writing

How Are You Telling Your Stories?

Ann Green Communications, donor relations, fundraising, marketing, writing
Are you boring your donors with a lot of facts and statistics or are you telling them a story?   I recently received an appeal letter from a hospital that opened with:
“You can only imagine how Kenton felt.  One minute, he was laughing, cheering on the Harlem Globetrotters. The next minute, his life was changed forever.”
Does that make you want to read more?  The story continues by showing us how Kenton suffered a serious stroke and was rushed to this hospital where he received live-saving treatment and then went through several months of rehabilitation before making a full recovery.
If you are making a difference, you have stories to tell
Can you tell a story like that?  If you are making a difference, you can.  Creating stories takes a little more work, but they will help you connect with your donors.  Use stories in your appeal letters, thank you letters, newsletters, annual reports, website, blog, and other types of social media.
You want to tell a success story.  Show how someone has overcome challenges on their journey to something better.  Make your donors part of the story.  Let them know how with their help, Jamie won’t go to bed hungry again.  Keep your organization in the background.
Client or program recipient stories are best. You’ll need to work with program staff to get these stories.  Another way to find stories is to put a Share Your Story page on your website. Share-Your-Story Page | an addition to the fundraiser’s arsenal of tools 
Using people’s names will make your stories more personal.  I realize you might run into confidentiality issues, but you can change names to protect someone’s privacy.  You could also do a composite story, but don’t make up anything. How to Tell Nonprofit Stories While Respecting Client Confidentiality
You want to use stories often.  I recommend that your newsletters open with a story.  They don’t all have to be client stories.  You can share profiles of volunteers, board members, and donors. 
Many organizations profile new board members in their newsletters.  That’s okay, but instead of emphasizing their professional background, concentrate on what drew them to your organization.  Perhaps she participated in an afterschool program as a teenager or he has a strong interest in eliminating homelessness.
Create a story bank to help you organize all your stories. You can use the same stories in different channels.
5 Tips to Help You Tell Better Stories
Nonprofit Storytelling | How to hook your reader from the first sentence
Tell a story in an instant with a photo
Your donors are busy, but you can capture their attention an instant with a great photo. A photo of your executive director receiving an award is not very compelling. Use photos of your programs in action.  
I know confidentiality issues are going to come up again.  People making a trip to your food pantry probably won’t want their pictures taken, but you can share photos of volunteers serving food or stocking shelves.
A great new trend is postcard annual reports, which are filled with photos and a small amount of text.
If you use social media, you need to communicate several times a week. Sharing photos is a good way to connect.
I also recommend creating a photo bank, and be sure to use high-quality pictures.
6 Tips for Better Photographs

11 Types of Photos Nonprofits Should Post on Social Media 

Highlight your work with a video
Create a video to show your program in action, share an interview, or give a behind the scenes look your at organization.  Make your videos short and high quality.  If you are interviewing someone, be sure that person is good on camera.
Ten Video Tips for Nonprofits 

5 Tips for Getting Started with Nonprofit Video 
Connect with your donors by sharing a story.  How are you telling your stories?
Here’s another resource to help you with your stories. 

The Storytelling Non-Profit

Photo by UNE Photos via Flickr

Do Newsletters Make Sense?

