Why It’s Important to Welcome Your New Donors

Ann Green Communications, donor engagement, donor relations, donor retention, donor-centered, gratitude, planning , , , , , ,

Year-end fundraising is well underway. I hope your campaign is going well so far. Perhaps you also participated in Giving Tuesday. The latter often brings in new donors, which you never want to take for granted. 

These donors saw a need and found a connection to your cause. Or maybe they were drawn into whatever Giving Tuesday promotion you initiated, but I like to think they wanted to help you make a difference. 

You may have or will see an increase in donations because of funding cuts and the recent U.S. government shutdown, especially if you work with populations that have been impacted by this. Times are tough and many people are struggling. Even so, donors see the need and have been stepping up to help. If that’s the case for you, these are donors who feel passionate about your cause and you don’t want to lose them.

Unfortunately, many of your new donors won’t stick with you. The retention rate for first-time donors is around 20%. We can and must do better.

This is why it’s so important to get a second donation, also known as a golden donation. Once you get that golden donation, you’re more likely to have long-time donors who will keep giving. One way to ensure this is to make your new donors feel welcome.

Start with a special thank you

According to fundraising expert, Dr. Adrian Sargeant, “The thank you is the single most important piece of communication that your donors get. They have a higher recall of it than the appeal that generated the gift.”

Keep that in mind, especially for your new donors.

If someone donates online, it’s hard to tailor the thank you email specifically to new donors. But you can do that with a phone call, handwritten note, or thank you letter.

Try to call your new donors or send a handwritten note. This will make a great impression on them. Get together a group of board members, other volunteers, and staff to help you. If that’s not possible, create a thank you letter specifically for your new donors.

*Make sure these are brand new donors. A good CRM/database will help you avoid any missteps.*

Create a welcome plan

A week or two after the initial thank you, send a welcome package. You can do this by mail, email, or a combination of both. Try to send at least one welcome message by mail. Mail is always more personal and your donors will be more likely to see it.

Welcome your new donors. Thank them again and show them other ways they can connect with you. Invite them to subscribe to your newsletter, join you on social media, and volunteer.

Your welcome package should include a warm introductory message and a few facts about your organization, but don’t brag too much. Keep it donor-centered and be personable. You could also direct people to your website for more information about your nonprofit.

Be careful about how much information you send. Donors want to feel welcome, not overwhelmed.

I don’t recommend sending unsolicited swag. Personally, I don’t like it, but some donors might. You could offer your new donors a gift and they can let you know if they want to receive it, but it’s not necessary. Most of your donors already have plenty of stuff. What donors really want from you is to know how they’re helping you make a difference.

Create a series of messages, also known as a drip campaign. Set a timeline. The first sequence of messages can be sent about once a week. After that, you should continue to communicate regularly (at least once a month) and follow the ask, thank, update, repeat formula. In a few months, you could invite your new donors to give monthly. Monthly donors are committed donors.

Welcome emails have high open rates. Impress your new donors right away, so they’ll be more likely to donate again.

Who are your new donors?

They could be event attendees, volunteers, or newsletter subscribers. If you know, refer to that in your thank you note, letter, or phone call. If not, send a short survey with your welcome package and ask, “How did you hear about us?” or “What drew you to our organization?” 

Another question to ask is whether your donors prefer print or electronic communication. Short surveys are also a good way to connect throughout the year. The more you know about your donors the easier it will be to communicate with them.

Make your current donors feel special, too

While I’ve been focusing on new donors in this post, retention rates for current donors aren’t anything to celebrate. The overall donor retention rate is around 45%, so we have some work to do.

Remember the golden donation, but don’t stop there. You want a third (would that be platinum?) and a fourth, etc. donation.  

If you’re not acknowledging a donor’s past support, you’re making a huge mistake. Imagine how you would feel if you gave to an organization for over five years and they never thank you for your long-time support.  Unfortunately, this happens way too often.

These valuable, long-time donors could leave at any time, so ignore them at your own peril. Make sure they also get a special thank you from you.

Keep it up throughout the year

It’s so important to communicate with your donors regularly. Plan on special mailings or emails specifically targeted to new donors. Remember to try to send something by mail if you can. A better use of your print and mailing budget is to send thank you notes instead of swag.

Think of other ways to do something special for your new donors too, such as an open house or a tour of your facility, either in person or virtual.

Of course, don’t ignore your other donors. You could do something special when you get that all-important second gift. Keep reaching out – at least once or twice a month. 

Show appreciation and share updates. A huge factor in donor retention is a good donor relations plan that you’ll carry out regularly as long as your donors support you, which hopefully will be for many years.

Toolkit: Build a Content Calendar for Nonprofit Campaigns

Ann Green Communications, donor engagement, fundraising, multichannel, planning, stories, website , , , , , ,

Use this toolkit to create a content calendar for your nonprofit’s campaign season, fostering stronger donor connections and enhancing your fundraising efforts.

By Anne Stefanyk

Alt Text: Concept image of a calendar, with a pin on the 30th of the month

When building a nonprofit campaign, planning your fundraising strategies is only half the battle. You also need a clear plan for getting the word out about your fundraising efforts, and that begins with a content calendar.

A strategic content calendar is the single best tool for shifting your pre-campaign planning efforts from chaos to control. Research indicates that 69% of the most successful marketers have a documented content strategy, compared to just 16% of the least successful marketers. A calendar unifies your communication into a consistent, powerful message that helps engage and retain your audience members.

This toolkit provides a practical, step-by-step framework for building a content calendar. We will focus on anchoring your strategy to your website, integrating all your channels, and using targeted storytelling to inspire action.

Step 1: Map out your campaign phases.

Before you plan any specific content, you must map out the emotional and tactical journey you want your supporters to take. To ensure your team is aligned, use a shared tool for collaboration. A spreadsheet, a simple document, or a project management tool like Asana works perfectly.

Begin by outlining the key phases of your campaign. Most fundraising campaigns have four distinct stages. Let’s use a hypothetical “Giving Day” campaign for a wildlife sanctuary raising funds for its veterinary hospital as our example.

  1. The Priming Phase (Building Awareness). This is your educational warm-up. The goal is to set the stage and demonstrate your funding need without making a hard ask just yet. For example, two weeks before the Giving Day, you could publish a “Day in the Life of Our Sanctuary Vet” blog post. This article should include compelling photos and storytelling to illustrate the complexity and cost of daily animal care, subtly highlighting why a fully funded wildlife hospital is so crucial.
  2. The Launch Phase (The Big Push). This is the official kick-off. Your content shifts from education to a clear, direct, and exciting call to action. All your channels should activate at once with a unified message. For example, at 8 a.m. on the Giving Day, you can send an “It’s Live!” email blast. Simultaneously, your website’s homepage changes to a Giving Day “hub” with a live-tracker, and your first social media posts announce the start of the 24-hour campaign.
  3. The Momentum Phase (Maintaining Energy). This is the long middle of the campaign, where you need to fight a dip in attention. Demonstrate progress made to donors and use social proof to encourage others to join in. For instance, at 3 p.m., you could post a short, celebratory video saying, “We just passed the 50% mark! Your gifts have already funded the purchase of a new X-ray sensor. Thank you! Can we get to 75% by dinner time?” This type of message shows real-time impact and creates a new mini goal.
  4. The Final Call Phase (Creating Urgency). This is your final, high-energy push to close the gap. Your messaging must be clear, direct, and time-sensitive to motivate supporters who have been waiting to make a donation. For example, at 9 p.m., you may send a “Final 3-Hour Countdown” email that clearly states: “We are $5,000 away from our goal. If you haven’t given yet, now is the time. Don’t wait—your gift before midnight will be a lifeline for our animals.”

