Thanking your givers comes in all shapes in sizes. Whether you decide to write a letter, make a phone call or send an email; these two little words–thank you–go a long way to making your giver feel appreciated and valued.
Below are some tips that will help you write better thank you notes to your givers.
Identify Who Your Giver Is
Have you ever received a generic thank you note from an organization? I’m sure you read the note, but if you’re like me, you discarded it without a second thought. Why? Because the letter wasn’t personalized, timely, or specific to who I am or how I gave. You have to identify WHO your giver is before you can write an authentic and rememberable thank you.
Begin identifying who your giver is by doing the following:
- Pull a list from MortarStone of all givers for the past three weeks (you must be timely in sending your thank you for the giver to receive it and feel appreciated).
- Identify if the gift was from a first-time giver or regular giver and to what fund. Note: Large gifts should be acknowledged with a direct phone call or in-person meeting.
- Separate your first-time givers from your regular givers (these two groups will receive different thank you messages). Note: Regular givers should receive at least one thank you note per quarter.
What Your Giver Wants to Hear
God has given us many important areas of ministry to support, celebrate, and advance, but if we don’t tell a giver what they want to hear, these ministry opportunities will be lost. When writing your thank you notes avoid using statements in the yellow circle, and instead focus your giver communication on statements from the blue circle.
Four Qualities of a Great Thank You
1. Personalized
Remember those segmented lists you pulled from MortarStone? Now, is the time to use them to personalize each note. Your message to your giver should be personal, warm, and authentic. Studies show that handwritten notes are better for engaging and building relationships.
2. Tangible
Show your givers exactly how giving is helping to fund a current ministry need. If the gift was made to the general fund, use this opportunity to showcase 1-2 different ministries that have been impacted by their giving. Givers that have given to a particular ministry or campaign will want to hear how much progress has been made because of generous gifts like theirs.
3. Creative
Connect better with your givers by adding creativity to your thank you messages. Include stories from people impacted by their giving and use photos and videos to share the message. Try having different ministry workers, volunteers, or someone who has been directly affected by the gift write the thank you notes.
4. Giver-Centric
Make your thank you note about them! Use this time to reach out and ask how the ministry can better support them through prayer. By increasing the level of engagement you have with a giver, you are helping to better connect the giver to your ministry.
Thank You Template