Ann Green Communications, donor relations, fundraising, marketing, writing
The answer is, it depends. Newsletters can be a great way to stay in touch with your donors and keep them updated on how they are helping you make a difference.  But many newsletters just put you to sleep. They are too long and often filled with articles that brag about great the organization is.
Honestly, if you can’t produce a newsletter that your donors will want to read, what’s the point?  That said, it is possible to produce a successful newsletter. 
Print or electronic? 
I think you’ll have more success if you can do both.  But ask your donors what they like. If a majority of them prefer one over the other, then doing both may not make sense. 
Both print and electronic newsletters have their advantages and disadvantages, but by using two different channels, you have a better chance of connecting with your donors. The Pros and Cons of Print Newsletters in Your Content Marketing Mix 
I recommend a short e-newsletter once or twice a month and one to four print newsletters a year.  If you are starting to panic about coming up with content for your newsletters, then a communications calendar is your new best friend. Creating a Communications Calendar 
Create a powerful print newsletter
Some organizations won’t produce a print newsletter because it’s too expensive and takes too much time.  However, this is an investment you should make.  
Let’s say you are small nonprofit that mails out one appeal at the end of the year. You might want to send out a print newsletter in the spring and include a donation envelope.
You may be balking at the idea of putting a donation envelope in your newsletter, but it can help you raise extra revenue.  Give it a try.  Just make sure you communicate regularly in ways in which you are not asking for money.
Fundraising expert Tom Ahern recommends sending print newsletters only to donors.  This can help you cut down on mailing costs. 
Limit your newsletter to four pages, include lots of photos, and make them donor-centered.
One advantage of a print newsletter is your donor is more likely to read it.
Follow The Domain Formula For Donor Newsletters
Create an engaging e-newsletter
Send e-newsletters ONLY to people who have signed up for it. They may or may not be donors, but it can be a great cultivation tool, too. You can also share links to your e-newsletter on social media and your website. 
Keep your e-newsletter short – no more than three or four articles (shorter if you send one twice a month).  Use an enticing subject line such as Find Out More About …. rather than March 2014 Newsletter. Also, make sure people can read your newsletters on their mobile devices.
7 Tips for Creating a Knockout Nonprofit Email Newsletter 
Advice for all newsletters
All newsletters should be short and easy to read and scan. They should also have a consistent look.
Open your newsletter with a story.  Client stories are best, but you could also do profiles of volunteers, board members, and donors.  Focus on what drew them to help you make a difference.
Make it visual.  Use photos. You could also put a short video in an 
e-newsletter.
This is a no brainer, but make sure it’s interesting to your donors. I’m not a fan of the letter from the executive director. Stories and updates are best. You could also include a short survey or ask your readers to take action, such as contacting their legislator.
Write it in the second person and keep it focused on how your donors are helping you make a difference.  Give it the you test.  Circle the number of you’s as opposed to we’s.  There should be many more you’s
Don’t be formal.  Write in a conversational style and watch out for any jargon.  You’ll connect more with your donors if your newsletter is personal.
Newsletters do make sense, if you take the time to do them well.

Photo by xposurecreative.co.uk via flickr

Make an Investment to Thank Your Donors

Ann Green Communications, donor relations, fundraising, writing

Nonprofit organizations need to do a better job of thanking their donors. Many spend a lot of time on their fundraising appeals, and then well, that’s about it….
You need to spend as much time thanking your donors as you do on your fundraising appeals.                                           

Think of it as an investment. You put in resources (time, money, etc) and in return you should get loyal donors who will support you long-term.  This is crucial since well over half of new donors don’t give a second gift.
Invest time in thanking your donors
Ideally, your donors should get a handwritten thank you card or a phone call.  Even though these take more time, it’s time well spent.
At many of the small nonprofits I’ve worked at, it was all hands on deck to get out our fundraising appeals.  Staff and volunteers would stuff envelopes and write handwritten notes on the letters.
Do the same when you thank your donors, at least for the initial influx of donations.  Get your board involved in making phone calls or writing cards.  Recruit volunteers to help, too.
Also, what is prohibiting you from taking time to thank your donors?  Is it a meeting you could skip?
Remember to thank your donors as soon as possible. 
Take time each day you get a donation to make phone calls, write cards, or send letters.  Don’t let board members put off making calls or let a stack of letters sit on your ED’s desk.
Invest money in thanking your donors
If you aren’t mailing handwritten cards because you can’t afford to, is there a way to change that?
You may be able to get a print shop to produce your cards pro bono.  Can you allocate more money in your budget?  If not, look into additional sources of unrestricted funding to cover printing and mailing costs.
Many nonprofits are cutting back on mailing and relying on email and social media to communicate.  This isn’t always wise, especially if you have donors who don’t communicate electronically (and some don’t).
Invest in a good database
A good database (Excel is not a database) will help you segment your donors. Now you can make your thank yous more personal.
You want to welcome new donors and recognize repeat gifts.  You can also add personal bits of information to thank you letters/notes, such as it was nice to see the donor at a recent event.
Speaking of new donors, something else you should invest in is a welcome package. Create a warm welcome for new donors
Invest in quality communications
No matter how you thank your donors, you want your messages and look to be high quality.
This starts with your thank you landing page.  Many of them look like store receipts.  Open with a friendly thank you message and share an engaging photo.  Then you can include the tax ID info etc.
Write a heartfelt thank you message in your cards or letters.  Start out by saying Thanks to you or You’re amazing.  Give an example of how the donor’s gift will help you make a difference.  Be personal and leave out any jargon.
Even if you are sending a printed thank you letter or email, there is no excuse not to take a little extra time to make it personal.