Defining these core stages will give you the overarching structure you need to pepper in specific content types and messages throughout your campaign.

Step 2: Layer in content streams.

Your strategic content calendar should help you visualize how you can repurpose one piece of content across your entire ecosystem. This is the key to a robust multichannel strategy that reaches donors where they are.

Focus on your website content first. Your website is the one digital platform you own completely. It is the central hub where all action, donation, and deep engagement should happen.

Place your “pillar” pieces, like blog posts, video uploads, and testimonial drops, on the calendar. Then, build your email and social content around them.

Think of your website as the “hub” and your other channels as the “spokes.” For example, one long-form testimonial published on your blog (the hub) becomes the source material for many other pieces. It can become a quote graphic for Instagram, a “story of the week” feature in your email newsletter, and the emotional hook for a targeted social media ad.

For each phase, define the content needed for each channel. Create columns in your calendar for:

  • The date when the content should be published
  • The content topic or headline
  • The primary channel (e.g., blog, email, Facebook)
  • The task owner

For instance, during your momentum phase, you might have one team member post a “progress update” blog post by 2:45 p.m. Then, another staffer will have the green light to share that blog post’s key message, like a new animal photo or quote, across Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn, at 3 p.m. sharp.

This step is where a comprehensive project management system will be your best friend. You can use it to automatically send email or text notifications when it’s time for each team member to complete their tasks, ensuring seamless communication throughout the campaign.

Step 3: Populate with your stories and segments.

Stories make your campaign feel more urgent, personal, and real to donors, especially when you personalize them to each individual’s interests. Review your donor segments and assign specific stories or messages to different email segments.

For example, in the Momentum phase, you might send Email A (featuring an impact story) to your list of brand-new donors, but Email B (featuring a financial breakdown of impact) to your major donor segment. Major donors will appreciate greater transparency into the inner workings of your campaign and its anticipated outcomes, while new supporters will benefit from learning more about the purpose of your fundraising.

Bloomerang Fundraising’s donor segmentation guide also recommends using donor segments to send donors messages on their favorite communication channels. For example, a supporter who prefers text messages is more likely to respond to a campaign text than an email. Your calendar helps you plan for this, sending the right story to the right person on the platform they choose.

Step 4: Review for gaps and accessibility.

Evaluate your calendar from a higher level to ensure you haven’t overlooked any key necessities. Ask yourself questions like: Are you posting too much on one channel and neglecting another? Is there a week with no website content? Are your calls to action clear?

This is also the final check to ensure all planned materials, especially website assets, are accessible. Accessibility is crucial to creating an inclusive nonprofit campaign that enables everyone to participate. Your mission is for everyone, and your campaign content should be, too.

Key accessibility elements to check for include:

  • Readable fonts
  • Alternative text for images
  • Video captions or transcripts
  • Clear website navigation
  • Hierarchical web page design
  • Keyboard navigability

Kanopi Studios’ nonprofit website design guide recommends using both automated and manual checks to ensure you don’t miss any accessibility issues. Automated tests use tools like Lighthouse or Axe to help identify accessibility issues. Manual testing involves someone engaging in user testing, often with the help of assistive technology like a keyboard or screen reader tool, to evaluate your site’s usability.

Step 5: Measure, adapt, and improve.

Your content calendar should be a living document, not a rigid set of rules. The launch of your campaign marks the beginning of your next discovery process, involving constant testing and iteration.

Use a combination of tools such as Google Analytics and your website builder to track key campaign metrics such as:

  • Website traffic
  • The time visitors spend on core web pages
  • Landing page conversion rates
  • Email click-through rates
  • Social media engagement (likes, comments, shares)

If one type of content clearly resonates with your audience, adjust your calendar to capitalize on that success. For instance, if your “Meet the Animals” testimonial series is leading to major donation conversions, center your social media and website content around that to maximize your outreach efforts.

This continuous improvement model ensures that your strategy gets smarter with every campaign you run. Additionally, you can apply this approach to major, multi-year campaigns, such as a capital campaign. These longer fundraising initiatives offer an incredible opportunity to test your messaging and organization efforts, taking you from a novice planner to an expert communicator over the course of the campaign.

Build on what works, and discard what doesn’t—that’s the key to long-term fundraising communications success.

A well-planned content calendar does more than just organize your posts. It frees your team from the daily panic of “what do we post?” and empowers you to focus on what truly matters: building connections.

With this mindset, you can transform your nonprofit website from a simple digital front door into a dynamic hub for promoting both your current campaigns and your mission as a whole.

Anne Stefanyk is the Founder and CEO of Kanopi Studios, a leading digital agency that designs and builds websites for mission-driven organizations. With deep expertise in strategy, user experience, and open-source technologies, Anne has guided Kanopi to become a trusted partner to nonprofits, higher education, and healthcare institutions.

Since launching Kanopi in 2010, Anne has fostered a people-first culture and a strong commitment to accessible, sustainable web practices. Her team creates inclusive digital experiences that help organizations make meaningful impact.

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Don’t Turn Giving Tuesday Into a Money Grab

Ann Green donor engagement, donor relations, donor retention, email, fundraising, gratitude, planning , , , , , ,

Your email inbox can look like a hot mess. Even though we only had a few elections in U.S. this fall, I received a multitude of email messages requesting donations. Pretty soon we’ll be bombarded with Cyber Monday and Black Friday ads. And then there’s Giving Tuesday. All of this can be too much, too much, and many of these messages look like spam.

In an ideal world Giving Tuesday wouldn’t be associated with political emails and Cyber Monday ads. According to the Giving Tuesday website, “Giving Tuesday is a global generosity movement unleashing the power of radical generosity.” In theory, that sounds nice, but in reality, it’s a day when nonprofit organizations unleash an onslaught of transactional fundraising appeals by email, text, and social media. It feels like a money grab.

No one likes being barraged with transactional messages. Those of us in the U.S. are feeling overwhelmed because of the government shutdown and the chaos and uncertainty it brought. Your donors deserve better. Focus on generosity and building relationships. 

Beginning in 2012, Giving Tuesday has taken place the Tuesday after Thanksgiving. This year it will be on December 2.

I’m not going to tell you whether or not you should participate in Giving Tuesday. Perhaps you’ve participated in the past and it’s been successful (one way to measure if it was successful is if those donors give again), or maybe it wasn’t. Perhaps you’re planning to participate for the first time. Maybe you’re on the fence. 

Whether you participate or not, Giving Tuesday is part of the nonprofit landscape and if you’re doing a year-end appeal, you’ll need to factor it into your campaign. If you do participate, you want to make it a better experience for your donors instead of the usual barrage of generic, transactional appeals. And, you don’t want your messages to resemble spam.

Here are a few things to keep in mind as Giving Tuesday approaches.

Lead with your need – Just because it’s Giving Tuesday isn’t a compelling reason to give

I see so many messages that say donate because it’s Giving Tuesday. Many donors don’t care if it’s Giving Tuesday or if it’s your “annual appeal.” That’s often not why they donate. They give because they care about your cause and want to help make a difference. 

I give a lot of monthly donations. Around Giving Tuesday, I’ll give additional donations to food pantries and other service organizations. This year I’ve already given some of those donations because people weren’t receiving their food stamps due to the government shutdown. If your clients/community are among those affected by the shutdown and funding cuts, it makes more sense to request donations now instead of waiting until Giving Tuesday.  

Your work is important. Focus on your need and the impact of your donor’s gift. Let them know that with their help, Tina can feed her family or Bobby doesn’t have to sleep on the street tonight.

People and communities are struggling, and it’s going to continue for a while. You need to acknowledge this in your appeals.

