Donors are pivotal to your nonprofit’s success. Their general support and financial contributions enable you to spread awareness of your cause and pursue your mission on a daily basis. Therefore, it’s crucial to build lasting relationships with each of your donors by acknowledging the value of their support.
In order to develop strong nonprofit-donor relationships that stand the test of time, all nonprofits must develop a comprehensive strategy for how to thank donors. To make the most of your donor communications, we’ll walk through the basics of effective donor appreciation:
- Why is donor appreciation important?
- When should we thank donors?
- What are some best practices for thanking donors?
- What are popular ideas for how to thank donors?
Last year’s M+R Benchmarks Study notes that online donor retention for first-time donors was 23% and 60% for previous repeat donors. These numbers make it clear that the key to cultivating a strong donor base lies in keeping your supporters engaged with your nonprofit over time. Ready to create a positive and fulfilling experience for your donors? Let’s get started.
Why is donor appreciation important?
Thanking your donors should not only be a natural, polite response to their support, but a dedicated aspect of your nonprofit’s donor retention strategy. After all, their gifts are what make your work possible. Most donors get involved with your organization because they’re interested in making a positive difference in the world. By acknowledging their contributions, you’re validating their intentions.
Donors who feel like they’re a valuable part of your nonprofit are much more likely to continue their support year after year. Furthermore, when you publicly recognize your donors in person or online, you can attract prospective donors by boosting awareness of your organization and the support it receives from the community.
When should we thank donors?
Every thank-you is a touchpoint that allows your nonprofit to reconnect with donors and bring their attention back to your mission. Reach out regularly to convey your gratitude throughout the year, at times such as:
- After a gift
- On their birthdays
- On holidays, such as Valentine’s Day
- After a successful project or campaign
- At a donor milestone, such as five years of support
Appreciating donors on days that are personally meaningful to them, such as birthdays and holidays, rather than focusing on your organization’s schedule, can go a long way toward making them feel individually valued for their support.
What are some best practices for thanking donors?
On the surface, thanking donors seems simple and intuitive. However, if you’re interested in learning how to thank donors in ways that leave them with the greatest impression of your organization, review these best practices:
Thank them promptly.
The sooner you thank your donors for their gifts, the sooner they’ll feel noticed and appreciated by your organization. At the very least, you should have automated thank-you’s set up in the form of donation confirmation emails. Then, follow up with a more detailed and impactful message.
Due to their ability to reach donors immediately, online communication methods such as email and eCards are especially effective for promptly thanking supporters, while direct mail can require some careful planning in advance.
Personalize your thank-you.
Donor “relationships” implies a series of interactions between your nonprofit and donors over time. In your donor appreciation efforts, be sure to highlight their history of support, from past gifts to event attendance to volunteering. This assures donors that you remember and appreciate their combined contributions to your mission, rather than simply forgetting about them until they make their next gift.
Use donor data to inform your personalization. For example, instead of just writing “Thank you for your $50 donation,” you can say “Thank you for your $50 donation! As one of our most cherished volunteers, you give us the support we need to drive impact year after year.”
Center their impact.
Allow donors to visualize the value of their gifts by specifying their impact in every donor thank-you. Rather than focusing purely on your organization’s accomplishments, emphasize how their contributions made them possible. This helps them understand that their gifts are the driving force behind the positive change you effect.
For instance, an animal rescue organization can follow up with a donor by sharing that, thanks to contributions from generous individuals like them, the nonprofit was able to provide medical treatment and meals for 75 animals in its care.
Ensure your thank-you fits the gift amount.
Since there are a variety of methods for thanking donors, all requiring different investments of time and energy, it’s important to match your thank-you efforts to the gift amount received. Therefore, it can be helpful to establish giving levels that make it easy for your nonprofit to determine how to recognize each contribution made. A handwritten card may be a memorable way to thank a major donor, but less feasible for acknowledging small-time donations.
Provide ways to give feedback.