Your donors are making an investment by supporting your organization.  Make an investment in them by doing a good job of showing your appreciation and sustaining a relationship with them.

Photo by ota_photos via  Flickr  www.tradingacademy.com                                                                                                                                          

It’s Not About You

Ann Green Communications, donor relations, fundraising, writing
It’s annual report time.  I know – yawn.  Annual reports can be a great way to engage with your donors, but they often put you to sleep. One problem is they tend to be too focused on the organization.

How are you making a difference?
I recently received a “Milestones 2013” report from a nonprofit.  It included a list of accomplishments that made them sound as if they were bragging about how great they are.

Don’t just list accomplishments.  Let your donors know how they are helping you make a difference.

Instead of only saying you expanded your tutoring program to serve middle school students, let your donors know why that’s important.  Tell a story about Kevin, a 7th grader who struggled with math, until he started meeting with Jeff, his volunteer tutor.

Instead of just saying you opened a mammography suite at a community health center “extending optimal care to members of underserved and minority communities,” give a specific example of what that means.  Will this make it easier for neighborhood women to receive mammograms?   The more personal and specific you can be, the more you will connect with your donors, and that’s what you want.

The same problems arise in newsletters. Your donors want to hear success stories and aren’t as interested in grants you received or if your executive director received an award.

You should certainly acknowledge your major grants, but show how that will make a difference.  Your $50,000 grant from the Do Good Foundation will allow you to expand your afterschool program to five more schools. Now these students will have a safe place to learn new skills and make new friends.

What do your donors want?
A few weeks ago, I wrote about the importance of being donor-centered.  Think about what your donors want to hear.  One way to find out is to survey them. 

Collect information about your donors in your database.  You can also create donor personas or profiles.  

How to Develop Donor Personas for Your Nonprofit

Create Donor Personas
Speak your donors’ language
That means not using jargon, the passive voice, and words you have to look up in a dictionary. Just because something makes sense to you, doesn’t mean your donor will understand what you are trying to say. 

One way to help you be more personal when writing to donors is to pretend you are explaining something to a friend.  Do you use jargon and the passive voice when talking with your friends?  I hope not.  In most conversations, you are also probably not focusing too much on yourself.

Not all donors are the same
You might need to send different materials to different types of donors. The traditional multi-page annual report with the donor list etc is not relevant for most of your donors.
Instead send your smaller dollar donors an oversized postcard with photos, quotes, accomplishments, and thank you messages. Postcard Annual Report Your donors are busy and don’t have time to read a long report. This way you can capture their attention in an instant.

If you want to produce a slightly longer report, here’s a great example of a donor-centered “gratitude report” created by the Agents of Good. Annual Reports

Be donor centered

Keep focusing on what’s best for your donors. Remember, it’s about them, not you.

Photo by Naaman Saar Stavy via Flickr

Shower Your Donors With Love

Ann Green Communications, donor relations, fundraising, writing

Valentine’s Day will be here soon, and what a perfect time to thank your donors and show how much you appreciate their support.

Fundraising expert Pamela Grow recommends a minimum of 12 touches a year (you should aim for more). If you haven’t shown gratitude since you sent your year-end thank you letters, you need to do that soon. You did send thank you letters after your year-end appeal, didn’t you?

Whether you want to send something out on Valentine’s Day is up to you. But do something fun and creative to show appreciation in February. The holidays are over, and there’s still a lot of winter left for many of us to endure.

Here are some ideas.

Create thank you photo

A great photo can capture your donor’s attention in an instant. Here are a few examples of thank you photos.

Network for Good Thank You Photo


Along with your photo, include a brief thank you message. You can send this via email and post it on your homepage and on social media.

Share an update or success story
In addition to saying thank you, share a brief update or success story. Emphasize how you couldn’t have helped someone without the donor’s support. If you included some 2014 goals in your year-end appeal, sharing regular updates of your accomplishments is a great way to engage.

Send a card
Handwritten notes mean the world to donors. You may not have the budget to send cards to all of them. If not, send them to your most valuable donors. These may not be the ones who give you the most money. Do you have donors who have supported your organization for more than three years? How about more than five years? With retention rates continuing to plunge, you don’t want to lose these valuable donors.


