We all know that saying thank you from the heart goes far. Pair that with these 10 easy ways to say thanks and you have a winning formula for a strong donor relationship. And while not every donor responds equally well to all of these, it won’t take you long to figure out the best way to ensure everyone is feeling well cared for and happy with your level of thoughtfulness and appreciation. 
 
Here are some great reminders of how to say thank you and perhaps a few new ways to show your recognition of a donor’s commitment to your cause:
 

1. Write a handwritten note after a meeting, and be sure to reflect back to the donor something you noticed or learned about them. You might even say what you admire. Definitely say what you appreciate. (And of course, do make a note in your organization’s database of any new information you acquired: they didn’t like X restaurant, their daughter just got married, they love cricket, they have a younger sister who lives in Kansas City…and so on so that what you learned becomes institutional knowledge.)
2. Invite them to speak at your next open house or other fundraising event. Yes, this is donor engagement, but the point is that asking them to provide a testimonial about their belief in your mission and impact is a sure-fire way of letting them know how deeply you value their contribution. In other words, this is a virtuous circle—one that will strengthen over time—leading to great gains for your agency.
3. Call when you know they’ll be available. If you know you can reach a donor at a certain time of day, then do call when they’re able to pick up the phone. Avoid leaving voice mail if you can help it—donors actually like it when a call makes them smile—so give them that opportunity!
4. Write a personalized thank you on their acknowledgement letter. This is still a great way to ensure that a donor knows you’re paying attention—it shows that you care about their gift. Keep it short and sweet, and yes, in your own handwriting.
5. Be sure to reach out on their birthday. You don’t have to sing, but make this a personal touch that is heartfelt. A quick call will do, and be sure to remind the donor of why you appreciate them. Do leave a message if no one picks up. If birthdays aren’t their thing, then make sure you find a good day they do care about to share that you’re thinking of them—and stick with it year after year.
6. Give gratitudes on social media. Make sure that you can appreciate your donors (those who don’t wish to remain anonymous, of course!) regularly on your organization’s Facebook page. While other social media are interesting, Facebook has the most users and is most likely to be where you’ll find your donors engaging. A quarterly announcement of new gifts, increased gifts, and donor spotlights can help donors to truly feel a part of the important work your organization is doing. (Note: if you happen to be connected personally on social media, be mindful about what you post that they can see.)
7. Schedule to send a “just because” note to your top donors once a year. Make it handwritten (of course) and include the time to do this in your calendar—otherwise, you know it won’t happen. Do this in addition to other “thank yous” on this list because once is never enough when it comes to showing thanks.
8. Send an article you read that you think a donor might find interesting. You can send the latest trends or news to keep them abreast of what’s current in the sector. Clip a note card to it with your thank-you message. Be sure to tell them what most surprised or intrigued you about the piece when you offer your thanks again for their contribution. And by the way, this also shows the donor that you’re on your game when it comes to the latest in philanthropy and the nonprofit sector (a good move on your part to build your credibility).
9. Offer a simple gift you know they’ll appreciate after they host an event for you, chair your committee for a year, or make a great introduction for your organization. And while your org swag is probably nice, that isn’t this thank-you gift. One gift a donor absolutely raved about for months was an all-natural bug-repellant candle we sent for her outdoor patio. Why was this an amazing choice? Because we’d been talking about how she didn’t host events outside—the bugs bothered everyone but the donor hated chemical-based solutions. This inexpensive gift was quite practical and a thoughtful reminder of our conversation. See what you can come up with that shows you’ve been paying attention!
10. For your long-time donors, create a memento book that captures special shared times over the years and present it to them at your next event. Take photos of memorabilia and old letters from your files to digitize and include, and let yourself get creative with a thoughtful photobook. When you present them with this keep-sake, your thank you will ring home loud and clear.
    
    

In sum, a reminder that thank yous are about the donor. If you’re writing to acknowledge their tremendous support, start your sentences with “you” rather than “I.” Stay personable while maintaining a professional disposition (after all, this is a professional relationship). Your efforts will be rewarded with happier donors as the trust you’ve succeeded in building converts, as it will, to more meaningful gifts. 

It can be easy to forget the basics—the things you know you should do but often forget to do or are too swamped to do. Here are three fundamentals of fundraising that build on what you already know to help ensure your success. Remember them and prioritize them for a great year ahead! 

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There are many kinds of people who are good at fundraising. And this post is a caution for those who need to hear that it's not always the bubbly, talkative development director who lands the commitment. In fact, all too often we hear about the people who are great at talking to donors, but who miss  the meaningful conversations (meaningful for the nonprofit, that is) and don't make the ask to close the gift. Or who don't do the requisite follow-up until it's too late and the fiscal year-end is upon the team and the donor is left wondering why what they wanted didn't matter until now. 

There are really two points here that we want to unpack:

1. There is no right way to be a fundraiser (so long as the basics of fundraising are met). All personality types and dispositions can be successful; and
2.  Engaging donors is important; but there's a difference between successful donor engagement and checking a box in the database that notes you talked to a donor. 

​So,  let's start with the first point. Of course, you can't have a good front-line fundraising person who's unwilling to be on the front lines.  But if the individual is willing and has the ability to do what's required, then it really doesn't matter if they're more pensive than perky.  

I know many a board member who has commented on the new development person, the extrovert, saying how great it is to have someone on the team who can talk to anyone. Indeed, that's wonderful! But the question management should be asking is how they are going to best support that person and how they are going to hold them accountable. What metrics are being used? How is progress from one donor to the next being evaluated over time? What strategies are in place and how do we agree to move on to the next prospect when our efforts somehow fail?  (We'll touch on these topics in subsequent posts.)

The board loves fundraisers who are ebullient because unless the board is experienced in the field, it seems as though money will naturally come in the door through the work of an engaging personality. But those who diligently work the front lines know that an outgoing personality must be matched with an equal measure of action-taking in the nonprofit house. Records must be kept, follow-up must be done, and most importantly, meaningful conversations must be had.

Which brings us to the second point: while after a discovery meeting (when you finally are face-to-face with a prospective donor) there are encounters likely to help build trust in your relationship, the eye must be on the goal of aligning that person's passion with what your nonprofit is committed to achieving. Fundraisers of all kinds must be asking themselves: Have I learned enough to talk to the donor about exactly what it is that will fire up their desire to have an impact? Nothing less will get you a win, and we all know too well the donor prospects who have been strung along for months on end without anything other than a well-meaning fundraiser to connect them to the nonprofit's work. But if that fundraiser is one who doesn't know how to make the ask, or in basic language, put the relationship work they've been doing to the ultimate test, then the meaningfulness of all prior conversations comes into question.

This to say, if you're in the management seat where knowing what makes a good fundraiser matters, then we encourage you to look beyond energetic personalities and into the heart of the matter: do you have someone here who can help marry art and science, passion and meaningful engagement, for the cause you care most about? If so, then everyone wins.  And in that light, it's a great bonus to have a capable extrovert on your team.