WHAT you do after you have your donor’s check in hand matters more now than ever before.
Why? Donors want to feel a part of your mission and they want transparency.
What happens next?
Someone from your office mails them a generic thank you card saying their donation was appreciated and is tax deductible. Good enough? Not even close.
When someone makes a contribution to your organization, it is because of one of two reasons:
- The donor believes in the purpose or mission.
- The donor knows you (or someone within the organization) personally and wants to assist in supporting the organization.
In both situations, you have managed to convince the donor to give your organization money to support your mission.
This is a big deal! Don’t make the mistake of underwhelming your donors.
Don’t miss an opportunity to ask them to leverage their personal networks.
What they say and share about you matters more than you think.
They can be your advocate, PLUS give you money to do so! Make them feel important and you will fuel their fire to do more and care MORE.
Still going to send them a bland thank you card now?
Wouldn’t you love it if you paid a bill and they sent you a hand-signed thank you for spending your hard earned money? YES!
Follow these 5 steps, and you’ll achieve expert level status (and bring more $ in to your NPO)
- Send a hand written thank you card from the executive director describing how much of a difference that single donation is going to make. (Large or small).
- Send upcoming events to show how their donation helped make it happen.
- Offer them opportunities to volunteer time, treasure or talent with your NPO.
- Be sure to include them in your weekly email outreach. Not providing helpful content, tips, photos and news each week? You’re missing a huge chance to have a special place in their inbox. Permission based marketing is worth its weight in gold.
- Make it easy for them to advocate for YOU. Social sharing, newsletter/blog shares and personal connections DO matter.
Check out our blog next week for more expert tips on donor relationships, financial transparency, leadership and more.
Until next time….Keep up the great work in our community! If you need help managing, organizing, and maximizing your finances, contact us.
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[…] Donor Appreciation – This is the season of fundraising and you are wrapping up your year-end campaign, don’t forget to send a thank you to those you took the time to support your cause! I know each of you have done this because you read our previous blog “Does My Donation Matter?” If not, read it here. […]