The Perfect "Thank You"
A donor has just sent you a monetary gift, donated time, or notified you that your organization will be remembered in their end-of-life plans. After your happy dance is done you think, “I need to send a thank you!”
But, what do you include that insures it will be perfect?
These are not new ideas, but they are important. Here they are again, collected for your benefit and for the joy of your donors:
- Prompt. Any response you make must be within 48-hours. It must. You simply can’t let other disasters distract you from the important job of acknowledging the gift.
- Personal. We suggest that every above-average gift get a hand-written thank you in addition to the obligatory tax-receipt. (Some hand-write ALL.) And don’t boilerplate! Mention their family, what you share in common, connections, and anything else that makes them feel like you invested some of your valuable time in exchange for their monetary investment.
- Accurate. Don’t use a name unless you are 100% sure you are correct. Donald may be the name on the tax record, but to his friends he is Don and those closest to him call him Doc. If you don’t know, include a P.S. “Our records show your first name as Donald. How would you prefer to be addressed?”
- Connected. Tell your donor how the money will be used – specifically. Tell them the gallons of paint it will buy, how many dogs it will rescue, how many girls will be kept from a lifetime of shame. They gave you their precious resources because they are connected to your mission; not to your organization.
- You/your or I/we. Count your pronouns. Some have suggested you should have two-thirds of ‘you, your’ and only one-third of ‘I, we, my.’ It’s an interesting exercise to try. It shifts the focus to the donor – where it should be.
- Thank You. End with it. Donors won’t read past it so if you lead with it, there goes the rest of the letter. Just make certain you say it!
- Friendly. Be conversational and honest and relaxed. Gone are the days when formality was valued over being approachable.
P.S. Remember that the acknowledgment may be the close of the donation, but it’s the start of the relationship.
Growing up, we didn’t really have a budget—we had a father. Requests for frivolous items or fleeting joys (no matter how much I begged for candy) were met with a sympathetic smile and a gentle pat on the head. Looking back, I realize dad was teaching me the value of deferred gratification and the art of managing resources wisely. Perhaps that’s also where I learned the importance of investing in what truly matters. In today’s world, content is king, and creating impactful content requires the same discipline my father had: focusing on what’s essential and resisting the temptation to let distractions drain time and money. To clarify, I define “content” as any media that communicates a message. This includes blogs (like this one), podcasts, social media posts, websites, videos, and ads. The best content reveals something genuine about its creator, leaving the audience feeling like they know them better after engaging with it. Great content is relevant, original, authentic, engaging, and actionable. It should inspire the audience to act while resonating with their needs and interests. Informative blog posts, entertaining videos, or engaging podcasts can be developed with creativity and expertise, capturing attention and driving action. Importantly, you don’t need an extravagant budget to create meaningful content. By using cost-effective distribution channels and repurposing content across multiple platforms, you can amplify your message and maximize your reach without overspending. It’s a great mentor/parent lesson: prioritize what matters most, focus your efforts, and invest wisely. Whether in managing a family’s finances or creating communications content, the principle remains the same.
Successful companies do. Successful companies typically allocate a growing percentage of their total revenue towards marketing and advertising expenses. Is that self-serving advice? YES, if you hire marketing professionals! Is it true? YES, as backed up by experience and research (below)! Of course, this percentage can vary based on the industry, business size, and specific marketing goals. By industry, here are some reported average expenditure percentages. 1 INDUSTRY MARKETING BUDGET (% OF COMPANY REVENUE) Banking/finance/insurance - 9.49% Communications/media - 14.27% Consumer packaged goods - 25.19% Consumer services -11.74% Education - 11.50% Healthcare - 6.80% Manufacturing - 3.75% Pharma/biotech - 12.83% Professional services - 7.08% Real estate - 10.61% Retail wholesale - 14.52% Service consulting - 21.00% Tech software/platform - 11.80% By devoting a significant portion of their operating budget to marketing and advertising, successful organizations can continuously drive brand awareness, maintain customer and donor loyalty, and drive growth. Are you? 1 Marketing Budget: How Much Should Your Team Spend in 2024? [By Industry ]; June 17, 2024; The CMO Survey , Statista, September 2023 release date, 316 respondents https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/marketing-budget-percentage#marketing-budget-percentage ;
Dear Friends and Clients, Today, I have exciting news to share about the future of 1Vision and a heartfelt milestone for me and for Dani. After 40+ incredible years of advancing products, organizations, and relationships and doing battle with the fearsome Oxford comma, I (Blake) will be retiring from 1Vision’s day-to-day responsibilities as of Feb. 28, 2025. This transition to Dani’s workload has been years in the making and some of you even noticed! 😊 While I will continue as CEO, my focus will shift to retirement and new challenges. "It’s with humble gratitude for the grace of so many that I am at this happy point in my life. It’s been a wonderful ride! ‘They’ say, ‘The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second-best time is today.’ So, I plan to get busy digging." If you’d like to send me any well-wishes, or instructions concerning a shovel, I’d enjoy hearing from you. Please email me at this address . I have no doubt that 1Vision will continue to thrive under the exceptional leadership and ownership of Dani Gordon, who has proven her ability over the last three years to promote brands and deliver outstanding results. Dani will become President with my retirement and assume all client contact moving forward. Her purchase of the company demonstrates her commitment to our clients and serving their future communication needs. I’m excited to see her grow her vision, gather a team of professionals, and help solve client obstacles. As evidence of the renewed energy and emphasis, take a look at our new site here . Send her congratulations here . Thank you for being part of this journey with us. Raise a glass to an exciting new chapter for Blake, Dani, and the entire 1Vision team. Wishing you all the best and God’s blessing, Blake Conover For the team at 1Vision Communications P.S. This is a good time to update your email records.You can delete Blake’s work email address effective at the end of the month. To reach Dani, use dani@with1vision.com . Thank you!
