Small Acts, Big Impact

By Susan D. Rostkoski, Principal Consultant

Thank you! Danke! Mahalo! Gracias! Salamat! Arigato! (ありがとう) Mahadsanid! Ua Tsaug! Merci!

This must be one of the loveliest word combinations in the English language—or any other—when offered with warmth, true appreciation, and specificity. As your organization sends out its thank you letters, you are not only fulfilling an obligation but you are adding another link in your relationship with the donor. But that means that first you must know --

A.  What resonates with donors about your mission;

B.  What program(s) they are passionate about;

C.  Their pattern of giving (it may be a clue as to what triggers their gift);

D.  What they don’t want (too many thank you letters, gift envelopes inside the thank you letter, etc. I once had a donor who told me that, if I would stop trying to meet with him, he would increase his giving each year. So I did (stop calling) and he did (increase his donations).

Secondly, to vary your thanks, seek the input of those who sign the letter and make the message authentic to that person. Who should it be?

·  Chair of Resource Development Committee who talks about what inspired that person to become deeply involved in your organization

 ·  Child who is old enough to write their name and draw a picture

 ·  A youth group who are of the age that they understand how they have benefited and why true thanks from them is important

 ·  Non-program staff (finance, human resources, volunteer coordinator, etc.) who can testify from the sidelines about what they see being accomplished each day

Third, add a small picture of the person, program, or setting that is the topic of the letter, to invite the donor into your everyday landscape. And be sure you are getting representation from all communities that you serve and those who support you.

Too much work? Take small steps. Research shows that the organizations that incorporate these principles into their donor communications keep donors longer and realize larger gifts over time. That’s an outcome we would all like to see.

“We recognize that small acts in a system, like bees pollinating flowers, the human equivalent of generating ideas and connections, would have a significant impact on the health and resilience of the organization.” (Paraphrased from Kathleen Allen’s book Leading from the Roots.) 

Thank you for reading this!

As always, please contact us with any questions you may have, or if we can help you accomplish your mission (strategic-cc.com).