You know those boring end-of-year tax receipt summaries you send to donors? Stop sending them. Okay, not really. Rather, make them a bit more delightful and then send them.
Most likely, this little summary is the first thing your donors will see and read from you this year. So bring the happy! Or as my friend Erica Mills would say, layoff the lame.
Besides including the usual stuff —amount contributed, date of gift(s), and other blabbity blah the IRS requires—use this as an opportunity to show some serious donor love. Be generous with your gratitude. How generous? Two sentences. At least.
Or want to seriously up the delight factor? Then add a gold star. That’s right, people. We’re going old school. Remember how excited you felt as a kid when a teacher awarded you a gold star? That’s how you want your donor to feel.
So get some stars and start sticking! And don’t forget to add the note. My personal favorite? “Why should kids get all the stickers? You’re just as awesome.”
I love this Shanon – talk about bringing out the type A in our donors. I bet it brings big broad smiles and makes their day. Thanks for sharing.
Very cool idea. I ask my constituents for help once a year and always follow up with a hand written thank you. I cannot wait to give them a gold star with that thank you this year…they earned it!