Saying thank you, again and again

As we are now in the thick of the holiday season, many are in the holiday flurry of gift giving.  While we finish up our shopping, we will soon be thinking about thanking others for their gifts to us.  Revitalization organizations should also be thinking about extending their thanks to their partners and donors for their on-going support now, and in the coming year.

There is a truism in major gift fund raising that you should have at least seven substantive contacts with a potential donor before asking for a substantial gift. This sentiment comes from years of hard earned experience by major gifts officers at universities, hospitals and other large institutions. Thanking donors for their gift is an important part of the major gift cultivation process.

For most Main Street organizations, we tend to diminish the process of thanking– or stewardship as it is called by the fund raising professionals—because we are caught up in everyday business.  Many local revitalization organizations have developed systems for sending acknowledgement letters (ideally within five days)  to donors, as checks or on line donations come into the office.  Systems are good.  But what about thanking donors BEFORE you ask again?  A new twist, you say?

A timely and genuine acknowledgement of a donor’s gift, whether it is $25 or $2500, is essential. Extending your thanks is polite.  But more importantly your thanks can have real meaning for the donor.

Your donors–those people who give at a higher level to your organization–are already sold on your downtown organization.  A donor’s $100 gift (for example) to your annual appeal is probably not the only gift you received from them this year.  They are also giving to you as members/partners/investors. They also give to your fundraisers. They also come to your ticketed special events. These people really love your organization and support you multiple times each year.  You probably know each and every one of them.

Thanking your donors multiple times in multiple ways makes sense.  Not everyone thrives on a formal thank you letter to satisfy IRS requirements.  Others may be thrilled with a handwritten thank you note from a board member.  Some donors may prefer to see their name in your newsletter among all the others that contributed at that level.  Still others, who have given at a substantial level, need other types of honors and thanks.

But everyone needs to be thanked, not once, but at least three or more times for every gift.  My favorite fund raising saying is “thank people three times, three different ways” which needs to be credited to Sheri Stuart, who was a program associate with the National Trust Main Street Center, when I first heard her say that phrase. Others believe you need to thank a donor seven times!  Read this timely blog post.

So during this holiday season, even if you don’t receive an annual gift from a loyal donor, thank them anyway for their continuing support. Send all of your loyal donors a note, or send a short email, or make a phone call, just to say thanks.  It is good manners, certainly.  But that thank you can deepen your relationship now and generate good will in the future. And plan to thank your donors again.

Additional information.

Guidestar.com posted a great short article about how to go from friendraising to fundraising–which is essentially the donor cultivation process noted above. See the Guidestar.com blog post here.