Overall, I think nonprofit organizations can do a better job of thanking their donors. Here a couple of ways to do that.

Make your messages personal

Be personal and conversational when you thank your donors. Don’t use jargon or other language they won’t understand. Write from the heart, but don’t be overly sentimental. Give specific examples of how your donors are helping you make a difference.

Make an investment to thank your donors
If your budget doesn’t allow you to mail handwritten cards, is there a way you can change that? You may be able to get a print shop to donate cards. You can also look for additional sources of unrestricted funding to cover cards and postage.

Maybe you need a change of culture. Getting your board, all staff, and volunteers involved in thanking your donors will make a huge difference.

Keep it up
Keep thinking of ways to thank your donors! You can’t say thank you enough. Do it at least once a month.

At certain times of the year, like Valentine’s Day or Thanksgiving, people expect to receive messages of gratitude, but imagine how surprised your donors might be if they receive something in May or August?

How are you thanking your donors?


Photo by Enchant_me via Flickr

How Well Are You Thanking Your Donors?

Ann Green Communications, donor relations, fundraising, writing
Are nonprofit organizations doing a good job of thanking their donors?  I decided to conduct a little test after doing our year-end giving to see how well those organizations thanked me.  I made all the donations online.
All five organizations I donated to do good work, but could do a better job of thanking their donors.  Unfortunately, I don’t think they are the only guilty culprits.  What did I discover and how can nonprofit organizations do better?  Read on.
ALL donors should get a thank you letter, card, or phone call
More people are donating online now, but that doesn’t mean they should be cheated out of a nice thank you letter when all they get is an auto reply. 
One of the of the organizations sent me a letter with a handwritten note (good!) and another one sent a handwritten thank you card (even better!).  The others sent email auto replies. No one called me.
When someone donates online, there should be a three-part thank you process.  First, the donor is taken to a thank you landing page, then they get an automated email response, and finally they receive a thank you by mail or phone.
I don’t know if I would have received something in the mail if I had donated by mail, but that shouldn’t matter.
Create better thank you landing pages
Your landing page is your first opportunity to say thank you and most of these look like Amazon receipts.  Two of the organizations used PayPal, a generic third party site, although to their credit, these nonprofits thanked me by mail.
One of the landing pages opened with “Thank You Ann!”  That’s a good start or say,You’re incredible.  Include an engaging photo and a specific example of how the donation will be used. 
Make it more personal. After that, you can include the transaction summary, tax-deductible information, tracking number, etc.
Show your donors how they are helping you make a difference
Most of the thank you messages I received didn’t give specific examples of how my donation makes a difference.  I realize your nonprofit may have a number of programs, but choose something specific.  Will a donation buy a family a week’s worth of groceries or provide a child with presents on Christmas morning?
Be personal and conversational
The language in some of these messages came across as vague and impersonal.  One letter referenced “being dedicated to the needs and aspirations” of members of the community, and works “to create and sustain a strong, engaged, and inclusive community.”  Yikes!
In one of the letters that did let me know how my gift would help, the organization wrote “the many less fortunate children who will experience the joy of Christmas because of you.”  Okay, but something better would be – Thanks to you, Jason will have presents to open on Christmas morning.
Don’t start your letter with “On behalf of X organization”
When you do, you are focusing on your organization, not your donor.  In my last post, I wrote about the importance of being donor-centered.
The first words your donor should see are thanks to you or you’re incredible (amazing, terrific, etc).
Recognize previous donations
I’ve donated to all these organizations before and none of them recognized that. Your donors want to feel as if you are communicating with them directly. Recognize past donations or welcome new donors.
Your thank you letter/note is the first step in good donor relations. Invest time in doing it well.
Need more information?  Read what these experts have to say.
Thank You Letters Donors Will Love
How to Write a Better Donation Thank You Letter (And Why It Matters)
Nine Clever Ways to Thank Your Donors

