Beyond the Thank You Letter

We all have some way of thanking our donors formally for gifts to our organizations. It might be an email or a postal letter. But then what? Are you done? Not if you want that donor to make the next gift.

Gillian Cole-Andrews recently shared ideas for making an annual calendar for continuing to engage your donors.

• January. No one wants to give money in January. Send a “pre-tax letter” that thanks the donor for gifts made during the year, with a total figure of what was given.
• February. This is the “lybunt” and “sybunt” month. That means you will write to your donors who gave to you last year but not this year, and those who gave to you some year but not this year. Write and thank them.
• March. It’s “tour month.” Find a way to bring significant donors to see what you do, whatever it is.
• April. Event month. Well, according to your organization’s calendar it might be a different month, but take advantage of whatever annual event you do to engage your donors in ways that reinforce their understanding of your mission and your work. If you have a big party, make it mean something in terms of what you do.
• May. This can be your “annual appeal” in contrast to your end-of-year appeal.
• June, July , August. Can you celebrate an anniversary? Of your organization’s existence? Of a program?
• October. Send your impact report. Remind people that you exist and what you do and accomplish.
• November. Tie a solicitation to something happening this month. Thanksgiving? Susan B. Anthony? Military Family Month?
• December. This is your end-of-year annual appeal.

Certainly you can juggle some of these around or substitute different activities. The point is to create a annual plan for yourself to make donor appreciation and cultivation manageable.

For further reading:

• 21 Donor Recognition Examples
• 10 Creative Ways to Say Thank You