It’s not just about the money

A successful Giving Tuesday campaign is about more than just raising a lot of money. You also want to build relationships and make your donors feel good about supporting your organization. This is where it often falls short.

I’m not a huge fan of Giving Tuesday or any giving days, for that matter, because they focus too much on getting donations. Many of these donors are first-time donors who don’t give again. The end result is you’ve just spent a lot of time and effort on getting one-time gifts. That’s not what you want. You need donors who will support you for many years.

Make it personal and segment your donors

Don’t just blast a bunch of generic, transactional appeals that resemble Cyber Monday ads or those relentless requests for political donations. I receive so many political emails, which are just “noise” that I end up ignoring. You don’t want that. You want to attract your donors’ attention in a good way. A more relationship-oriented subject line can help.

You also don’t want to send all your donors the same appeal. If someone donated last year on Giving Tuesday, this is the perfect opportunity to thank them for that gift and ask them to donate again this year. If they donated two weeks ago, maybe they shouldn’t get an appeal right now.

Segment your donors. Acknowledge past donors and make a connection with potential donors. 

Focus on building relationships with your donors instead of just begging for donations.

Also, if you’re sending an appeal to your monthly donors, recognize them as monthly donors and ask them to give an additional gift (many of them will). They get their own thank you, too. Monthly donors are one of your most loyal types of donors. Be sure to make them feel special.

If you’re one of the few organizations that sends more personalized appeals, then kudos to you because that’s what everyone needs to do.

Use Giving Tuesday as a way to follow up with your donors

If you don’t want to launch a full Giving Tuesday campaign (understandable), it can be a great opportunity to follow up with people who haven’t donated to your year-end appeal. You should be sending regular reminders anyway.

Send email, text, and social media messages before and on Giving Tuesday, encouraging people to donate. You can use the Giving Tuesday logos, etc., if you’d like. Obviously, you’ll want to keep following up with anyone who didn’t donate on Giving Tuesday.

Remember, your donors will be barraged with messages on Giving Tuesday. Make yours stand out and be prepared to keep following up.

Put gratitude front and center

Let your donors know how much you appreciate their generosity.

Make sure you have an engaging thank you landing page and thank you email for your online donors. You could even create ones especially for Giving Tuesday. Then you need to follow that with a phone call, handwritten note, or thank you letter.

Do something special for your new donors, but don’t ignore any repeat donors. 

Go the extra mile and do a good job of thanking these donors – both right after they’ve made their donation and throughout the year.

You could skip Giving Tuesday 

Maybe you’ll decide to skip Giving Tuesday altogether. If that’s the case, you may want to hold off on sending email on Giving Tuesday. You may also want to avoid sending email on Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Remember, other organizations will be participating and any messages you send will be competing with the onslaught of Giving Tuesday appeals. 

Before and after Giving Tuesday, use this opportunity to stand out by keeping your fundraising campaign focused on gratitude and relationship building. Year-end is a good time to ramp up your donor communication (examples include thank you messages, holiday greetings, and updates) so people don’t think you’re only asking them for money.

Give back to your donors

I think you’ll find your Giving Tuesday campaign, or any fundraising campaign, will be more successful if you focus on more than just the giving part. And a big part of a successful campaign is getting repeat donations. This means giving back to your donors, as well.

Always focus on generosity and building relationships, and don’t turn your fundraising campaign into a money grab.

Put Gratitude Front and Center During Your Year-End Fundraising Campaign

Ann Green donor engagement, donor retention, donor-centered, gratitude, thank you letters, year-end appeal , , , , ,

Year-end fundraising coincides with what we might call the gratitude season, which includes Thanksgiving in the U.S. and the December holidays. This is appropriate since thanking your donors is part of the fundraising equation, even though many nonprofits tend to ignore this.

We’re not living in normal times and it’s vital that you don’t turn your year-end fundraising campaign into a money grab. We’re all dealing with a lot. Your nonprofit may be falling short on revenue. Because of that, you’re laser-focused on your year-end campaign and think you’re too busy to spend much time thanking your donors.

But that’s precisely why you need to get on the thank you bandwagon. Showing some appreciation to your donors right now can help you raise more money for your year-end campaign (or any campaign). It will also make it more likely your donors will give again. This is known as the Gratitude Effect.

One idea is to hold a thankathon, especially if you haven’t launched your appeal yet. Traditionally, thankathons are done by phone, but you can use other channels, too.

You’re never too busy to thank your donors. Besides, don’t they deserve some special attention?

Showing gratitude doesn’t happen nearly as often as it should, but you need to spend just as much time thanking your donors and building relationships as you do on fundraising.

Here are a few ways to incorporate gratitude into your year-end fundraising campaign.

Say thank you in your appeal

Does your appeal thank donors for their past or potential gifts? It should. Everyone wins when you show gratitude while you’re trying to raise money.

This is especially important around GivingTuesday and I’ll write more about that in an upcoming post.

Wish your donors a Happy Thanksgiving

A nice way to show gratitude is to send your donors a special Thanksgiving message. Many nonprofits already do this. If you’re not one of them, make this the year you start. If you can send a card or postcard, that’s great, but an email message is also fine. If you use email, be sure to address your donor by name to make it more personal and send it the day before when they’ll be more likely to see it.

In a recent post about running a multichannel campaign, I suggested skipping the reminder during Thanksgiving week and pouring on the gratitude instead. If you don’t launch your campaign until after Thanksgiving, this would be a great way to kick it off.

There’s a lot of uncertainty right now and your donors will appreciate a heartfelt message from you. Let them know how grateful you are to have them as part of your donor family. 

Don’t stop with Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving isn’t the only time to show some appreciation. The holidays and New Year’s are coming up soon (sooner than you think) and that’s a good opportunity, especially for those of you outside the U.S., to express gratitude. But you don’t need a holiday or other special occasion. Just thank your donors and do it often. 

Whatever you decide, DO NOT include a donation envelope or any other type of ask with your thank you message. This is known as a thask and it’s guaranteed to deflate your donor’s good feelings in an instant.

Be ready to thank your donors as soon as you receive a donation

Every single donor, no matter how much they’ve given or whether they donated online, gets a thank you card/letter mailed to them or receives a phone call.

Planning ahead will help you thank your donors as soon as possible. I’m sure you’re spending a lot of time and effort getting out your fundraising appeal. Perhaps you’ve recruited other staff or volunteers to help you.

You need to do the same thing when you thank your donors. Get your board, other staff, and volunteers to help make phone calls, write thank you notes, or include a handwritten note in a thank you letter. This is also an opportunity for a thankathon.

Make thanking your donors a priority

Your donors deserve more than just the same boring, generic thank you letter. The initial thank you right after you receive a donation is important. So is the next one and the one after that and the one after that….

Thanking your donors is not something you just do after you receive a donation. You want to thank your donors at least once a month. How many of you are actually doing that? 

Here are some ways you can show gratitude throughout the year.

  • Send a handwritten note.
  • Create a thank you video and share it on your website, by email, and on social media. Better yet, personalize it.
  • Send welcome packages to your new donors.
  • Invite your donors to connect with you via email and social media. Keep them updated on your success and challenges. Making all your communications donor-centered will help convey an attitude of gratitude.
  • Thank your donors in your newsletters and other updates. Emphasize that you wouldn’t be able to do the work you do without their support.
  • Hold an open house or offer tours. You can also create a virtual tour or other engaging video content to let your donors see your nonprofit up close and personal.
  • Thank your donors just because they’re great.
  • Keep thinking of other ways to thank your donors.

Create a thank you plan to help you with this.

Show a little kindness

We could all use a lot more kindness and a lot less divisiveness right now. As long as you’re sincere, I don’t think there’s such a thing as being too nice.