Photo by Iain Farrell via Flickr

Make a Resolution to Be Donor-Centered

Ann Green Communications, donor relations, fundraising, writing
New Year’s resolutions are a mixed bag.  Most people make them with good intentions and then revert back to their old habits after a few weeks.
One resolution nonprofit organizations need to make (and keep) is to be donor-centered.  The term donor-centered is pretty self-explanatory.  You want to focus on your donors’ needs and interests and take into account that not all donors are the same.
Is your organization donor-centered?  Here are a few areas to look at.
Fundraising Appeals
You’d think fundraising appeals would be donor-centered, but many are not.  Some focus too much on the organization – saying how great they are. Your organization may be great, but let your donors figure that out. Your donors are the ones who are great and they want to hear how they can help you make a difference for the people/community you serve.
Donor-centered fundraising appeals are segmented to the appropriate audience.  Thank past donors or reference your relationship to a potential donor.  Maybe they are event attendees, volunteers, or friends of board members.
Many fundraising appeals are vague, impersonal, and filled with jargon.  Don’t say we are helping disenfranchised members of the community.  A donor-centered appeal would say something like – With your support, we can help low-income families find affordable housing.
Thank you letters
Even If organizations do invest time in creating a donor-centered appeal, they often fall short with their thank you letters.  Many come across as transactional and resemble a receipt. Yes, you need to acknowledge that the donation is tax deductible, etc, but most donors are more concerned about how their gift made a difference.
Marketing consultant Kivi Leroux Miller stresses catering more to your donors’ inner angels rather than their inner bookkeepers.  A donor-centered thank you letter (or better yet,a handwritten note), might read – You’re fabulous.  Thanks to your generous donation of $50, we can provide groceries for a family of four at the Southside Community Food Bank.
A donor-centered thank you letter recognizes each donor.  Is this the first time someone has donated?  If someone donated before, did she increase her gift?   Acknowledge this in your letter/note.
Newsletters
Newsletters are a great way to stay engaged with your donors throughout the year, but they, too, are often not donor-centered.
Some newsletters come across as self-promotional and are focused more on the wonderful things the organization is doing, as opposed to how their donors are helping them make a difference.
I recently received a newsletter in which one of the articles looked as if the organization took a press release and stuck it in their newsletter.  It was written in the third person and included quotes from the executive director and program directors.
A donor-centered newsletter article should be written in the second person, as should most of your communications.  Write to the donor and use the word you more often than we. Instead of including quotes from directors, let your donors hear from the people you serve.
Let’s say your organization just opened a community health center.  You could write –  Thanks to your support, residents in the Northdale neighborhood no longer have to travel five miles to get a check up.  “I’m so happy that I don’t have to take two busses to go to the doctor anymore”, said Mary, a long-time neighborhood resident.
Make a resolution to be donor-centered and stick with it throughout the year.  Be sure every message you send to your donors will make them feel special. 
Read on for more information.
A donor-centered organization, your donors, & relationship building
 10 Reasons this Fundraising Appeal Hits it Out of the Ballpark
Are you donor centered?

Photo by LC Nottasson via Flickr


Create a Thank You Plan

Ann Green Communications, donor relations, fundraising, planning, writing
This post is included in the November Nonprofit Blog Carnival | Giving Thanks and Gratitude

You probably have a fundraising plan (if not you should) and maybe a donor relations plan, but do you have a thank you plan?

Nonprofit organizations spend a lot of time on their fundraising campaigns, but treat thanking their donors as an afterthought.

You need to spend just as much time thanking your donors as you do on fundraising.

Creating a thank you plan will help you stay focused on gratitude all year round. Donor retention rates keep plunging and some of the reasons are donors don’t feel appreciated and that they only hear from nonprofits when they are asking for money.

Here are some things to consider as you put together your thank you plan.

Plan to thank your donors right away
Every single donor, no matter how much they have given or whether they donated online, gets a thank you card/ letter mailed to them or receives a phone call.

Try to thank your donors within 48 hours. This shouldn’t be hard to do. Carve out some time each day you get a donation and thank your donors.

Plan to go beyond sending a boring thank you letter

Instead of sending a generic thank you letter, mail a handwritten card or call your donors. Calling your donors to thank them is something your board can do. It’s often a welcome surprise and can raise retention rates among first-time donors.

Here’s where planning comes in. Find board members, staff, and volunteers to make phone calls or write thank you notes. Come up with sample scripts. You may also want to conduct a short training.

If you can’t send handwritten cards or call all your donors, send them a personal and heartfelt letter. Don’t start your letter with “On behalf of X organization we thank you for your donation of….” Open the letter with “You are amazing” or use one of the suggestions from this post. 22 Delightful Ways to Say Thank You!

