Category: Thank

How To Thank & Report this Summer

Steven Screen  |  Report, Thank
a heart drawn in the sand

Summer is a perfect time for your nonprofit to Thank and Report back to your donors. While most other nonprofits are ignoring their donors during the summer, you can earn your donors’ loyalty by thanking them and showing them the effects of their gifts.

And remember that your donors are BUSY – but that works in your favor this time of year. It means you don’t have to send them an epic thank you letter or an 8-page newsletter. You just have to send them something that gets their attention and has a short message.

Here’s a list of quick things you can do. And as always, make sure you’ve Thanked and Reported to your major donors first, then move on to the rest of your donors.

  • Send a Thank You card:

    Just a short note that says something like, “Thank you for your incredible gift. Because of you, someone will be helped. Your gifts are really making a difference!” And if you can, send it on a card from the hallmark store, not on a card branded from your organization. Make it feel personal!

  • Send a picture of a beneficiary:

    All you need to do is print out a photo and write a quick note on the back. Keep it short and sweet – and about outcomes: “This is Jerry and he’s at camp this week thanks in part to your generosity. Thank you!”

  • Email it:

    You can do the same thing in email to all of your donors! (If you do send it out via email, fight the urge to send it to everyone on your email list. Send it just to donors.)

  • Send photos of summer programs in action:

    If you have programs that are active in the summer, send photos of the beneficiaries participating. Avoid the urge to write too much – you’re trying to create a bite-sized Report that your donor can recognize even if they immediately delete the email. Three short paragraphs (max!) and make sure the word “you” is used in the very first sentence.

  • Pick up the phone:

    This is a stretch for many organizations, but call your donors this summer! Starting with your major donors and your monthly givers, just call them! Prepare a 30-second speech that starts of by saying, “I’m not calling to ask for money, I’m just calling to thank you for your gifts and generosity. . .” If you’re on the phone with the donor for just a few seconds, that’s great. If they want to engage you for longer, even better. But it’s their call – you’re just there to thank them, tell them they matter and that their gifts make a difference!

 

Jeff Brooks’ Summer Recommendations — An Interview

Steven Screen  |  Ask, Report, Thank

Jeff and I have been friends for a long time — both personally and professionally. We often bend each other’s ear about fundraising and he’s one of the people in my circle who I reach out to for advice and new perspectives. And Jeff’s a straight shooter. So, I thought I’d ask him for his candid recommendations to nonprofits on what to work on this summer. Here’s what he said:

SS: What do smart nonprofits do during the summer to get ready for fall?

JB: Use the lull in activity to get ahead for the final months of the year. It’s gonna get crazy — and the crazier the better! So know exactly what fundraising activities you are going to be doing. Dates and descriptions. And get started on it now.

SS: Of those things, what’s the most important and why?

JB: Most important is having your plan in place. If you don’t know what to do and when to do it, you’ll be distracted by the craziness and not working on the things that matter most.

SS: What’s an example of a successful summer fundraising campaign that you’ve seen?

JB: When the topic has something to do with the season. Like raising money for hungry children who are not getting the subsidized school lunches and breakfasts they get during the year. Or offers having to do with the challenges posed by hot weather. It may surprise you that appeals about the “Summer Slump” in giving often do well. Just be honest with donors and tell them how giving drops in the summer but the need for services stays high.

SS: If there was one thing you could have nonprofits focus on this fall, what would it be?

JB: Make sure you have the systems in place to treat donors well even when things get crazy. You MUST be able to acknowledge gifts promptly no matter how busy you get. Systems things like that really matter!

So, there you have it, folks! Make a plan, work ahead this summer, and build donor-focused systems. If you’re already doing these, well done! If not, this is a great “short list” of things to work on thus summer.

Fundraising’s “Virtuous Circle”

Steven Screen  |  Ask, Repeat, Report, Thank
the fundraising "virtuous circle": Ask, Thank, Report, Repeat

I had the privilege of teaching at the South Sound AFP chapter a few nights ago. The group was made up of young professionals, several of whom had been fundraising for less than 6 months.

We walked through fundraising’s Virtuous Circle. A “virtuous circle” is a chain of events that reinforces itself through a feedback loop. Here’s what it looks like in fundraising:

  1. Asking donors to solve a problem with their gift,
  2. Thanking them promptly and emotionally,
  3. Reporting back to them on how their gift made a difference.

Doing those three things well, one at a time, and in the correct order causes donors to trust your organization. This makes it more likely they’ll give to your next appeal, and stay donors for years and years.

I asked the group how many of their organizations Reported back to donors. **Only one person raised their hand.** Only one organization in the whole room was completing the circle.