In the spirit of kindness, show some gratitude to your donors and make them feel special.

Why Consistency in Communication is Key to Donor Retention

Ann Green brand identity, Communications, database, donor engagement, donor retention, gratitude, planning , , , , , ,

Retaining donors requires a diligent effort to engage and build relationships with them. Explore why consistent communications are key to donor retention.

By Diana Otero

Let’s imagine you donate to an environmental conservation nonprofit for the first time. You’re excited about this cause and how you can make a difference.

After receiving a generic thank-you email, you don’t hear from the organization for a while. You’re a bit disappointed, as you had been looking forward to learning more about the nonprofit and its mission-driven work.

A few months pass, and you finally hear from them again, with an email titled “Give to our organization today!” By this point, you feel that the organization just wants to solicit donations and has no interest in building relationships with supporters or educating them about their cause. You ignore the email and decide not to give to this nonprofit again.

This scenario illustrates the importance of sending consistent, engaging communications that stand out to donors and make them excited to continue supporting your organization. In this guide, we’ll explore reasons why consistent communications empower donor retention and how to adjust your strategy accordingly.

5 Ways Consistent Communications Enable Donor Retention

A steady communication cadence inspires donors to continue contributing to your nonprofit and its community because it:

  • Builds trust and credibility. Predictable communications like monthly newsletters, timely thank-you emails, and event recaps prove your organization’s reliability. When donors receive regular updates about your nonprofit, they can see how it’s actively pursuing its mission and using funds responsibly to execute the programs and initiatives discussed in these messages.
  • Demonstrates transparency. When you communicate with supporters regularly, you’re more likely to update them through both positive and negative circumstances, giving donors a more realistic, honest view of your operations. For example, an organization that sends event recaps may mention that it didn’t reach its fundraising goal and how it plans to rectify this issue next time, whereas a nonprofit without a consistent communication cadence may neglect to share this information.
  • Reinforces impact. The more you communicate with donors, the more opportunities you have to show them how you’ve created better outcomes for your beneficiaries. Regularly sharing stories, impact data, and testimonials helps donors understand that their support is crucial and encourages them to continue giving.
  • Keeps your organization top-of-mind. If you only reach out to donors to solicit contributions, they may feel exploited by your organization and forget about what drew them to your cause in the first place. Sending informational and educational messages reminds donors of your nonprofit’s important work and the engagement opportunities available to them.
  • Fosters deeper relationships. One of the five C’s of communication is connection. When donors hear from your nonprofit regularly, they’re more likely to feel connected to your organization. Over time, you can steward small and mid-level donors to become major donors if you consistently strengthen your supporter relationships through outreach.

When your communications are consistent, everyone wins. Donors feel more informed and connected to your organization, your organization can better retain their support, and, as a result, your beneficiaries will receive the help they need.

5 Tips for Creating More Consistent Communications

1. Establish brand guidelines.

Whether you’re communicating with donors via email, text message, direct mail, social media, your website, or another channel, supporters should clearly recognize that these messages came from your organization. By creating brand guidelines, you ensure that communications across channels and team members are consistent and reflective of your nonprofit.

Your brand guidelines should clarify your:

  • Mission and vision: What is your organization’s purpose?
  • Core values: What are your nonprofit’s guiding principles?
  • Writing style and tone: How should your organization’s copy sound?
  • Positioning: What makes your nonprofit unique?
  • Key messaging: What talking points should staff members hit when creating communications?
  • Logo usage: How should team members place and size your logo on visuals?
  • Color palette: What colors should communications feature to reflect your brand?
  • Typography: What fonts should team members use in messaging?
  • Imagery style: What should images look like?

Remember to update your brand guidelines after a rebrand or major strategy adjustment so your communications align with your nonprofit’s new perspective. Distribute this guide across your team so everyone knows exactly how to construct their content.

2. Create a content calendar.

As Bloomerang’s email marketing for nonprofits guide explains, “Too many emails can overwhelm supporters, causing them to tune out or unsubscribe. At the same time, too few emails can cause your organization to fall off supporters’ radars.”

That’s why creating a content calendar based on your supporters’ communication preferences is the best route for consistent yet welcome messages. Analyze metrics like open and click-through rates, and survey donors to collect data on their ideal message frequency.

Using this information, develop a content calendar that appeals to your donors, stewards relationships with them, and highlights key campaigns, events, and holidays. By scheduling communications ahead of time, donors will know when to expect to hear from you and appreciate this reliability.

3. Personalize messages.

In addition to featuring the same branding and following a regular cadence, consistent communications also acknowledge donors’ past interactions with your nonprofit and reflect their unique relationships with your organization. Receiving relevant messages that align with their interests and engagement history shows donors that your nonprofit cares about them as individuals and makes them more likely to stick around.

Segment your supporters into relevant groups, such as:

  • First-time donors
  • Recurring donors
  • Mid-level donors
  • Major donors
  • Planned giving donors
  • Lapsed donors

Then, personalize messages to donors’ needs to ensure they resonate with them. For example, if you’re trying to solicit a second gift from a first-time donor, instead of sending a generic donation request, you could send them a text that says:

“We were so happy to welcome you to our community five months ago. Since then, we’ve developed a new mentoring program that pairs young children with older children to help them grow as students and people. Would you be interested in lending your generosity again to support children in need?”

4. Leverage automation.

Automating routine communications frees up staff time and promotes consistency. By setting up messages to trigger after certain actions, you can be confident knowing you’ll follow up with donors without even having to lift a finger. Common uses for marketing and fundraising automation include:

  • Thank-you emails that are sent immediately after donors give
  • Welcome email series that triggers after a donor gives for the first time
  • Birthday or giving anniversary messages that automatically send based on stored donor data
  • Educational messages that automatically send after a donor downloads a related resource or reads a blog post
  • Follow-up messages that automatically send when a donor abandons your donation page
  • Surveys that trigger after a donor attends an event or volunteer opportunity

Tweak your automations over time based on donor behavior. For example, you may find that new donors are more likely to engage when you send your welcome email series a day after their first contribution rather than immediately after giving.

5. Implement proper data hygiene.

Outdated, incorrect, or incomplete donor data can prevent you from reaching donors, as well as break up your communication cadence and risk your supporter relationships. Practicing data hygiene allows you to clean up your nonprofit CRM and ensure your messages consistently reach donors.

A complete data hygiene routine may include:

  • Auditing your database
  • Developing data entry standards
  • Validating your data
  • Appending missing information
  • Regularly updating your CRM

Developing data hygiene standards and sharing them across your team ensures your database stays accurate and empowers deliverable communications that help you stay in touch with your supporter base.

Throughout the process of making your communications more consistent, don’t forget to consult your donors. Every nonprofit’s supporters have different needs and preferences. Collect their feedback to determine the ideal communication frequency, messaging, and channels to keep your strategy consistent and aligned with your unique donor base.

As Senior Product Marketing Manager at Bloomerang, Diana Otero leverages her expertise in nonprofit CRM to help organizations strengthen donor relationships. She is passionate about showcasing solutions that empower For Purpose organizations to move beyond data tracking and foster genuine connections. With over a decade at Bloomerang, Diana excels at translating product capabilities into strategies that save time, fuel growth, and allow nonprofits to focus on what matters most: their mission. Her work is informed by her experience as a former nonprofit board member and ongoing volunteer work with various organizations, giving her unique insight into the challenges nonprofits face. Connect with her on LinkedIn.

How To Plan a Mulitchannel Fundraising Campaign

Ann Green appeal letters, fundraising, multichannel, planning, year-end appeal , , ,

Year-end fundraising season is here. I’m already seeing appeal letters in my mailbox and this is just the beginning.

