The most powerful fundraising tool you can use: a thank you.
Within 48 hours of receiving a donation, your organization should be thanking the donor. This is generally good practice because it shows the efficiency of your organization, which makes a donor feel good. The better a donor feels about their donation to your organization, the more likely you are to retain them as an active supporter of your organization. Here are some different ways to thank donors:
- Automated messages through your website, or your donation database. This is the easiest because it is automatic. Your message appears after someone donates to your organization online. Some organizations have the ability to customize their automated messages with the name of the donor, and we strongly suggest making this as personal as you can. Psssst PR tip- you can also include your next big event here as a save the date!
- Handwritten note. A lot of donors love receiving a handwritten thank you, because it's personal and shows that you took time out of your busy day to acknowledge their kind gesture. To save your hand, we suggest hand written letters to those who have donate a large sum of money. Some organizations count $50 as a large sum, and others consider $1,000+ a large some. Whatever your organization defines as a large some, is up to the discretion of your organization.
- Thank you video. This is a fun way to switch up your thank you's from letters to something a little more creative. Keep the video short. We suggest under a minute. Your video can range from showing what the money raised will do for your organization, or it can be a bunch of members from your organization saying thank you! The perfect time to send a thank you video is after worldly events like “Giving Tuesday” or your organization's big fundraising campaign. Psssst PR tip- videos are also a great way to promote your fundraising campaign.
- Social media shoutout. If you choose to go this route, it is awesome and people will love it, but we caution you to be careful. A lot of times, donors wish to remain anonymous and don't like their information on social media. Always be sure to have some sort of disclaimer on the donation page, so the donor can grant you permission to advertise this on social media. Psssst PR tip- always use social media to promote your fundraising campaigns. You will reach people who you may not reach with your other marketing.
A thank you goes a long way in fundraising. Always be sure to thank your donors, no matter how big or small the value. A good impression will be made, and you can turn that donor into a life-long friend of your organization.