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.
We’ve had the privilege of working with some of the best nonprofit clients an agency could hope for. Over 38 years, 1Vision has partnered with about 100 nonprofits worldwide, helping to raise billions (with a B) for their missions. I’m not sharing this to brag, but to underline that we know our stuff. Decades of experience validates these key principles for improving donor relations and communications: 1. Showcase Impact Clearly Communicating the tangible outcomes of donor contributions is critical to your nonprofit’s success. It's not just about compelling images—it’s the words, the website, and all your materials working together. Invest in storytelling that resonates emotionally with donors and shows the difference their support makes. Don’t skimp—get professional help, if needed. 2. Personalize Communication Tailor messages to your donors’ interests, preferences, and giving history. Personalized communication builds stronger connections. Do it right, every time. 3. Be Transparent and Accountable Clearly show where donations go and the impact they create. Financial transparency and program accountability build trust and credibility. 4. Create Cohesive Materials Ensure your materials look and sound like they’re from the same source. A unified message helps donors understand your mission and programs better. Use multiple channels—email, social media, direct mail, SMS, ads, and events—to meet donors where they are. 5. Master Donor Appreciation Not every donor wants their name on a building. Understand and record their preferences and express gratitude in meaningful ways, whether through personalized thank-you notes, donor spotlights, or exclusive events. 6. Build Long-Term Relationships Go beyond the initial gift. Keep donors and volunteers engaged with regular updates, progress reports, and new ways to get involved. 7. Ask for Legacy and Planned Gifts If you don’t ask, you don’t receive. Promote legacy and planned giving options like bequests, endowments, or charitable gift annuities. Work with lawyers and financial planners to make it easy for donors to leave a lasting impact. 8. Track and Report Donor Engagement Count what matters. Use tools to track engagement metrics—open rates, click-throughs, event participation—and adjust your strategies accordingly. Monitor donations and key donor trends for ongoing improvement. These principles apply whether your nonprofit is 100 days or 100 years old. By focusing on these strategies, you can deepen donor relationships, inspire continued support, and sustain your mission for the long haul. https://www.with1vision.com/services#FundraisingExpertise
If you’ve been following this series (thank you!), you know we’ve arrived at a favorite topic: SEO. Search Engine Optimization tops our list—not because we’ve mastered the elusive art of first-page organic rankings, but because the pursuit of ranking higher drives us to improve daily. For those new to SEO, it only became essential in recent years. Google, like its competitors (Dogpile, Safari, Bing, and others), aims to deliver the “best” results for every search—no matter how obscure. Naturally, companies scramble for a coveted spot on page one since most shoppers don’t look beyond it. This sparked an SEO arms race, with agencies worldwide claiming to have the "special sauce" (timing, techniques, maybe even a little magic) to boost website visibility and drive traffic. But the truth is, only Google knows its formula, and they keep changing it under the guise of improvement. Of course, this conveniently boosts their ad revenue by encouraging paid placements. The good news? You don’t need to chant magic keywords to enhance your site’s visibility. There are plenty of low-cost, high-value strategies to improve your natural ranking. Start with a thorough website audit and keyword research to uncover opportunities. This might mean optimizing on-page elements like image meta tags, headings, and content, or tackling off-page efforts like building quality backlinks. From there, we’ll create a tailored strategy based on your goals and audience, monitoring performance and fine-tuning along the way to ensure success. You can attract more visitors and boost your site’s visibility—no wizardry required! ⬇️ https://www.with1vision.com/services#DigitalMediaManagement
Yes, SEM absolutely deserves its own spotlight! It’s not some overlooked, red-headed stepchild of Search Engine Optimization (SEO). I can say that—I used to be a redhead. Search Engine Marketing (SEM) is a powerful tool for driving targeted leads and sales through your website. Done right, it delivers quick results, precise targeting, increased visibility, and an impressive ROI (return on investment). So, what exactly is SEM? It’s all about boosting a website’s visibility on search engine results pages through paid advertising. Think of it as giving your business a front-row seat in the dynamic marketplace of search engines. SEM generally encompasses two key strategies: Pay-Per-Click (PPC) Advertising : Here you bid on keywords relevant to your products or services. When users search for those terms on platforms like Google or Bing, your ads can appear right at the top of the results, catching reader’s attention even before organic listings. You only pay when someone clicks on your ad—hence, “pay-per-click.” Display Advertising : While PPC focuses on text, display advertising takes a more visual route. This involves placing eye-catching banners or interactive ads on websites within networks like Google Display. By targeting specific demographics, interests, or even particular websites, you can get your ad message in front of the right audience at the right time. At 1Vision, SEM is as much art as science. We start with in-depth keyword research to uncover high-value search terms tailored to your business. Then, we craft custom campaigns that target demographics, interests, and locations. Our Digital Media Specialist closely watches performance metrics, tweaking bids and strategies to ensure your budget works as hard as possible. Whether your goal is brand awareness, website traffic, or lead generation, there are SEM techniques that can help. Over time, SEM can feel like a trusted and productive member of the marketing family.
