During my time as a professional fundraiser and/or fundraising consultant, the US giving (annual philanthropy) has increased from $300 billion to nearly 441 billion (2020). That’s the good news. 

The bad news? We still don’t correctly thank, recognize and ‘love’ our donors. 

As someone who has worked with many nonprofit leaders, I can tell you development staff are almost always focused on donor acquisition vs. donor retention. And many of our clients do NOT have a formal stewardship plan in place (or maybe they do but it is in a file or on a shelf collecting dust…not strategically executed). 

Consider these 9 types of ‘thank you donor’ emails/communication tactics making you/your team look appreciative, professional and informed. 

1.         The Thank You email: Simply say, “thank you!” for a gift independent of the size. 
Give a quick example of how their gift impacts the cause/constituent. Pro tip:1) connect your donor to your business case landing page – they may want to explore your deliverables and outputs; 2) always include a staff person’s info in the message. Sample: “If you have any questions about our organization, your donation or related tax deduction, please reach out to marc@nonprofitname.org.”

2.         The Welcome email: Encourage the donor to learn more about you, your nonprofit, or the impact you are making in the world by way of your website, photo gallery, e-newsletter, blog or social media page. Pro tip: Infuse your nonprofit’s personality! For example, if your nonprofit centers on Western Art or Cowboy Football - try referring to your donor community as your “posse”.

3.         The Invitation email: For the right amount of contribution, consider inviting the donor to visit your bricks and mortar venue, headquarters or special event and experience how you impact constituents first hand. Pro tip: If you are busy ‘running the show’, consider appointing a Board Member, Staff Associate, Intern, Volunteer, Docent to help shepherd your guest(s) through an orientation/tour. 

4.         The ‘I Want to Share Content’ Offer: Maybe an email which provides insightful value and a behind-the-scenes look at your organization will seem thoughtful and prove useful. This might be your fly-through video, insightful photographs, a fun and interesting update (think one-minute movie) from a volunteer, artist, curator or program director, annual report, downloadable e-book, podcast episode or e-guided tour. 

5.         The ‘Meet our Leader’ Email: This email could tee up a chance to connect donor(s) to your organization’s Executive Director (or featured curator, educator, artist, programmer…) by way of ZOOM, Webinar, etc. Pro tip: Have the organization’s representative keep it light, informative, fun and interesting. At the end, have them thank the on-line donor base for being difference-makers! 

6.         The ‘Featured Donor’ Email: Used by Foundations in Higher Education, this is a short, professional and branded email that features a donor who has made an awesome contribution to a school, campus or department (Art & Sciences, Business…), Endowment, Sponsorship or Professorship. Pro tip: Steal this idea and develop/post a short donor feature to go out to your base (donors and stakeholders) which thank and elevate your featured donor for his/her contribution. 

 

7.         The Reply Back Email: This super simple email asks your donor (subscriber, Member) a question in order to start a conversation or a chatbot dialogue. Examples: “What inspires you most about XYZ charitable organization?” “What are your considerations when giving to XYZ charitable organization?” “What do you like most about XYZ’s charity and the impact it has on [people, students, goals, environment…]?”

8.         The ‘Brand Storytelling’ email. This email uses the popular branded storytelling approach to share an uplifting story, event or transformative initiative which highlights your organizational impact and desired outcomes. Pro tip: Do not make an ask in this email. 

9.         The Ask Email: This email gives donors a quick update/summary of impact and asks for a second gift. I know! But the research shows that the most effective time to ask for a second gift is within 30 days of the first gift - after the donor has been properly thanked and informed of course. Pro tip: If you have a year-end campaign, consider wrapping up all the impactful good you’ve done in12 months…and efficiently and enthusiastically communicate this to donors and prospective donors alike.  

If you know how to correctly use your CRM, you can send just one or ALL of these emails in a sequential order (tee them up and pre-date them for outbound postings) - preferably within the 30 days of receiving a first gift from a donor. 

Last thought: Consider your donors part of your family. Consider them an important and mission-critical element to help fund/drive your organization. You want them to recognize you as a welcome and familiar face in their inbox. And that you have a comfortable, strategic win-win relationship (linking the giver and the doer).