Speaking of appeal letters, you should send one by mail. I know email is easier and less expensive, but people respond better to mail and it’s well worth the investment. 

However, if you just send one fundraising letter and wait for the donations to come in, prepare to be disappointed. Your donors have a lot going on and may put your letter aside to handle later, and then never get to it.

Of course, you can also send email appeals, but you’ll need to send more than one appeal due to the enormous volume of email people receive. Some donors will respond to the first appeal, but most are going to need a few reminders.

Your fundraising campaign will be more successful if you use a combination of mail, email, social media, texts, and phone calls. Some donors may respond to your direct mail piece but will donate online. This is what I usually do. Others will see your email message but prefer to send a check. You could also include a text to give option and send reminders by text.

You’ll have a lot of competition since you’re not the only organization seeking year-end donations. Most nonprofits rely on year-end for the bulk of their fundraising.

This is why you need a multichannel fundraising campaign with a series of asks.

BEFORE YOU START

Clean up your mailing lists/database

If you haven’t already done this, clean up and organize your mailing lists/database. Do you have both postal and email addresses for all your donors? Be sure to segment your donors into different groups (current, monthly, etc), as well. Having good donor data is essential.

Make it easy to donate online

You need to have a donation page that’s engaging and easy to use on all platforms, including mobile. Test all links in email messages, texts, and social media posts. The last thing you want is a donor contacting you about a broken link or needing to hunt around on your website for a link to your donation page. You also run the risk of someone not donating at all.

When you’re ready to launch your campaign, include a blurb on your homepage that says your year-end campaign is underway. Make sure you have a prominent Donate button.

Which channels do your donors use?

Don’t spend a lot of time on channels your donors aren’t using. Figure out in advance where you want to focus your efforts.

SAMPLE SCHEDULE AND STRATEGY

Come up with a schedule of when the appeals will go out. I’ve created a sample schedule below. Of course, you can adjust the time frame as needed and use this for campaigns at other times of the year. 

I recommend starting your year-end campaign sooner rather than later to get ahead of your competition. If you’re still working on your appeal and thank you letters, be sure to get those done soon.

Finally, if you haven’t already done this, you could send your donors a warm-up letter or email before you launch your campaign. I highly recommend that.

October 29

Give your supporters a heads-up by email and social media. Let them know your year-end campaign is about to launch and they should receive a letter from you soon, provided you have their mailing address. Encourage them to donate online right now. This means your donation page needs to be in great shape.

Keep in mind that the fact your year-end campaign is going on will matter to some donors and not to others. Use an enticing subject line such as  – How you can help local families put food on the table.  

Make sure it’s obvious your message is coming from your organization so you have a better chance of getting it opened. 

Week of November 3

Mail your appeal letters.

Week of November 10

Send an appeal by email. You could also reach out by text and social media if your donors are receptive to those. Use the same messaging as you did in your appeal letter.

And, here’s a friendly reminder to thank your donors as soon as the donations come in.

Week of November 17

Start sending follow-up reminders via email, text, and social media. Weekly or regular reminders are a proven way to help you raise more money. If possible, don’t send reminders to people who have already donated. Otherwise, be sure to thank your recent donors. You can even phrase your reminders as more of a thank you or an update.

Thank you so much to all of you who donated to our year-end appeal. We’re well on our way to serving more families at the Eastside Community Food Pantry. This is crucial. We’re seeing more people coming in because they’re having trouble affording groceries, and we expect this to continue for a while.

If you haven’t donated yet, please help us out today by visiting our website (include a link to your donation page) or sending us a check (provide address).

Week of November 24

November 27 is Thanksgiving in the U.S. I would recommend pausing your fundraising this week and focusing 100% on gratitude. Send your donors a Happy Thanksgiving message, preferably by mail, but an electronic message is fine. Your donors are going to be busy getting ready for turkey day and may not have time to donate that week, but would appreciate a heartfelt thank you from you.

For those of you outside of the U.S., this can also be an opportunity to show some donor appreciation. Even though you’re focused on year-end fundraising, you also need to communicate in other ways right now. 

And, if you’ve been holding off on sending those thank you letters, now would be a good time to get caught up.

Week of December 1

December 2 is GivingTuesday so you could tie that into a reminder message. You may already have a campaign planned.

Love it, hate it, or somewhere in between, your donors’ inboxes will be bursting at the seams on GivingTuesday and your messages can easily get lost in the chaos. Make your messages stand out and remember to show some gratitude, too. If you’re not participating in GivingTuesday, you’ll want to send a reminder on a different day.

Also, not all of your donors will care that it’s GivingTuesday. Focus on how they can help you make a difference.

Make sure your reminders, as well as any GivingTuesday messages, don’t look like spam. And, keep it positive. Don’t make your donors feel bad because they haven’t donated yet.

Week of December 8

Start making reminder calls, along with sending electronic messages. If time is an issue, you could just call people who have donated before. That’s probably most effective. Leaving a voice mail message is fine. 

Sending a text message as well as an email can improve your chance of getting a donation.

It’s a busy time of the year and your donors may need a gentle prompt.

The rest of December and beyond

Keep sending reminders throughout December. It’s tricky because you want to get your messages across without being annoying. This is another reason why you should only send reminders to people who haven’t donated yet.

Be sure to keep up with your donor communication (newsletter and other updates). Remember, you don’t want the only messages your donors receive to be fundraising appeals. December is also a great time to show some appreciation and send holiday greetings.

The end of December is the busiest time of this already busy fundraising season. Send a reminder email on December 29th, 30th, and 31st. This is also proven to be an effective strategy. It’s especially relevant if your fiscal year ends on December 31 or your donor wants to give before the end of the calendar year. According to NextAfter, more people donate on December 31 than on GivingTuesday.

Even though you’re trying to raise money, don’t forget about building relationships, too. That’s just as important.

Look to see who hasn’t contributed yet. Concentrate on people who are most likely to donate, such as past donors. You may need to send another letter or a reminder postcard to donors who don’t use electronic communication. The more you can personalize it, the better.

You can continue following up in the New Year when your donors aren’t as busy.

Once is not enough. Your fundraising campaign will be more successful with multiple asks and by using multiple channels. Good luck!

Why It’s Important to Segment Your Donors

Ann Green appeal letters, Communications, database, donor relations, donor retention, fundraising, thank you letters , , , , , ,

Segmenting your donors is important in many ways. If you’re running a campaign, you can send different letters to different types of donors or segment by gift amount and encourage them to upgrade. You can also create a new donor welcome series, a special thank you mailing for monthly donors, or reach out to lapsed donors.

Your donors are not the same. Some donors have given for at least five years (these donors should get a lot of attention). Some are monthly donors. Yet, many nonprofit organizations fail to recognize that and send everyone the same messages. 

I often receive generic, one-size-fits-all communication from organizations that don’t acknowledge I’m a longtime donor or recognize that I’m a monthly donor. How do you think that makes me feel?

Besides creating a personal connection, another benefit of segmenting your donors is it can help you raise more money and boost your retention rate. If you haven’t been segmenting your donors and have been struggling with meeting your revenue and retention goals, that may be why. In this time of economic uncertainty, both for your nonprofit and your donors, segmenting could make a difference.

Isn’t it time for you to start segmenting your donors? If you’re already segmenting your donors, kudos to you!

You may be worried about how much time this will take. Plus, you don’t think your current CRM/database can handle it and it will cost too much to get a better one. 

In reality, it may cost you more not to segment. A good CRM/database is worth the investment because segmenting your donors will help you with retention, which costs less than trying to find new donors. 

Your appeals and thank you letters will stand out if you can personalize them and not send everyone the same generic letter. You don’t need to create a 100 different types of letters, though. Four or five should be sufficient. 

