Gratitude is defined as “the quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness.”
Gratitude to our donors -- those who support our organizations with their time, talent and treasures, should be about expressing our thankfulness for their kindness and generosity.
If we are serious about fundraising, gratitude toward all of our donors regardless whether they give us $5 or $5 million dollars, must be a priority. Our job is not just asking. Our job is also to shower our donors with genuine and plentiful doses of gratitude.
Every “ask” you make must be followed by a show of gratitude.
Until you’ve shown gratitude to your donor for their generosity, you should not ask them for another gift.
Gift Receipts Are Not Gratitude! They are a legal obligation. Period.
Gratitude isn’t about us. It’s not about our mission, vision and values. It’s not about why we need your money, why we think you should support us, or how you can support us. It’s not about our new approach; our new shiny thing. It’s not about the gap. It’s not about why we think we’re different. It’s not about how great we are or “we’ve been in the news”. It isn’t about our presence on social media.
Now don’t get me wrong, these are important. They help your organization run efficiently. But most donors don’t really care. And a newsletter twice each year filled with “we are awesome” is not gratitude.
Donor Relations Guru Lynne Wester reminds us that donors “are in a relationship with us and it is incumbent upon [us] to keep this relationship strong and vital. We must know what drew them to our organization. We need to know what will keep them loyal to our organization. We need to keep wooing them. We cannot take them for granted. We need to demonstrate our deep respect to them. We need to find new ways to show them we need them and are grateful for them.”
It is our job to keep the relationship with donors strong and vital. We must give them what they need or they will go away. Really they will. Current stats tell us that only 3 out of 10 donors will give a second gift.
The wise words of Simone Joyaux, ACFRE should remind us about what motivates our donors: “Donors don’t give TO your organization. They give THROUGH your organization to make a difference and fulfill their own personal aspirations.”
Our fundraising efforts must focus on the donor and their aspirations and how we can make them feel amazing about their generosity.
It has to be about amazing expressions of gratitude to all of our donors.
Expressing gratitude is as simple as
Demonstrating to our donors that they are our heroes.
Sharing amazing and inspiring stories.
Asking our donors what inspires them to give.
Showing our donors that we value them and that they DO make a difference.
Remembering what our donors have done and said and using that to personalize our relationship with them.
Treating each donor like they are the most important and only donor we need.
Asking them for their honest feedback and not flipping out when they give it.
Saying “thanks” with passion and sincerity (before the check clears their bank or the credit card statement arrives).
It’s frustrating to see so many organizations treat their donors like ATM machines and their development efforts as merely bucket filling exercises.
Just imagine if you gave a little more time, effort and resources on gratitude and cut back on all the high cost low ROI acquisition and “special” events, your retention rates would soar and your impact would be off the charts.
Remember, if you can inspire your donor to give a second gift, “they are about three times as likely to stay with you.”
Until we understand what motivates our donors, what inspires them, and what they really don’t care about, we are doomed to fundraising mediocrity and abysmal retention rates.
All it takes is just a little Gratitude.
