There's going to be a lot of talk this week about saying and giving thanks this week. But rather than just talk about it... randomly assign 5, 10 or 15 donor names to all of your staff - all of your staff - and have them call these folks to say "thank you" or leave voicemail messages with a message of thanks.
A few thoughts:
- I mention that it should be all of your staff. It is easy for the "back room" staff that are a few degrees of separation away from face-to-face donor interaction forget that they are an important part of the fundraising team. If only your gift officers do the thanking, it will only entrench this mindset.
- Pick some random donors that are from lower gift levels and different demographics (ex: younger donors) to thank. It will go a long way with those donors you call and those doing the calling to remember that it isn't just about the major gifts.
- Resist the urge to turn this into an immediate ask - this should be about saying "thanks" and listening to anything else the donor cares to share.
- It should go without saying, but make sure you have the donors' information in front of you when making the calls - you should know where the donors' respective gifts went and what impact you can report.
Side note: If you're the boss of your organization or a team - make sure you take a minute to share a sincere thanks with your employees this week. Along those lines - thanks to all of you who work to make the nonprofit sector successful. You make the world a much better place.
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