Here are a few different types of donor groups to help get you started. Remember, investing in a good CRM/database will help you with this.

Current single gift donors

An appeal letter to current single gift donors (Monthly donors get their own appeal. More on that below.) must acknowledge their past support. You can segment donors by gift amount and use this opportunity to ask for an upgrade. Many organizations don’t do this, but it’s a good way to increase your revenue.

Your donors will be more receptive to upgrading their gifts if you’ve been doing a good job of thanking them and staying in touch throughout the year.

If these donors give again, they should get a handwritten note, phone call, or letter letting them know how much you appreciate their continued support. If they’ve upgraded their gift, be sure to acknowledge that, too. 

Potential/new single gift donors

If you’re sending an appeal to someone who’s never donated to your nonprofit before, what is your connection to them? Are they volunteers, event attendees, or people on a list you purchased?

The more you can establish a connection, the better chance you have of getting a donation.

The retention rate for first-time donors is terrible. One of the reasons is poor communication. You can help boost your retention rate by making your new donors feel special.

New donors should get a handwritten note, phone call, or letter welcoming them as donors. Invite them to connect with you in other ways, such as signing up for your newsletter, following you on social media, and volunteering.

Then a week or so later, send them a welcome package by mail or email. Personalization is crucial for new donors.

One of the biggest hurdles nonprofits face is ensuring first-time donors give a second time. If they keep giving after that, they’re showing their commitment to your organization. That’s why the second gift is called a golden donation. Don’t blow it by ignoring this.

New monthly donors

Brand new donors who opt for monthly or other recurring donations get the same special thank you treatment mentioned above. Welcome them to your family of monthly donors. 

Your current monthly donors must get their own appeal that recognizes them as monthly donors. In this appeal, you can either ask them to upgrade their gift or give an additional gift. 

When your donors give an additional gift or upgrade their monthly gift, they, of course, get an amazing thank you.

Current donors who become monthly donors

Your current donors who decide to become monthly donors are also showing their commitment to you. They get a handwritten note, phone call, or letter thanking them for their continued support and for joining your family of monthly donors. From now on they should receive specialized appeals and other communication targeted to monthly donors. 

Segment as much as you can

While I’ve suggested a few ways you can segment, there are many more options. You can segment by gift amount and the number of years someone has been a donor. You can segment volunteers, event attendees, lapsed donors, and non-donors. You can also use segmentation in other types of communication, such as creating a special newsletter for monthly donors (or at the very least including a cover letter for monthly donors with your newsletter) and sending handwritten notes to people on their donor anniversary.

Segmenting your donors makes a difference
Spend some extra time segmenting your donors into different groups. Unfortunately, if you don’t, you’re missing out on opportunities to connect with your donors, raise additional revenue, and boost your retention rate.

How to Turn Grant Funders into Long-Term Supporters

Ann Green Communications, donor engagement, donor relations, grants, gratitude, stories , , , , ,

Securing grant funding is difficult and requires significant nonprofit resources. Fortify grant funder connections to minimize effort while attracting funding.

By Erin Murphy

Winning a grant is no small feat—it takes time, effort, and a compelling proposal to secure funding. But the real payoff lies in turning that one-time grant into a long-term partnership. Building strong, lasting relationships with grant funders not only saves your nonprofit valuable staff time but also stabilizes revenue and creates opportunities for greater mission impact.

With the right approach—one rooted in care, transparency, and a thoughtful communication strategy—you can transform grant funders into loyal supporters who champion your cause for years to come.

1. Align Proposals with Funder Priorities

The foundation of any strong funder relationship is alignment. Grant funders want to see that your nonprofit understands their mission and values, and that your programs directly support their priorities. This requires more than just a well-written proposal; it demands thorough research and a tailored approach.

Start by diving into each funder’s stated goals and past grantmaking. What types of projects have they supported in the past? What outcomes do they prioritize? By identifying the overlap between their mission and your nonprofit’s impact, you can frame your programs as mutually beneficial.

Then, you’ll have enough information to start creating your proposals. When crafting them, avoid the temptation to rely on generic templates. Instead, customize each proposal to reflect the funder’s unique priorities and demonstrate shared values. This not only builds trust but also sets the stage for a partnership that feels collaborative from the outset.

2. Demonstrate Impact Through Consistent Reporting

Winning a grant is just the beginning. Funders need to see that their investment is making a difference. According to Thompson Grants, transparent, timely reporting is essential for complying with funder requirements while also strengthening their confidence and trust in your organization. 

When reporting to funders, go beyond the basics. Provide both qualitative stories and quantitative data to paint a full picture of your impact. For example, an educational nonprofit could share a compelling story about a student who gained access to college through their scholarship program, alongside metrics showing increased graduation rates.

Also, don’t be afraid to highlight unexpected results or lessons learned. For example, if a housing initiative aimed to renovate 50 units but only completed 40 due to supply chain delays, explain how you adapted and built stronger vendor partnerships. Or if a workforce program discovered higher demand for digital skills training than anticipated, show how you pivoted resources to meet community needs. Funders appreciate this kind of honesty and value learning alongside you. 

3. Cultivate Relationships Beyond the Grant Cycle

A common mistake nonprofits make is only engaging with funders during the grant cycle. To turn funders into long-term supporters, you need to build relationships that extend beyond the check. Get started by:

  • Scheduling regular updates to keep funders informed about your work—not just when reports are due. These updates can take the form of emails, phone calls, or informal check-ins to share progress, challenges, and upcoming plans. Transparency in these communications builds trust and keeps your nonprofit top of mind.
  • Inviting funders to experience your work firsthand through site visits, events, or behind-the-scenes tours. Seeing your programs in action deepens their emotional connection and reinforces the value of their contributions.
  • Ensuring personalized communication. A thank-you call, handwritten note, or spotlight on their contribution in your newsletter can make funders feel appreciated and recognized. Tailoring your outreach to their preferences shows you value them as individuals, not just financial backers.

By treating funders as true collaborators in your mission, you can build trust, show gratitude, and turn first-time funders into long-term allies.

4. Involve Funders in Strategy and Storytelling

When funders feel like active partners in shaping your nonprofit’s future, they’re more likely to stay invested. Involving them in your strategy and storytelling deepens their connection to your mission and fosters a sense of shared purpose. You can do so by:

  1. Telling your story. Share compelling stories that highlight the human side of your impact—stories that make the outcomes of their funding tangible and relatable. These stories can be shared in newsletters, impact reports, or even during one-on-one conversations. Just ensure you use real human testimonials to strengthen your story’s emotional appeal.
  2. Soliciting their feedback on new initiatives or strategic plans. Asking for their input not only shows that you value their expertise but also helps them feel like collaborators in your work. This can be as simple as inviting them to brainstorming sessions or sharing drafts of upcoming projects for their review.
  3. Spotlight funders in your communications (with their permission) to publicly acknowledge their contributions. You can also invite them to share their expertise by serving as advisors or guest speakers at events. This not only gets existing funders more involved with your story but can also serve as social proof for potential funders.

By involving funders in both your strategy and storytelling, you create a deeper sense of partnership and ensure they feel personally connected to your nonprofit’s success. 

5. Strengthen Stewardship with Systems and Teamwork

Sustainable stewardship requires strong systems, clear processes, and a team-wide commitment to maintaining funder relationships. By building the right infrastructure, you can ensure no funder falls through the cracks.

Start by creating internal workflows for tracking funder interactions. A centralized system, such as a CRM or grants management platform, can help you keep records consistent and accessible. Use these tools to log communications, track deadlines, and monitor progress on grant deliverables.

