Here’s what I love about Thanksgiving. No, not the turkey (I’m more of a stuffing kind of gal). Gratitude! Giving it, sharing it, receiving it, all of the above—it’s just an all-around feel good kind of holiday. And considering the message, it’s the perfect time for nonprofits to say, thank you oh super fabulous donor, thanks for being awesome, generous, and loyal.
A couple of years ago, I recommended that our team move away from sending the dime a dozen holiday cards and piggy back on Thanksgiving by sending a gratitude card. It just made sense! So instead of jockeying for a mailbox position in December, we’re now front and center in November. And even better? We sign every card. With real ink and a personal message of thanks. We even moved our stewardship events to the same month and affectionately began calling our little gratitude campaign, ‘Thanks for Giving.’
Does your donor engagement strategy include a designated donor appreciation month? And if so, how do you surprise your donors with gratitude?
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Everyone likes to feel appreciated. The power of a thank you is underestimated. ( Oh, and it’s all about the cranberry relish for me! )
I was driving in the car coming back up from Portland talking with my colleague Alyssa today and we were thinking about the up-coming holidays and what we could do to show gratitude. This is an interesting approach — doing this now rather than waiting for December to roll around. I like this, I’ll pass this by her.