I’ll do a longer post about fundraising’s virtuous circle later, but for now let’s focus on the incredible opportunity this presents for you and your organization. If your donor is giving to (on average) 7 to 10 different charities – but your organization is the only one does a great job showing her what her gifts have done, what do you think will happen? Here’s the short list:

  • Your donors will stick with you for longer
  • Your newsletters will raise money
  • Your response rates to appeals will increase
  • Even event income goes up

I think every fundraiser needs to learn (or be reminded of) this fundamental part of fundraising. Letting your donors’ know what their gifts have done is both honoring and a huge opportunity to raise more money to do more good.

Shower Your Donors With Love

Jim Shapiro  |  Thank
Thank

Valentine’s Day is a great reminder to shower your donors with love!

Here are a few ways for you to love on your donors before February 14th:

  • Send your donors a Valentine’s card. Send the Valentine on behalf of your organization and staff.  Even better, have one of your beneficiaries sign it!
  • Send flowers to your top donors. During the December holiday rush it is common to receive gifts and treats from friends, family, co-workers and business associates.  What’s to stop you from sending flowers to your top donors? Include a ‘donor love’ note!
  • Pick up the phone just a few days before the 14th. Let the donor know how much you appreciate their giving. And how your beneficiaries LOVE knowing that your donor cared enough to send in a generous donation.

The big takeaway here is to leverage the holiday. This is a great chance for you to show your donors that you love and appreciate them.  And here’s the not-so-secret payoff; donors that feel loved and appreciated are more likely to give future gifts!

Major Donor Fundraising: Thank Your Donors Promptly and Emotionally

Jim Shapiro  |  Major Donor Fundraising, Thank
Thank

The 2016 fundraising season has come to an end. Your donors just gave generously at year-end and now are waiting to hear from you.

Specifically, they are wondering if their gifts made a difference.  And if your organization really appreciated them.

So if you want to raise more money in the next few months you need to do a great job thanking the donors who just gave a year-end gift.

Here are my simple rules for thanking Major donors; Thank them promptly, Thank them often, and Thank them emotionally. In our experience, doing this very clearly leads to more giving.

Not only will you see an increase in giving revenue, you will see an increase in donor retention because your donors will give you more gifts and will stick around for longer.

You may need a little nudge to think of ways to thank you donors. Here are few ideas.

  • Write a personalized thank you note. Send it separately from the standard receipt letter.
  • Make a quick thank you video. This video can be from you directly or even better, have one of your beneficiaries say thank you to the donor. This doesn’t need to be fancy. A 20 second video from your phone will do the trick.
  • Call first-time donors to your organization or donors who give their first gift of 2017.
  • Send your donor a Valentines Day card. Tell them how much they are loved and appreciated.

Use these and other methods you know to thank your donors. They deserve it!

Your “Giving Summary” letter should be raising money!

Jim Shapiro  |  Thank
Thank

Yes. You read that headline correctly. You can raise money when you send your donors their 2016 tax summary letter.

Many organizations send donors a letter thanking them for their generosity and summarizing their giving in the previous year.

And many smart organizations raise a lot of money with this letter.  Here’s how . . .

Think of your letter as an appeal letter that just happens to have the donor’s previous giving amounts enclosed.  Put another way, their 2016 giving history is a conversation starter – and then you steer the conversation to why their first gift in 2017 will be so impactful.  Here’s what to do:

  • The outer envelope should say something similar to, “Your 2016 Tax Information enclosed” or “Your 2016 Giving Record enclosed.”  This is what causes the donor to open the letter.
  • The donor’s tax info can be in 1 of 3 places:
    1. In the letter copy (for instance, in a specially-indented paragraph)
    2. On 1/3 of the letter in it’s own little section
    3. On a separate sheet of paper.  This is most often done for donors who give several gifts each year and each gift is listed.
  • The letter should begin by emotionally thanking the donor for their incredible generosity, and tell them that a summary of their giving to [organization name] is enclosed.
  • The letter should then briefly summarize a need that the organization meets, and explain how the donor’s gift meets that need.  This might be something like, ‘there are too many homeless families in our neighborhood’ followed by ‘your gift of $X.XX provides one night of safe housing for a family.’

End the letter by thanking the donor again for their previous giving, and then ask them to ‘renew their support’ by sending in a gift today to help a family who needs help.

As is in most cases with direct communications, include a response card and response envelope. Make it as easy as possible for your donors to send in their donation.

If you don’t normally send out an appeal in January or February, this is a GREAT way to build trust with your donors.  You start by Thanking them for their previous giving, and then are honest that their generosity in 2017 is both needed and will make a difference!

Video: Make The Most of Your Thank You Process

Jim Shapiro  |  Thank, Videos
Thank

The fall fundraising season has begun, so we would like to show you how to maximize revenue and maximize donor happiness by leveraging the “Thank” from the Ask, Thank, Report, Repeat rhythm.

Your receipts and thank you notes are the first sign to a donor that you received their gift and you appreciate them for giving. In this video you will learn how make the most of your thank you process so that your donors are ready to give another gift in December.

Watch this video right now! It will be the most fruitful 3-minutes of your day and will give you very specific things to do now to improve your thank you notes.