Retaining donors is a challenging yet necessary task. How can you prove that your organization is worth supporting time and time again? With nonprofits earning an average one-year donor retention rate of just 44%, it can feel like an uphill battle to keep donors invested in your cause.
To keep donors coming back, you need to show them that you value their support. Donors could spend their hard-earned money on a multitude of things, and the fact that they chose to use their funds to further your cause deserves your attention and gratitude.
Thoroughly thanking donors for their contributions not only helps ensure they continue to provide monetary support for your cause but also allows you to build deeper relationships with them, helping you create a strong community of engaged supporters. Check out the thank-you strategies in this guide to ensure donors feel valued and appreciated.
When you purchase something online, you typically receive a receipt within a matter of minutes. Why should donating be any different?
While you likely send automated donation receipts already, it’s also important to thank donors as soon as possible, ideally within 24-48 hours. That way, donors know you received their contributions and feel valued for their generosity immediately.
Additionally, being prompt with your appreciation messages allows your organization to stay top of mind for donors and form deeper connections with them. In the midst of donors’ hectic schedules, seeing a thank-you message from your nonprofit can brighten their days and remind them of their passion for your cause.
To align your team on your ideal appreciation message timeline, outline a cadence within your fundraising strategy. For instance, you may automate thank-you notes within the first 24 hours of receiving donors’ contributions and follow up with more detailed messages shortly after.
The more personalized your thank-you messages are, the more donors will feel valued and appreciated as individuals. While your initial automated thank-yous can be more generic, keep the following considerations in mind for your follow-up messages:
eCardWidget’s donor thank-you letter guide also recommends using donor-centric language to emphasize donors’ generosity. Use “we” and “us” sparingly, and instead focus on “you” phrases, such as “Because of your support…” and “Your generosity has made a difference because…” That way, you keep donors and their role in making your mission possible at the forefront of your appreciation messages.
While all donors should feel valued by your nonprofit, you likely have a wide spectrum of supporters, ranging from small, one-time donors to major givers. Since major donors have a greater impact on your mission, your appreciation strategies should reflect that larger investment in your cause.
To thank donors in accordance with their gift sizes, Aly Sterling Philanthropy recommends developing a donor stewardship matrix. This resource allows you to organize your donor recognition approach and assign different strategies to different donor groups. Your stewardship matrix might look something like this:
As you can see in this example, you may send thank-you letters to all donors, call mid-level donors on the phone and invite major donors to a tour of your facility. Additionally, the more intensive each appreciation strategy gets, the more involved your leadership team should be. For the example strategies we’ve highlighted, staff members are in charge of small donor appreciation, board development committee members handle mid-level donor recognition and the executive director takes the lead for major donor stewardship.
Other segmented donor appreciation ideas include creating a thank-you video you can send to all donors, highlighting mid-level donors on social media and including major donors’ names on your donor wall. Just remember to ask for permission before implementing any public recognition strategies to ensure donors are comfortable with you sharing their support in front of a broader audience.
Thanking donors after they contribute is key, but that’s not the only time you should show your appreciation. Whether they give once a year or on a recurring basis, donors are part of your community all year long, and you should recognize their impact accordingly.
For instance, you may thank donors—regardless of whether they contributed recently or not—during these key times and occasions:
Remember to also keep your donors updated on your programs and projects throughout the year. Show them exactly how their contributions make a difference as another way to thank them for their support.
Ensure you thank donors in ways that resonate with them by gathering feedback. Each donor has unique preferences, and when you take the time to learn and put these preferences into practice, you’ll show just how much you care about each individual supporter.
Send donors a survey via email that asks questions like:
Consider calling or meeting one-on-one with select donors to get more open-ended answers to these questions. You may also evaluate your strategy quantitatively by monitoring key performance indicators (KPIs), such as thank-you email open rate and donor appreciation event attendance rate.
These days, it’s not enough to just thank your donors with a simple email. To retain their support and truly show you care, you’ll need a robust donor appreciation strategy that takes each donor’s unique characteristics, engagement history and preferences into account. Leverage these tips to ensure every donor feels like a valued member of your nonprofit’s community.