Next, assign stewardship responsibilities to specific team members so funders have a clear point of contact. Whether it’s sending updates, scheduling check-ins, or preparing reports, having dedicated roles ensures funders feel prioritized.

Regardless of their exact role on your team, training your staff on stewardship best practices is also essential. Equip your team with the skills to communicate effectively, personalize outreach, and demonstrate gratitude via workshops and training resources. Additionally, educate your team on how to use your CRM data to strengthen stewardship with regular upskilling sessions.

Turning grant funders into long-term supporters is one of the most impactful steps your nonprofit can take to ensure reliable funding and lasting partnerships. With the right approach, you can transform one-time grants into enduring partnerships that drive your mission forward. 

Erin Murphy, MBA, is the Vice President of Marketing at Thompson Grants, where she leads strategic initiatives to expand the organization’s reach and impact. She leads initiatives that connect grant professionals with expert guidance, training, and tools designed to simplify compliance and strengthen funding strategies. Erin combines her background in marketing with a passion for supporting nonprofits, governments, and institutions as they navigate the complex world of grants management.

Go All Out When You Thank Your Year-End Donors

Ann Green direct mail, donor engagement, donor retention, donor-centered, gratitude, planning, thank you letters, writing , , , , , ,

I imagine many of you are working on your year-end fundraising campaign. You may have started working on your appeal letter, which is great, but how much time have you spent thinking about how you’ll thank your donors? Maybe not that much. If that’s the case, you’re making a mistake because it’s just as important, if not more important, to plan how you’ll thank your donors. 

I highly recommend creating a thank you plan, which will help you show gratitude before, during, and after a campaign. 

Your donors deserve an amazing thank you. The problem is most thank yous don’t come anywhere close to being amazing. Many organizations treat thanking their donors as an afterthought and it shows. You can’t do that. It will hurt your chances of getting future donations. If you’ve been having trouble keeping your donors, doing a better job of thanking them should help. Also, if your revenue is down right now, you don’t want to risk alienating your donors.

There are many ways to thank your donors after an appeal – by mail, phone, email, on your website, or a combination of those. The more you can do, the better.

Thanking your donors is something you need to do well. Don’t shortchange your donors with a half-hearted, generic thank you.

Go all out when you thank your donors. Make it a priority. Here are a few ways to do this. 

Start planning now

Don’t wait until the day after your appeal goes out. Give yourself plenty of time to plan. Write your thank you letter at the same time you write your appeal, maybe even before you write the appeal. 

Figure out what you’ll be able to do. I highly recommend a handwritten note or phone call. Can you do that for all your donors? If not, maybe you’ll break it down by new donors, long-time donors, or donors who have given a certain amount.

It’s important to thank your donors as soon as possible. I understand that handwritten notes and phone calls take more time, especially during the busy year-end season. If that’s the case, you can and should do those at other times of the year instead.  At the very least, your donors should get a letter, even if they’ve donated online. Thank you emails tend to resemble receipts, but we can change that. Whatever you decide, remember to get started on the content now. 

In the past, the standard was to send thank you letters within 48 hours. If that’s too hard, don’t wait much longer than a week. Make sure you’re ready to go when the donations come in. 

Make your donor’s day with a handwritten thank you note

I love it when a nonprofit sends a handwritten thank you note. This is a rare occurrence, so if you do it, your thank you note will stand out in your donor’s mailbox.

Handwritten notes are great in many ways, but one advantage is you don’t have to write that much. In fact, you can do one in just a few minutes.

You could make thank you cards with an engaging photo or buy some nice thank you cards. Get together a team of board members, staff, and volunteers right after your appeal goes out to help you with this.

Think about how much your donors will appreciate this nice gesture. Here’s a sample note.

Dear Gina,

Thank you so much for upgrading your gift to $75. We’re still seeing more people coming into the Eastside Community Food Pantry. It’s difficult for many families in the community to afford groceries right now, and that could continue for a while. Your generous gift will help a lot. We’re so happy you’ve been a donor for the past five years.

Phone calls are another personal way to show appreciation

Calling first-time donors is known to improve retention rates. But you could also call long-time donors to make them feel special.

Again, you want to get a team together to help. This is a great thing for your board to do. Here’s a sample phone script.

Hi David, this is Stacy Parks and I’m a board member at the Eastside Community Food Pantry. Thank you so much for your generous donation of $50 and welcome to our donor family. Your gift will help feed more local families right now. Many of them are struggling to make ends meet because of rising food costs and cuts in benefits.

Write that amazing thank you letter

If it’s impossible to send handwritten notes or make phone calls, you can still impress your donors with an amazing thank you letter. As I mentioned before, many thank you letters aren’t amazing at all and are mediocre at best. You’ll have an advantage if you take some time to create a great, donor-centered letter.

The purpose of a thank you letter is to thank your donors. Keep that in mind at all times.  

Don’t start your letter with On behalf of X organization…. If you’re sending it on your letterhead, it should be obvious it’s coming from your organization. Instead, start your letter with – Thank you, You’re incredible, or You did something great today!

You also don’t need to explain what your organization does. This often comes across as bragging by saying something like – As you know, X organization has been doing great work in the community for 20 years…. Someone who’s donated to your organization should already be familiar with what you do. 

And, don’t ask for another gift in your thank you letter. You did that in your appeal letter. This is known as a thask and you want to avoid that at all costs. You can ask again another time. Always keep gratitude front and center.

Write separate thank you letters for different types of donors. Welcome new donors and welcome back your current donors. Monthly donors should also get special recognition.

Your thank you letter needs to make your donors feel good about giving to your organization. Let them know how their gift is helping you make a difference. Include a brief story or example, such as the sample handwritten note or phone script I included above.

As with all writing, make your letter personal and conversational. Write to your donor using you much more than we and leave out jargon and any other language your donors won’t understand. Also, you must address your donors by name – not Dear Friend. Personalization is crucial when thanking your donors.

Your envelope also makes a difference. Don’t use a boring, white #10 envelope. Make your letter stand out by using a colored or textured envelope. You could include a teaser that says Thank You and use a nice stamp (I recommend buying thank you stamps). Hand address the envelopes if you can and include a handwritten note inside that will help make it more personal. You could also include an engaging photo in the letter.

Yes, you do need to include the tax-deductible information, but do that at the end, after you impress your donors with your letter, or include it on a separate page. It’s easiest to include this with your thank you letter or email. Then you don’t have to send it again unless your donor requests it.

Create a more personal online thank you

The thank you plan I reference above gives you advice on how to create better thank you landing pages and email acknowledgments. These often come across as transactional. You need to think of the donations you receive as the start or continuation of a relationship, not a transaction.

Remember, even though your online donors will get an electronic acknowledgment, they should still get thanked by mail or phone. I like to think of the landing page, email, and what comes in the mail or by phone as the thank you journey. Don’t forget this is an ongoing journey.

I do want to emphasize the importance of a good email subject line. Stand out in your donor’s inbox and use language that conveys gratitude, such as Thank You, Gina! or You just did something great! Steer clear of anything like Donation Receipt or Your Receipt from X Organization. It’s not that hard to do this and you’ll make a good impression.

Remember to go all out when you thank your donors, both now and throughout the year. You should be more successful if you do.

How to Create a Fundraising Appeal That Will Help You Raise More Money

Ann Green appeal letters, direct mail, donor retention, donor-centered, fundraising, writing, year-end appeal , , , , , ,

September is here. It’s back to school for the kids, pumpkin spice is everywhere, and depending on where you live, the humidity and hot weather are out of here.

September also brings us to the start of the busiest time of the year for nonprofit organizations, especially if you’re doing a year-end appeal. 

