and, no doubt, become loyal donors for a long time.

 

 

 

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6 Tips to Connect with Donors at Thanksgiving…Have You Tried Any of Them?

rescignos thank u  

Trapped between the spooky fun of Halloween and the spiritual but often over-the-top commercialism of Christmas lies Thanksgiving, which is often overlooked in the retail arena but shouldn’t be when it comes to fundraising, engagement and giving thanks to those who support your work.

When you come to think of it, we have the pilgrims to thank for the roots of our Thanksgiving holiday and America’s  philanthropic spirit.  It’s appropriate to use this special season to deepen your connection with donors by showing your appreciation for them.   And It’s Not Too Late to Try Some of These Tactics:

  1. Send a Thanksgiving card to special donors and volunteers.  When feasible, make it more personal by including a handwritten signature and note.
  2. Assign volunteers and staff donors to call with a brief “thank you” message during Thanksgiving week, when business slows for most folks.
  3. Send a Thanksgiving-focused e-mail blast.
  4. Utilize your social-media sites, as well as those of your volunteer and staff team, to amplify your message of thanksgiving and have conversations with donors.
  5. Include appropriate Thanksgiving messages on your website homepage.
  6. If you have home-bound donors or those who are not able to participate in holiday activities, strategize how you might be able to reach out to them.

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Donor Love : How Do You Show It?

Ron-Rescigno  

I read a survey recently that said it is 10x more expensive to find and secure a new donor than it is to keep a current one.    So why spend so much time, effort, and $ on new ones?

It’s time to show your current donors the love!  How?  With great donor service, for example.  Try to make them feel special, like an insider, like family even.  If you succeed, they will give more and more.

Yes, renewing current donors IS more important than getting new money.  Here are some other suggestions to “show them the love:”

Create a donor communication program;

Create a friend-making committee of board members;

host special events just for your donors;

make prompt thank you calls;

create a donor communications calendar – month to month;

be creative in the way you communicate your written thank you’s;

use different channels like personal visits, phone calls, emails, donor events, etc.  Be creative, not lavish.

This last one is probably the most important of them all:  let your donors know how you spent their money AND what you achieved with their money.

What do you think of these ideas?  How do you show your donors the love?


 

 

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