Add a personal handwritten note to the letter, preferably something that pertains to that particular donor. For example, if the donor has given before or attended one of your recent events, mention that. In addition, make sure all the letters are hand signed.

Let your donors know how much you appreciate them and highlight what your organization is doing with their donation.

Here is more information on how you can do a better job of thanking your donors and some sample phone scripts and letters.

Let’s Do a Better Job of Thanking Donors

Fundraisers, Fix Your Thank You Letters!!


Plan to keep thanking your donors all year round
As you put together your communications calendar, incorporate ways to thank your donors. Try say thank you at least once a month. Here are some ways to do that.

  • Send cards or email messages at Thanksgiving, during the holidays, Valentine’s Day, or mix it up a little and send a note of gratitude in June or September when your donors won’t be expecting it.
  • Invite your donors to connect with you via email and social media. Keep them updated with accomplishments and success stories. Making all your communications donor-centered will help convey an attitude of gratitude. Share accomplishments such as:

Thanks to you, we just started an afterschool program at the Northdale Middle School. Now these students have a safe place to meet and learn new skills.

  • Be sure to keep thanking your donors in your newsletter and social media updates. Emphasize that you wouldn’t be able to do the work you do without your donors’ support.
  • Create a thank you video and share it on your website, by email, and on social media. Our Favorite Nonprofit Thank You Videos 
  • Hold an open house at your organization or offer tours so your donors can see the inner workings of your nonprofit. 

Show Appreciation by Holding an Open House

The Power of Place – Making the Most of Tours For Donors

  • Keep thinking of other ways to thank your donors.
Creating a thank you plan will make it easier to keep showing appreciation to your donors all year round. If you treat them well, maybe they’ll treat you well the next time you send a fundraising appeal.

How to Create an Annual Report That Won’t Bore Your Donors

Ann Green Communications, donor relations, fundraising, writing
What do you think of when you hear annual report? Are you picturing a long, boring document filled with wordy text and statistics? It doesn’t have to be like that.


You want to create an annual report that will engage your supporters and not bore them. But, before we get into how you can do that, here are few things to consider.

Does it make sense to produce an annual report? 
It might not. Nonprofit organizations aren’t required to produce an annual report, but they can be beneficial, if done well. Read on for more information to help you figure out if it makes sense for you to produce an annual report. Do Annual Reports Still Make Sense?

If you decide not to do an annual report, find another way to share accomplishments with your donors.

All your donors are not the same
You may want to consider different types of annual reports for different donor groups. Marketing expert Kivi Leroux Miller recommends an oversized postcard with photos and infographics. I think that’s great for most of your donors.

Your grant and corporate funders might want more detail, but not 20 pages. Aim for no more than four pages. Your funders are busy and don’t have a lot of time to read your annual report.

This Annual Reports Wiki includes some great examples including postcards and videos.

No matter what type of annual report you produce, here are some suggestions for creating one that won’t bore your donors.

Be donor centered. 
The purpose of an annual report is to show your donors how they are helping you make a difference for the people you serve.


Think about what your donors want (not what your board wants or what you have always done). They don’t want you to go on and on about how great your organization is. Share accomplishments like this –Thanks to you, 85% of the students in our tutoring program are reading at their grade level or above.

Make it visual
Find some engaging photos to include in your annual report. Photos can tell a story in an instant. Choose photos of people participating in an activity, such as a tutor helping her student with her reading.


Use colorful charts or graphs to highlight your financials. This is a great way to keep it simple and easy to understand.

Sprinkle in quotes and short testimonials to help break up any text. 


Tell a story
You can tell a story with words, a photo, or video. Share a success story about a person you have helped. For example, Cara used to struggle with her reading, but now reads at her grade level after weekly tutoring sessions with Amy, one of our volunteer tutors.

Be conversational
Write in the second person and use a warm, friendly tone. Ditch the jargon and passive voice.

Use everyday language such as – With your help we found affordable housing for over 100 homeless families. Now they no longer have to live in a shelter, motel, or their cars, and have a place to call home.


Break from tradition
Traditionally annual reports have included an introduction from the executive director or board chair. I find these often drone on and don’t entice you to read more. If you do include an introduction, make it brief, friendly, jargon-free, and filled with gratitude towards your donors for their support in helping you reach your goals.