Even though you may not launch your campaign until later in the fall, you should get started on your appeal letter now. If you haven’t even started thinking about your whole campaign, don’t wait any longer. Everything always takes more time than you think. 

You need to create an appeal that will stand out and resonate with your donors. If you’ve been using the same boring, generic template for years, it’s time for something new. 

You need a letter that takes into account what’s going on in 2025. How are the everchanging current situations affecting your clients/community?

Your appeal also needs to be personal – both for your donors and when you write about your clients/community. 

Here are some ways you can create a better appeal that stands out and can help you raise more money. 

Your envelope matters

You may not think your envelope makes much of a difference, but it does. You need to get your donors to open your letter. If you can’t get them to do that, then all your hard work has gone to waste.

Make it look as personal as possible. Use something other than the standard #10 white business envelope and steer clear of a window envelope because that makes it look like a bill. Think about using an oversized or colored envelope. 

Perhaps you’d like to include a teaser on the outer envelope. Fundraising experts are mixed on whether this is a good idea. It makes it look less personal, but a good teaser can capture your donor’s attention. This doesn’t mean one that says 2025 Annual Appeal. That’s not inspiring. Instead, say something like – Find out how you can help kids learn to read. Remember, your goal is to get your donor to open the envelope. 

A hand-addressed envelope will look more personal. If that isn’t feasible, print directly on the envelope. You could also use mailing labels. Use some nice stamps if you can.

Create an inviting piece of mail.

Share a compelling story

A good appeal letter should open with a compelling story. Focus on a person or family and not your organization. Your donors want to hear about the people they’ll be helping. 

Here’s an example – Melanie, a single mother with three kids, has gone through a lot over the past few years. It’s been hard to find work that pays enough and groceries are so expensive. Sometimes she’s forced to choose between buying groceries and paying the heating bill.

But thanks to generous donors like you (or because of our generous donors if you’re writing to people who haven’t given before), she’s been able to get boxes of healthy food at the Eastside Community Food Pantry. At first, Melanie was embarrassed that she had to rely on a food pantry to feed her family, but she’s always treated with respect and dignity when she visits. 

We want to continue providing Melanie and other members of our community with healthy food when they need it. We’re seeing more people coming in right now because of rising food costs and cuts in benefits.

You could also share a first-person story from a client/program recipient. 

Include a photo

Include an engaging color photo in your letter or on your reply form. Photos can tell a story in an instant.

Next comes the ask

Ask for a donation at the beginning of the next paragraph (after the story). Make sure it’s prominent and clear. Also, ask your current donors if they can give a little more right now. Don’t be afraid to ask your donors to upgrade their gifts. I realize some donors may be feeling pinched financially and won’t be able to give as much or at all, but some will give more. People want to help if they can.

Phrase your ask like this – We’re so grateful for your previous gift of $50. We’re continuing to see more people coming into the food pantry right now. Would you be able to help us out a little more this time with a gift of $75?

Asking for an upgrade can help you raise more money. Also, if you’ve been doing a good job of engaging your donors throughout the year (and I hope that’s the case), they shouldn’t mind if you ask for a larger gift. Including the amount of your donor’s previous gift is helpful since people don’t often remember what they gave before.

Be sure the ask is the only call to action in your appeal. Don’t distract people with information about an upcoming event or volunteering. Save that for a different message.

It’s not about your organization

Focus on your donors and your clients/community. Keep your organization in the background. 

Show your donors how they can help you make a difference for your clients/community and how much you appreciate their role in that. Make your donors feel good about supporting your nonprofit.

At the same time, respect your clients/community by not undermining them when you use terms like at-risk youth or underserved communities. They are people, after all.

Share your successes and challenges

Highlight some of your accomplishments, but you can share challenges, too. Show how you plan to continue your work with your donor’s help. 

Personalization is crucial

Don’t send everyone the same appeal. Try to send different letters to current donors, monthly donors, lapsed donors, people on your mailing list who haven’t donated yet, event attendees, volunteers, and friends of board members. 

The more you can segment, the better, but at the very least, you must do these two things.

Send a personalized appeal to your current donors. They’re your best bet for getting donations. Let them know how much you appreciate their support. 

Also, send a specific appeal tailored to monthly donors, giving them the recognition they deserve. For your year-end appeal, I would thank them for all their generous support and ask them to give an additional gift. You can ask them to upgrade at a different time.

Don’t send a generic, one-size-fits-all appeal letter. Go the extra mile for your donors, so they’ll continue to support you.

Your appeal letter should also have a personal salutation (first names are best) and not be addressed to Dear Friend or Dear Valued Donor. How much do you value this relationship if you can’t even use a person’s name?

If this sounds like a lot of work, then give yourself plenty of time. This is important. Personalizing your letters can also help you raise more money.

Make it easy for your donors to give

Include a reply envelope with amounts to check off or a reply form and a return envelope. Create donation tiers that show what each amount will fund. Do this on your donation page, too.

If donors have given before, you can include that amount on the reply form and also customize their giving strings.

Some donors prefer to donate online. Direct them to a user-friendly donation page on your website. You could create a QR code for your letter and reply device. Make sure your donation page is mobile-friendly, too.

Offer a monthly or recurring giving option

Monthly gifts can generate more revenue, give you a steady source of income throughout the year, and improve donor retention. Encourage your donors to give $5, $10, or even $20 a month. This may be a more viable option for some of them. 

Be careful and don’t send an appeal to your current monthly donors that invites them to become monthly donors. That’s one reason why they need their own appeal.

Your letter must be easy to read (and scan)

Use short paragraphs and bulleted lists, along with bold or color for keywords, but keep it tasteful. Make it easy to read and scan. Most people won’t read your letter word for word. Use a simple font, such as serif, and at least a 12-point type (14 is even better).

Human attention spans are less than 10 seconds. But go figure, longer fundraising letters (four pages as opposed to two) have been shown to perform better, especially for prospective donors.

Resist the temptation to create a one-page letter. This often means cramming a bunch of tiny text on the page. With a longer letter, you’ll have more space to tell a story and repeat your messages. You can also break up the text with a photo, testimonials, and short paragraphs. Printing on both sides of the page is fine, too.

Quality and readability are essential here. Make every word count. 

Think of your letter as a conversation with a friend

You can create a better, more personal appeal if you think of your letter as a conversation with a friend. That means not using jargon like at-risk youth and underserved communities. Be specific and use everyday language. Your goal should be for your reader to understand you.

Refer to your reader as you and use you a lot more than we.

Too many editors spoil the appeal

Your entire staff doesn’t need to be involved in writing your appeal. Generally, the more people you involve in writing your letter, the worse it becomes. Fundraising Consultant Tom Ahern refers to this as letter writing by committee.

Your best writer should craft it and then turn it over to your best editor. Whoever signs the letter (your Executive Director?) can take a quick look at it, but don’t send it to a committee.

If you don’t have someone on your staff who can write a good fundraising appeal, then hire a freelancer or consultant to do it.

Besides weakening the content, involving more people takes extra time.

Make a good lasting impression

Repeat your ask at the end of your appeal. Don’t forget to say please and thank you.

Be sure to add a P.S. People often gravitate to the P.S. as they scan the letter, so include something that will capture their attention. It may be the only thing they look at. It should include information that’s already in your appeal – Please donate now to help us feed more families in the community. Don’t distract people with information about volunteering, an upcoming event, etc.

Get your pens out

Include a short handwritten note, if you can. Make it relevant to each donor, such as thanking someone for a previous donation or hoping a potential donor will support you. You could also stick on a handwritten Post-it note. Hand-sign the letters in blue ink.

Spend some time writing a better, more personal appeal letter that will stand out and help bring you the donations you need. Good luck!

Image by Howard Lake