As we come closer to the end of the year, many non-profits are ramping up their appeals. They are sending letters, posting on social media and trying to get in as many asks as they can before December 31.
While asking is a critical part of fundraising, there's a complementary strategy that too often gets shoved to the bottom of the to-do list: saying thanks.
What would happen if your organization was the one known to be the very best at saying thank you and not please? You know what would happen … renewed and upgraded gifts would increase. You would begin to sense more and more joyful givers supporting your organization. Volunteers who are reluctant askers would discover the joy of calling "just to say thanks." Donors would tell their friends how you thoughtfully you appreciated their gift.
We spend a disproportionate amount of our effort and planning on the “please.” How might we put that same kind of effort into creating a unique thank you experience?
Would you be interested and joining a tribe of like-thinking "thankers”? Together we could share our ideas and sample thank you efforts in 2020? In Seth Godin’s book Tribes, he says "A group needs only two things to be a tribe: a shared interest and a way to communicate.”
Imagine an online place where you could go to get encouraged by the creative thinking of your fellow "thanker" tribe members.
Interested? Shoot us a comment below and stay tuned for more. But whether you join us on this journey or not, we strongly encourage you to devote time and effort to being extraordinary at saying thanks in the coming year.
UPDATED: Seems like there's some interest in this Year of Thanks idea! Learn more and join others across the country who are committing to being the BEST at saying thanks!
For the use of the photo in our header
our thanks goes to Anton Darius | @theSollers on Unsplash
