This presentation discusses creative ways for nonprofits to thank donors to boost donations through gratitude. It emphasizes making thank yous donor-centered, personalized, and focused on demonstrating impact. The presentation provides examples of handwritten notes, phone calls, videos, greeting cards and more. It stresses the importance of policies, prompt acknowledgment, and developing an organizational "gratitude culture".

1. Creative Thank Yous:
Boost Donations with an
Attitude of Gratitude
4/8/15
1:30pm Eastern
The presentation will begin shortly.

2. Before We Get Started
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This presentation is being recorded!
The recording and slides will be emailed to you
later this afternoon.
Please chat in any questions for our guest.
We will answer them in the formal Q&A session
at the end of the presentation.

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Our guest presenter »
Claire Axelrad, J.D., CFRE
• Outstanding Fundraising
Professional of the Year by the
Association of Fundraising
Professionals
• 30 years frontline development and
marketing experience to her work as
principal of Clairification.
• Frequent contributor to leading
nonprofit resources including
4GOOD, Fundraising Success
Magazine, Nonprofit Hub,
Nonprofit.about.com, npENGAGE
Experts and Guidestar.

5. Creative Thank You’s: Boost
Donations with an Attitude of
Gratitude
If you can retain just 10%
more of your supporters
you can increase their
lifetime value by 200%.

6. 2
Triple the Value of our Donors?
Nonprofits today lose, on average,
72.7% of donors after the first gift
 27.3% of first-time donors never give again
(bucket is only ¼ full)
 41.6% of multi-year donors lapse (bucket is
only a bit more than ½ full)
 Median retention for all donors is just 43%
 Probability a donor will make five
consecutive gifts is only 10-15%
Your nonprofit cannot survive
this way
That would be
MIND BLOWING, dude!

7. 3
Gratitude: Your Secret Weapon
Stop the leaky bucket by
making stewardship about
relationships, not checklists
 No one-size fits all thank you letters
 Steward from your donor’s perspective
 Powerfully demonstrate the impact of
donors’ gifts
 Make donors feel like heroes
 Set up your next gift strategy
 Establish acknowledgement policies &
procedures
 Develop a gratitude culture
 Love your donor with unending gratitude

8. Thank You Program Essentials
 Polices & Procedures
 TYs that align with
appeals
 TYs written by
thoughtful writers
 TYs written before
gifts arrive
 TYs that are different
for different donor
segments
 TYs sent more than
once
 TY written from
donor’s perspective
4
Ask yourself if you’ve got your basics covered
before you get creative

9. 3 Essential “P’s” of Thanking
Donors are people. Stop treating them as transactions.
Just like grandma when she sends a
gift, donors want to know you
received the gift and how much it
meant to you
Powerful
Polite
Personal
Prompt
After all, it’s only
Within 48 hours
Tailored; aligned w/donor
needs and motivations
Descriptive of impact

10. Fundamentals:
Policies & Procedures
 48 hours
 Craft thank you and
appeal together
 Reinforce what may be
important to your donor
 Welcome packages for
new donors
 Establish rules for
personalization
opportunities6
Create written guidelines so you
don’t neglect any fundamentals
or miss any opportunities

11. The Donor-Centered
Thank You Letter
 Catchy opening; no jargon
 Tell a story to emotionally
illustrate how gift will be used
 Invite involvement
 One signer to keep it authentic
 P.S.
 Thoughtful inserts that make
donor feel good
You remembered, because
they couldn’t. Thanks for
responding to our request
for the Dementia Center.
Mary will be safe from now
on, because she’ll have help
at home. You’re our hero!
And as you requested, we’ll
keep your gift anonymous.

12. Email
 Personal
 You did it!
 You’re amazing
 See the impact
 Your voice
matters
You, yes YOU,
are cleaning up
air pollution! See
how we shared
your support…
see how much
you COUNT!
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13. The Donor-Centered Welcome Kit
Elements
 Dynamite thank you letter
 Helpful information
 Invitations to get involved
 Testimonials to build trust
 Personal contact
Warm and welcoming
Impersonal and boring

14. 10
Boring Thank You’s Don’t Cut it
Would you believe…
a study conducted by Charity
Dynamics and NTEN shows 21%
of donors say they were never
thanked for their support at all?
When you send something
perfunctory and non-personal
your donor may fail to notice.
You’ll leave no impression.

15. 11
10 Creative Ways
to Thank Your Donors
1. Handwriting; Personal notes
2. Phone calls
3. Thankathon
4. Different signers and
senders
5. Greeting cards, e-greetings
6. Post cards
7. Token gifts
8. Snapshots
9. Videos
10. Public recognition

16. The Donor-Centered
Handwritten Thank You
“We are incredibly honored
to have you as a partner in
the fight for…
We look forward to keeping
you informed…
We will send you an
acknowledgment for your
total donations made in 2014
in early January. However,
please just let us know if you
would like to receive…”12
1

17. The Donor-Centered
Thank You Call
Penelope Burk’s research:
 95% would appreciate a thank-you call
within a day or two of gift
 85% said call would influence them to
give again
 84% said they’d definitely or probably
increase their gift
When board member called w/in 48 hours:
 42% larger gifts from donors called
 39% more renewed their gifts
Download free e-book
at clairification.com
2