Annual reports usually contain a donor list, which have pros and cons. Some donors want public recognition, but these lists take up space and most people aren’t going to read them.

You’ll have to decide if it makes sense to include one in print. You may want to include a list of donors at a certain level in your annual report and all your donors on your website. Whatever you decide, be sure to thank all your donors in this section and double and triple check that their names are spelled correctly.

Annual reports can be time consuming. Don’t let your hard work go to waste. Create an annual report that will capture your donors’ attention right away and not bore them.

Photo by Dion Gillard via Flickr

Let’s Do a Better Job of Thanking Donors

Ann Green donor relations, fundraising, writing
Nonprofits invest a lot of time and energy in their annual appeal, but thanking donors seems like an afterthought.

You need to spend as much time thanking your donors as you do on your annual appeal letter.

I recently received a thank you letter that was a case study of what not to do. It was sent three months after I made the donation, it was addressed to Dear Friends, and it included vague, impersonal language like “X organization serves individuals who are often the most disinenfranchised members of their communities.”  Arrgh!

Here are some suggestions on how to do a better job of thanking your donors.

Thank your donors right away
Thank your donors within 48 hours.  It’s possible to do this, but you’ll need a commitment from your staff and board.  Here is more information.  3 Secrets to Getting Your Donor Thank You Out in 48 Hours 

One size doesn’t fit all
What type of relationship do you have with your donor?  Is she a new donor, repeat donor, volunteer, etc?  Acknowledge that when you thank her. A Fundraiser’s Guide to Effective Gift Acknowledgment
Make it personal
Let’s all take a vow to keep jargon and impersonal language out of our thank you letters.  Be conversational and friendly.  Let your donor know how much you appreciate him.

Show how your donor is helping you make a difference
Share a success story and show what her gift will fund.

Give your donors a call

Calling your donors to say thank you is an easy, yet effective way, to show appreciation.

This is a great job for your board. The executive director or other staff and volunteers can make calls, too. Make sure you find people who are comfortable making phone calls and don’t sound as if they are reading from a script. You want callers who are willing to engage in a conversation with donors.

Come up with script and a spreadsheet to record notes. You may want to conduct a little mini-orientation to get your callers pumped up and give them an opportunity to practice. Here is a sample script.


Hi, this is Susan Jones and I’m a board member at the Westside Community Food Pantry. I’m calling to thank you for your generous donation of $50. Thanks to you, we can provide a family with a week’s worth of groceries. This is great. We are seeing more people use our food pantry right now because of cuts to food stamp programs. We really appreciate your support.

It’s fine to leave a message, but be sure to provide a call back number in case the donor wants to talk with someone.

Not only is calling your donors an effective way to say thank you, it can help you keep your donors and raise more money in the future.

Seven Tips for Making Better Donor Thank You Calls
Donor Thank You Calls: Everything You Need To Know
Send a handwritten note

A few handwritten sentences on a nice card is going to make much more of an impact than a printed thank you letter. Think about creating a thank you card or postcard with an engaging photo on the front. 

Since you will only be able to write a few sentences – make them count. Use a warm, conversational tone. Try something like this.

Dear Lisa,

You’re amazing! Your generous contribution of $50 will help us meet our goal of expanding our tutoring program to serve more students.

Your support makes a difference. 85% of the students in our program are now reading at their grade level or above. 

This shouldn’t take you that much time and it is time well spent. You can put together a team of staff, board members, and other volunteers to write the notes. You could also have clients write notes. Make sure to find people with legible handwriting.

Sending a handwritten note shows your donor how much you appreciate them.

The Power of a Handwritten Note

Why Direct Mail – the more personal the better – Will Not Die

Just because your thank you letters are generated by a computer doesn’t mean they need to sound like one
If you can’t make calls or send a handwritten note to all your donors, send a heartfelt, personal printed letter, and include a short handwritten message.  Give it the human touch. 

Let your donors know you are saying thank you because you want to, not because you have to.  

Also, even though your online donors will receive an automatic thank you email, they should still get something in the mail or a phone call.

You can use the samples above for printed letters, as well.

When thanking your donors, remember to thank them right away, make it warm and personal, and show them how they are helping you make a difference.

More inspiration to help you thank your donors.

How “Wow!” Experiences Create Lifetime Donors

Beyond Formulas: Thanking Donors and Volunteers

Photo by Clever Cupcakes via Flickr