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.
1. Be prompt.
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.
2. Personalize your messages.
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:
- Use donors’ preferred names. Addressing donors by name is an easy way to individualize each thank-you message. Use your constituent relationship management system (CRM) to input donors’ preferred names in the subject line and greeting.
- Reference their specific contribution and engagement history. Recognize donors’ exact donation amount and any other ways they’ve supported your organization. For instance, you may thank donors for attending a recent awareness event, participating in a feasibility study or volunteering.
- Focus on impact. Let donors know the specific impact their contribution will make. That way, they’ll understand just how crucial their donations are and feel motivated to continue supporting your nonprofit. For example, you may say something like, “Thanks to your generous donation of $100, we’ll be able to replenish our pet food supply for the week and ensure all animals in the shelter are healthy and well-nourished.”
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.
3. Match the thank-you to the donation size.
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.
4. Thank donors throughout the year.
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:
- GivingTuesday or other awareness days. Besides incentivizing donors to give, GivingTuesday serves as a time to reflect on donors’ generosity and show your gratitude for their impact on your beneficiaries. You may also thank donors on any awareness days related to your cause or organization, such as Global Recycling Day for environmental organizations, Adopt a Shelter Pet Day for animal shelters or World Suicide Prevention Day for mental health organizations.
- End of year. GivingTuesday is just the kickoff to the holiday season and end-of-year period. As the year comes to a close, share highlights of what you were able to accomplish, include beneficiary stories and show your gratitude for the donors who made it all possible. Consider sending a special end-of-year newsletter and social media post to celebrate another successful year for your organization.
- Donor appreciation events. Host several donor appreciation events throughout the year that are dedicated to celebrating donors’ passion for your mission and investment in your cause. Allow donors to enjoy refreshments and entertainment as a thank-you for all their support.
- Giving anniversaries. Let’s say one of your major donors has contributed an annual major gift every year for the past ten years. Acknowledge their longstanding support with a thank-you phone call that celebrates their involvement history and demonstrates your gratitude for their continued commitment to your cause.
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.
5. Collect feedback on your donor recognition strategy.
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:
- Do you feel adequately appreciated by our nonprofit? Why or why not?
- Through which channels (email, text, direct mail, etc.) do you prefer to receive appreciation messages and updates on your impact?
- How often would you like us to update you on the impact of your donations?
- Are there any recognition events or activities you particularly enjoyed or would like to see more of?
- Is there anything we could do to improve our recognition efforts or make them more meaningful to you?
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.
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