18. Thankathons
 Pure thank you call
 ‘Feel good’ for donors
 Opportunity to learn
more about donors
 Volunteer engagement
 Staff team building
 Inter-departmental
bonding14
Hand-painted posters were placed in
reception and the conference room
of Operation Smile's Thankathon
Read more on SOFII
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19. Different Signers and Senders
 It’s part of everyone’s job
to connect with donors
 Your competitive edge is
“customer service”
 Include in employee
orientation
 Incorporate in employee
handbook
 Include in employee
evaluations
 Devote time to daily
gratitude practice
Thank more than once, preferably
from different folks as connectors
I’m a guide
dog and I
want to share
my story…
I’m a parent
and wanted
to tell you…
I’m a table
captain and
want to thank
you for
attending…
I direct this
program
and your gift
will mean …
I’m a tree,
and here’s
why I want
to hug you…
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20. 16
Delight Donors with
Greetings for all Occasions
 Holidays big and small
 Dates in your donor’s
personal calendar
 Dates in your donor’s
relationship with your
cause
 Make something up!
How do I heart thee?
Let me count
the ways.
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21. Holiday Greeting Cards
 You’re spooktacular!
Because of you,
_________ (impact
example).
 You’re fa-boo-lous! Thank
you for your kindness and
commitment to _________.
(people/things you serve)
 Who’s terror-ific? You’re
terror-ific! Without
you, _________ (impact
example).
17

22. More Greetings that Say Thanks
Happy Mother’s Day!
“Thanks for all the love you’ve
given us, and for nurturing
this project to fruition. Wish
every project had a ‘Mom’ like
you.”
18
Animals at Smithsonian National Zoo get creative
writing their own, personal thank you’s – which can
be used for any occasion!

23. Holiday E-Greetings
19

24. Holiday Greeting Video and Link
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“Thank you for not letting me fall through the cracks.”
“To all supporters of veterans and their
Families, we really can’t thank you enough.”
“You’re helping communities our size, and the
nation as a whole. That’s a beautiful thing.”

25. 21
‘Make-it-up’ Occasions to
Send Donor Greetings
Happy July 26th!
“Did you know on this
date in 1952 Mickey
Mantle hit his first
“Grand Slam?” Well, you
hit one too this past year
when you joined our
Legacy Society. We hope
you’ll wear your ‘mantle’
proudly. Thank you so
much.”
“You hit it out of the
ballpark for us.
Thank you!”

26. Post Cards
Your gift gave the class
such a wonderful time
at the symphony…
Wish you were here!”
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Stamp
SOME IDEAS:
 Send thoughtful cards from your personal travels
 Send thank you cards from your clients’ outings
 Create personalized cards using online services
 Send an Annual Report post card
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27. Token Thank You Gifts
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I’ve brought you some
home- baked cookies –
just to say THANKS
and tell you you’re
awesome!
Just thinking of how you make life sweeter
for the people we work with together. Sweets
For the sweet! Thank you.
While making jam this
Week-end I thought of you
and how you were really
there for all of us last
week.
Just wanted to drop this off
To say thanks.
7

28. 24
Some Nifty Thank You Gift
Ideas from the Web!
Thanks for
giving a hoot
about out cause!
Get a local café
to donate
gift
certificates.
How about “We
need s’more
supporters
like you!
Inexpensive –
would make a
nice hand-
delivered gift.

29. Snapshots
“Looks like you were
having a great time at
the event. We’re so glad
you could join us!”
“Your support helped all
these people develop
new job skills this year.
You are our hero!”
25
Donors
Clients
8

30. Video Thank You’s
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Create a simple video using a
smart phone as your tool and
your staff as your actors. Upload
to Vimeo or YouTube
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32. 28
Public Recognition
 Say something positive about your
donor in front of someone they admire
 Write a story about your donor
 Publicly honor your donor
 Send a group email acknowledging
your donor in front of others
 Send a tweet acknowledging your
donor’s awesomeness
 Pin photos of your awesome
supporters onto a special Pinterest
board (e.g., “Star Supporters,” “Extra
Mile Donors,” “Razoo Raisers”)
You’re
our
Hero
10

33. Gratitude Gives
Good Karma
 Take the Donor-
Centered Pledge
 Get Top-Down Buy-in
to Customer Service
 Create a Gratitude
Regimen
 Reap the Rewards
 Take the donor-
centered pledge
 Get top-down buy-in
to a customer service
orientation
 Create a gratitude
regimen
THE DONOR-CENTERED PLEDGE
We, [fill in the name of your nonprofit organization
here], believe that…
Gifts are not “cash transactions.” Donors are not
merely a bunch of interchangeable, easily replaceable
credit cards, checkbooks and wallets.
Having a program for developing a relationship with
that donor is how organizations tap that enormous
potential.
“Lifetime value of a donor” is the best (though often
overlooked) way to evaluate “return on investment” in
fundraising.
Many first-time gifts are no more than “impulse
purchases” or “first dates.”
A prerequisite for above-average donor retention is a
well-planned donor-centric communications program
that begins with a welcome.
Take an organization-wide
pledge to commit to a culture of
philanthropy

34. How to Hug Your Donors
To keep your donors you
must hold them close
Consider a warm, genuine
thoughtful thank you as a
HUG IN AN ENVELOPE.
Every donor deserves a
hug. Research shows
you’re not hugging them
enough.
d
o
n
o
r
Riff on cartoon by Hugh Macleod, Gaping Void

35. Sign up for my free blog
www.clairification.com
claire@clairification.com
Get your free copy of
The Key to Meaningful Donor Thank
You’s: Understanding the “Why”
http://bit.ly/1xZLA7a
Follow me:
 Twitter @charityclairity
 www.pinterest.com/charityclairity/
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Claire Axelrad, J.D., CFRE

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