Say Thank You To The Nice People

Fundraising Success brings you 10 tips, so when you do thank them you’ll do it the right way.

Here’s a summary.

 * Open with an engaging lead. Starting with “thank you†or “on behalf of†is predictable; avoid it. Like a good fundraising appeal, the goal is to draw your reader in.

·  Beware the second paragraph pitfall. Paragraph No. 2 is where nonprofits often drift into “we-speak.†We did this, our programs do that. Rephrase it. Remember, a thank you is all about “you†— and that means your donor.

·  Focus on benefits. It’s not about the $200,000 machine you just bought, or the $5 million you spend on research, it’s about hope for the future … saving lives … restoring dreams for tomorrow. Benefits rule.

·  Include a contact. Give donors a real, live person to contact, instead of the ubiquitous info@mycharity.com.

·  Mention updates. Let donors know when they can expect a progress report — a quarterly newsletter, president’s letter, etc. Then follow through.

·  Avoid design tricks. A thank-you letter is a one-to-one correspondence. You wouldn’t use boldface and italics and bullets in a personal letter, so don’t do it in your thank you.

·  Write for readability. And that means … a serif font for print, sans serif for e-mails. Short paragraphs. Avoid fancy words. Translate jargon.

·  Consider your signor. A thank you should come from the top. Think CEO, president, etc. (Exceptions: you know the donor personally, or there’s a good case for another signor — e.g., special appeal.)

·  Stay positive. This is not the place for doom and gloom. Strive to show donors all the good things their gifts are accomplishing.

·  Cross channels. A postscript is a great spot to direct donor to your Web site — a new resource available there, videos, updates, etc.

Thanks for reading to the end of this blog.

David