Why Americans give & will continue to give

In ongoing donor surveys and aggregated donor profiling, the following are identified as the basis for philanthropic behaviors. Percentages overlap as respondents cited several reasons:

·         66.6% to help those less fortunate

·         47.3% personal satisfaction

·         44.1% give back to society

·         7.2% community recognition

·         5.8% maintain family heritage of philanthropy

·         1.4% tax considerations

And, Americans will continue to give for the following reasons:

·         Participate in the use of charitable dollars

·         Control philanthropic assets

·         Manage societal changes

·         Teach children the importance of philanthropy

·         Create community partnerships

·         Witness a return on the gift

As donors follow bold dreams, grand plans and great adventures, the successful solicitation matches the opportunity with the reason for giving.

How to send the best personal thank you to a donor

As mentioned in the previous post, thank you letters are critical in creating and maintaining successful donor relationships. Failing to thank a donor properly may harm your reputation so drastically that you will never truly recover. In an effort to avoid this, the following post is designed to help you construct the perfect thank you letter.

·         A thank you note should be kind in nature and filled with expressions of gratitude and appreciation.

·         It is ideal to send thank you notes on what is deemed “social stationery”. Social stationery is high-quality notepaper in either ivory or white, with either a monogram or name on the front. Though it may seem appropriate, notecards with an embossed ‘thank you’ are not suggested.  

·         Handwritten notes portray a stronger sense of warmth and personal gratitude than the business-style typed letter. Given the time, money and commitment the donor is graciously giving, a handwritten thank you is most appropriate.

·         Sending electronic thank you notes is not appropriate as they lack class, warmth and generosity.

·         Your salutations and closing will be determined by your relationship with the donor. “Sincerely” or “Cordially” are best for a warm and personal gratitude. When signing, always use your first and last name.

·         Tips for writing a business thank you:

o    Make it personal – use the pronouns ‘I’ and ‘you’

o    Be yourself – make the letter conversational and friendly, while also keeping it polished and professional

o    Avoid clichés and use personal phrases in place

o    Use correct spelling and grammar

o    Be specific

How to thank a donor

The most important thank you to any donor, in any setting, in any situation, is this: “Thank you so much for your time”.

Donors believe that their time and availability are more important than their money. Research indicates that no matter how many times a donor is thanked (including post commitment and post gift) the only thank you they remember, with any degree of clarity, is “thank you for your time” – and they will return to it time and again in the course of the relationship. This thank you values the donor more than the money and honors the relationship above all else. This thank you best occurs immediately and certainly within, the first ninety seconds of a cultivation or solicitation meeting.

Following a commitment, the donor must receive a thank you and acknowledgment in writing. This confirms and validates the commitment. It begins the paper trail toward the ultimate culmination of the gift.

In a post-gift setting, the donor must be thanked three times:

·         Once as an official acknowledgment of the gift – with copies to all appropriate parties and a receipt for tax purposes

·         A warm and gracious hand-written note from a member of the board or senior staff, indicating how much the gift truly means to the organization.

·         A note, again hand-written, from an ultimate beneficiary of the gift – a student, teacher, victim of domestic violence, patient, etc. – as this is, the communication that tells the donor that he or she made a difference.

The most important priority in development is to say thank you. The second is to raise money.

What Donors expect from Board Members

The relationship between board members and donors is one of the most important relationships throughout the course of the campaign. Though often left unsaid, the following points are crucial in creating and maintaining a positive relationship with the donor.

Donors look for:

·   A strong and passionate commitment to the organization and campaign from every board member

·   An honest and sincere team that will use the donor’s money wisely to help advance one step closer to the end goal of the campaign

·   Courage in the ask and development of the campaign

·   An honest and forthright relationship; the relationship means more than the money

·   Strong communication between the board member and the donor

·   A professional board – professionalism is the ‘make it or break it’ factor in feeling comfortable and strong in his decision to support your campaign

Donors want to know:

·  “Why should I support your organization?”

·  “How committed to this project and campaign are you?”

·   “How do you plan to use my money?”

·   “How will I be sure my money is being used as intended?”

Above all, donors want to know that their time and resources are helping to make a difference; be sure to thank them at least three times.