Note: This is adapted from Train Your Board (and Everyone Else) to Raise Money, which I co-authored with Andrea Kihlstedt. 

Fundraising is about gratitude and appreciation. When we demonstrate genuine, personal appreciation, donors respond – and they keep giving. 

By developing a “thank you menu,” you can provide more opportunities for board members and other volunteers – especially those who don’t want to ask for money – to participate in fundraising in a way that’s significant for both the donor and your organization.

Who, when, how

Who: You can lead this exercise with anyone involved in your donor outreach: some combination of board, staff, and volunteers.

When: Use this exercise when you’re preparing for fact-to-face asks. Ideally, you need a donor recognition plan before you start soliciting gifts.

How: You’ll need a flip chart and markers, plus a space large enough to accommodate several small groups of three to five people each. The exercise takes about 30 minutes.

Start with personal experience

1. Ask your colleagues to form small groups to discuss and answer the following question: “Have you ever been thanked in a meaningful way? This could be for a charitable donation, but don’t limit yourself. What were your most meaningful thank you experiences?”

2. After five to ten minutes, reconvene the large group. Use the flip chart to capture their responses: personal thanks, handwritten notes, public recognition, flowers, etc.

3. Using the list, initiate a conversation about the ways your organization might create a plan for thanking donors. Begin by collecting opinions about how many times a donor should be thanked after making a gift. (Note: the industry standard is seven thanks, using a variety of ways, for each gift.)

The point of asking this question isn’t to argue about the correct number, but to talk about why sending the traditional, formal thank you letter – and then forgetting about the donor – is bad policy.

Apply this thinking to real donors

4. Briefly describe one of your major donors, writing their name at the top of a flip chart page. (Note: these discussions must be confidential.) Ask the group to develop a “thank you plan” for the donor, brainstorming a series of steps to show appreciation.

For example, “A couple has given $2,500 per year for several years. Simon is sort of introverted but seems to light up when you ask him questions. His partner Kim is the opposite – very outgoing, loves to host parties, gets a little uncomfortable if you ask too many questions. They both volunteer for us occasionally and seem to enjoy that. What thank you plan would work best for them?”

5. Next, describe a mid-level donor and put their name on another page. Ask the group to develop a thank you plan for this supporter.

6. If you wish, do the same with a low-level donor. By developing plans for thanking donors at different giving levels, the group will begin to think strategically about where to invest time and energy.

It’s worth emphasizing that all donors – regardless of the amount of their gifts – are worthy of customized appreciation.

7. Debrief the exercise by asking the following questions:

• What do the most meaningful thanks have in common?
• In what ways is this practice of deep, intentional gratitude an antidote to “donor fatigue?”
• If thanking is perceived to be easier than asking, who do so many nonprofits do it poorly?

Training tip: Broaden the conversation

As you’re setting up the exercise, begin with a personal story of how you (or a family member, or a friend) has been thanked in a meaningful way.

I often tell a story about my father talking to a group of schoolchildren about his experiences in World War II, and then receiving a folder of hand-written thank you notes from the kids. 

To emphasize that this brainstorm not just about charitable gifts, tell a story of gratitude that has nothing to do with giving money to a nonprofit organization.