Author : Alan Sharpe
The most important thing about your donation
thank-you letters is not what you say or how you
say it but
how quickly you say it.
According to Stephen Hitchcock in Open
Immediately!, for many donors, a brief thank-you
note pre-printed with just the amount and date of
the gift can be more effective than long-winded
thank-you letters that arrive long after the donor
mailed you a gift.
Your gift acknowledgement notes and cards need to
leave your office within 48 hours of receiving a
donor’s gift. Never take longer than a week. You
need to be prompt with your gratitude for a number
of reasons.
1. Being prompt is being polite. We all like dealing
with people who are thankful
2. Your donors need to be reminded that they made
the right decision in sending you a gift. They have
many choices about where they can send their
charitable donations. You need to remind them that
their donation to your organization was the right
choice. The longer you take to send that message,
the less likely donors are to feel a kinship with your
mission (and give again).
3. One of the prime reasons that donors lapse (stop
giving) is that they feel unappreciated. The easiest
way to show your appreciation is to thank your
donors quickly, appropriately and enthusiastically.
A word about thanking major donors
Donors who send you particularly large gifts in the
mail deserve a phone call or a personal visit. Which
usually causes a problem with promptness. These
donors are usually flagged, taken out of the daily
receipting and thank-you process, and placed in a
to-do pile for later follow up by the executive
director,
director of advancement or the person who signed
the fundraising letter that prompted the gift.
And that’s where the problem arises. Donors who are
taken out of the regular thank-you system tend to
be thanked in person, eventually, but much later
than is ideal. I recommend that you follow the advice
of Stanley Weinstein. In his book, Complete Guide
to
Fundraising Management, Stanley recommends
including major donors in your usual gift
acknowledgement process. Mail them the same
thank-you letter, note or card that you send to
everyone
else. That way they are thanked promptly. Then
follow up with a more personal thank you note
(perhaps hand-written), a phone call or a personal
visit.
New Handbook shows you how
Need help with writing terrific thank-you letters?
Read Boost Your Revenues and Donor Loyalty with
Effective Donation Thank-You Letters. The fifth
Handbook in the Hands-On Fundraising Series
features tips on common mistakes to avoid, a
line-by-line analysis of a donation thank-you letter,
and a
helpful list of things you can show your gratitude for
other than the gift alone. If you need to master the
art of writing the single most important letter in
direct mail fundraising, this new Handbook is for you.
It’s available for immediate download. Learn more by clicking the link below.----
About the author
Alan Sharpe is a professional fundraising letter writer, instructor and mentor who helps non-profit organizations raise funds, build relationships and retain loyal donors using creative fundraising letters. Learn more about his services, view free sample fundraising letters, and sign up for free weekly tips like this at http://www.RaiserSharpe.com.
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