Your nonprofit’s donors all have their individual values and reasons for getting involved. In order to determine how to thank donors in a way that resonates most with them, provide a simple and convenient way for them to give feedback. In addition to sending out surveys, consider interacting with supporters on social media for more informal, direct opportunities to solicit their thoughts and opinions.
Invite them to deepen their engagement.
Go beyond merely thanking donors and build stronger relationships by inviting them to additional opportunities to get involved with your nonprofit. For instance, when you follow up with donors, encourage them to:
- Become a volunteer.
- Sign up for your email newsletter.
- Follow your nonprofit on social media.
- Check their eligibility for matching gifts.
- Attend an upcoming fundraising event.
Show your organization’s donors that you’re invested in developing long-term relationships with them by offering numerous engagement opportunities that appeal to varying interests and capabilities. Maximize the impact of your communications by using your donor management software to suggest opportunities that each individual donor will most likely be interested in.
What are popular ideas for how to thank donors?
Your nonprofit organization has different types of donors, from monthly to major, each with different preferences and interests. The key to determining how to thank donors lies in understanding your unique supporter base alongside your resources. Keeping those factors in mind, let’s dive into some popular donor appreciation ideas.
1. Email
A sincere, heartfelt thank-you email can be a cost-effective yet impactful way to acknowledge donors for their contributions. You can even use your donor management software to set up automated thank-you’s following a gift, but ensure each recipient feels valued by including details such as their preferred name and specific gift amount.
In addition to individual emails sent to donors, you can even include broader donor thank-you’s in an email newsletter update after a fundraising event or project completion.
2. eCards
eCards are digital greeting cards that are both efficient to send and more eye-catching than a traditional emailed thank-you. eCardWidget facilitates the process of creating eCards for thanking donors with these simple steps:
- Customize templates with your nonprofit’s logo and branding.
- Sort your eCards as desired, such as by seasonal fundraising events or campaigns.
- Embed your donor appreciation eCards into your website to send or schedule for later.
- Review the provided statistics for insights into your eCard messaging.
For example, YFU’s colorful thank-you eCards illustrate the creative freedom your organization has to create visually appealing designs that would catch any recipient’s eye.
Your nonprofit’s eCards can extend beyond just email as well. With eCardWidget, you have the option of sending them directly via SMS to supporters who prefer to be contacted that way. You’ll also be able to share eCards on social media accounts such as Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, and Instagram.
3. Social media shoutout
Your nonprofit’s social media strategy wouldn’t be complete without including methods for thanking donors in your posts. Boost your organization’s reach by regularly spotlighting your supporters on social media. You can either express appreciation for your entire donor base or feature key individual donors—though it’s a good idea to obtain permission to use their name and/or photo first.
Mention their impact alongside each post to acknowledge the importance of their contributions and inspire others to take action as well.
4. Website
Your nonprofit can create a page dedicated exclusively to thanking donors on its website. This way, you’ll be able to permanently highlight the impact that your supporters have had on furthering your mission. Consider adding a few quotations from specific donors on why they chose to give to your organization.
Additionally, you can provide eCards on your website for supporters to send to friends and family if they’re interested in sharing their own personal involvement with your nonprofit.
5. Annual report
A nonprofit annual report typically highlights your initiatives and successes throughout the year. At the same time, this is a highly effective place for thanking the donors who’ve made your work possible. Some nonprofits have even opted to rename their annual reports into “gratitude” reports to emphasize the impact of their supporters. You can consider listing your donor base alphabetically, grouping them, or linking to a separate page with all donors listed.
6. Exclusive progress updates
Give your organization’s dedicated donors an insider glimpse at the positive change they’re supporting by providing exclusive progress updates. For instance, you can share how close you are to your fundraising goal along with photos of your staff and volunteers in action. By allowing donors to see the impact of their gifts firsthand, they’ll feel more fulfilled and invested in your mission moving forward.
7. Handwritten letter
A handwritten letter, especially after a campaign or during the holidays, can be a memorable way to thank your nonprofit’s donors. However, since this donor appreciation method often requires more time and effort from your staff, this may only be suitable for smaller groups such as major or monthly donors.
