This article appears in the Spring 2023 edition of Advancing Philanthropy, the magazine of the Association of Fundraising Professionals.
It’s hard to overstate the importance of properly thanking donors. Thanking is a component of donor stewardship, a critical piece to ensuring fundraising success as part of a broader fundraising strategy. Execution is not simple—we want to not only avoid mistakes and ensure that the basics are correct—but ideally, we want expressions of thanks to deepen our donors’ connection with our organization’s work.
How do we achieve this goal? There is a seemingly endless list of to-dos in order to get acknowledgments “out the door” (whether hard copy or digital), and every step requires staff resources. Especially for those working in smaller shops, it can often feel like just mastering the basics leaves you stretched thin. Even in large organizations with tremendous financial and staff capacity, the donor stewardship and thanking processes are often implemented without proper attention paid to the “why” behind donors’ gifts, leaving supporters feeling like they have not been thanked in a way that is meaningful to them.
In my experience, it is not the size of an organization’s budget that determines the success of its thanking program, but rather the soundness of the philosophy behind it.
Nonprofits large and small can benefit from articulating their own thanking philosophies by focusing on creativity, care, and intention. When we view thanking donors and donor stewardship as elements deeply embedded in our fundraising strategy, they create a cohesive approach to donor recognition and appreciation.
Creativity
At first glance, creativity in thanking donors seems almost counterintuitive. There is so much structure and organization that goes into making sure supporters are acknowledged promptly and correctly that creativity can feel like an add-on that could potentially derail a well-oiled machine. So, why is this a key element in developing your philosophy?
Creativity helps to elevate the thanking process beyond the transactional. Yes, there is inherently a transactional element—someone makes a gift and you give them a receipt that they may need for tax purposes. But, when you bring creativity to this process, you begin to see donor stewardship and thanking donors as a way to make them active participants in your work.
Engage team members to think about how your processes can be improved and re-energized through creativity. Consider including the voices of people that your organization serves through videos, written quotes, and testimonials. Their stories are often centered in solicitation materials and other donor-facing materials, but it is rare that they are true partners in that work. Aim for true inclusivity to not only represent their experiences accurately, but to also open up new channels of communication that go both ways. This process has the added benefit of creating authentic and meaningful connections and ongoing conversations between organizations and the communities they serve. Bringing creativity into this process helps to strengthen overall donor stewardship efforts.
Articulating your approach to creativity might look something like this:
When we show appreciation to our supporters, we include diverse voices and perspectives to broaden our sense of what is needed and possible.
Care
I view care as both our overall posture of gratitude toward our donors, and the way that we ideally strive to treat them. Care also means paying attention to and honoring donors’ reasons for supporting a cause. Of course, even for the smallest organization, it isn’t possible to know every donor personally, or gain intimate knowledge of their reasons for giving. But, you can set donor stewardship processes in place that will include as much personal contact as you have capacity for, and create opportunities for true listening.
What does this look like in action? I have two personal stories—first, several months ago I received an email from the CEO of an organization where I am a regular donor. I sent in $1,000 online as part of my regular end-of-year giving. The CEO had notifications setup to receive emails when donations were made. She received the notification of my gift and forwarded that email to me with a short note: “Thank you so much for supporting this work so generously again!
We know that the families we serve will need additional support for a long while to come – thank you for continuing to be with us in this work!”
The email was short and to the point but it sticks with me as one of the most memorable ways I have ever been thanked. It was so prompt and personally demonstrated the care that the CEO took when it comes to managing donor relationships. While this type of close, personal leadership engagement may be the first thing you think about when you think of care, I am also reminded of another experience where an organization I supported conveyed a huge amount of care and connection solely through its thank you letter. I made a gift to a local museum in memory of a family friend who volunteered there. I know from professional experience that acknowledgement letters will typically note in general terms that you made a memorial gift and will express condolences. This letter, however, impressed me because it centered the volunteer work of the family friend I honored. It included a photo of her playing with children, described the joy that she took in volunteering, and expressed how much the community would miss her. It is possible, even in a simple thank you letter, to foster a very deep connection by truly honoring the donor’s reason for giving.
Finally, I would be remiss to not point out how a handwritten note can transmit a sense of care and warmth. The same text used in a printed letter looks different, and is received differently when it’s handwritten, placed into an envelope with a real stamp. When I worked in university fundraising, I had access to a variety of notecards that featured student artwork. I took the time to write notes, hand address the envelope, and use a real stamp. On occasion, the donors I visited would have the card I sent on their desk. They commented to me that they enjoyed the artwork and kept the card.
When you think about your organization’s approach to care, it could be:
We strive to connect with our donors in the most personal way possible, and to truly honor their unique reasons for giving.
Intention
Intention is about stepping back to look at the full picture of your thanking and donor stewardship plans, and thinking critically about the assumptions underpinning each element that you have in place. Styles and modes of communication continually evolve, and thanking is no different. Ask yourself and your team some challenging questions in order to ensure that your intention is aligned with your mission.
When were thanking practices developed? Were they developed with donors that represent the dominant culture (i.e. older, white) in mind? Are there new and innovative ways to be responsive to your community of supporters? Are you centering your organization’s mission over donors’ needs and preferences, even if it creates uncomfortable conversations? Do you describe your nonprofit’s work in a way that is dignifying and empowering to the people you serve?
These questions may lead you to thank more via email and text. You may change the person who authors the note of thanks from an organizational leader or board member to a participant or recipient.
Stating your organization’s intention could take this form:
We think critically about our work, and don’t believe in continuing practices just because they have always been done a certain way. We seek to be responsive to the wider community and world in which we operate.
Takeaways: Articulating Your Thanking Philosophy
After thinking carefully through the creativity, care, and intention at the foundation of your work, you will have the basis for your organization’s thanking philosophy and thoughtful donor stewardship. Pulling together what we’ve gone through so far, here’s what we have:
When we show appreciation to our supporters, we include diverse voices and perspectives to broaden our sense of what is needed and possible. We strive to connect with our donors in the most personal way possible, and to truly honor their unique reasons for giving. We think critically about our work, and don’t believe in continuing practices just because they have always been done a certain way. We seek to be responsive to the wider community and world in which we operate.
I hope that going through this exercise will inspire you to create a similar guiding vision for your organization and its donor stewardship and thanking efforts. Having a sound philosophy to steer your work is invaluable for creating true partnerships with your supporters.