Focus on personalization with each handwritten note, referencing the recipient’s specific contributions and interests. As always, highlight their impact to help them draw a direct connection between their gift and the positive change your organization has effected.
8. Phone call
Thanking donors directly on the phone can be a sincere and thoughtful way to express appreciation for all that they have done to support your nonprofit. A popular and effective approach to incorporating phone calls into your donor appreciation strategy is to organize a thank-a-thon.
During a thank-a-thon, your staff and volunteers set aside time to make phone calls to a list of donors, often using a basic script that maximizes the impact of their thank-you’s.
9. Video
A thank-you video can demonstrate that your nonprofit is willing to invest time and thought into appreciating its donors. This can be a great idea for the holidays, or any occasion where a more attention-grabbing message would be impactful. These videos can be short and simple, as long as they’re genuine, and feature staff or beneficiaries thanking donors for their contributions.
10. Branded gifts
A small, branded gift can serve as a meaningful memento of a donor’s gift to your nonprofit. Feel free to get creative with the items you send, but a few popular ones include:
- Coffee mugs
- T-shirts
- Hats
- Tote bags
These branded gifts can have the added benefit of providing a little extra marketing for your organization as well. Include a short, personalized message with each item to make each recipient feel appreciated.
11. Facility tour
Allow some of your donors to get an in-person glimpse into the work that your staff and volunteers put in on a daily basis with a facility tour. This is a wonderful way to build more emotional connections between supporters and your cause. For instance, consider introducing them to a few of your beneficiaries and offering to answer any questions they may have about your operations.
12. Surveys
Chances are, many of your donors are just as invested in your nonprofit’s impact as you are. Therefore, give them the gift of making their voices heard through donor surveys. This will show that you value their opinions and are interested in making improvements based on their feedback. The more you learn about your organization’s supporters, the better equipped you’ll be to engage them and show appreciation in ways that matter most to them.
13. Coffee or lunch meeting
Depending on the size of your nonprofit’s donor base, this donor appreciation method may not be possible for all of your supporters, but it can be effective for cultivating and strengthening relationships with major donors and the like.
Organizing time to meet up for coffee or lunch can provide ideal opportunities for sharing the impact of donors’ contributions and receiving any in-person feedback from them. Your donors will appreciate the level of commitment you demonstrate toward keeping them involved and informed in your organization’s activities.
14. Donor walls
A donor wall can serve as a profound and lasting act of appreciation from your nonprofit. There are many different ways your organization can choose to display the names of key donors. For instance, you can engrave bricks, pavestones, and plaques to highlight supporters’ contributions.
For a more cost-effective version of this donor appreciation idea, consider adding a virtual donor wall to your website that you can update regularly and link to in social media posts.
15. Appreciation event
Celebrate your donors by hosting a memorable donor appreciation event just for them. During the event, you can share stories of impact as well as personal anecdotes from donors on why they’re drawn to your mission. You can even invite a few of your attendees to speak about their experience with your nonprofit.
To maximize attendance, consider incorporating a virtual element into your appreciation party. This ensures that those who live outside of your local area or have other obstacles that prevent them from physically attending can take part from the comfort of their own homes.
A lot of teamwork and passion goes into powering your nonprofit’s impact. Therefore, it’s important to thank the individual contributors that make it all possible. Beyond donors, your organization’s staff and volunteers also play instrumental roles in your daily operations. Be sure to take the time to appreciate them as well, through thoughtful means such as eCards and branded gifts.
For more ways to optimize your nonprofit’s strategy and maximize support for your mission, delve into these helpful additional resources:
- Charity eCards for Your Nonprofit: A Comprehensive Guide. Unlock the potential of eCards to boost your nonprofit’s donor retention and fundraising efforts using this guide.
- The Busy Nonprofit’s Guide to Donor Communications. Learn how to make the most of your donor communications with these tactics.
- 24 Nonprofit Christmas Fundraising Ideas for Holiday Giving. Engage your donors this holiday season with these 24 impactful Christmas fundraising ideas.
