By Michael Desroches
Thankful Much?
How thankful is your organization for the folks who make a difference, day in and day out? Of course, you’re thankful for your staff and your volunteers, but if your organization is a non-profit, who I’m really talking about are the individual and corporate donors who allow you to do all the wonderful things you do so well.
At this time of year, it’s natural to be thankful and to show your appreciation for donors. Many organizations send a holiday email, mail a letter, or perhaps take it to the next level with a handwritten note or a small gift. While sharing these warm sentiments at the end of year is needed and appreciated, the fact that it coincides with most organizations’ year-end giving campaigns can make it seem a little less genuine.
So how do you avoid that appearance?
The answer is simple: Thank your donors all year long.
You see, if you make an effort to build a culture of appreciation all year, those end-of-the-year messages will seem more like a continuation of what you typically do and won’t be misconstrued as “merely” part of an annual appeal.
But how do you do that?
It starts with a plan.
At Brand Inspiration, we work with clients to design effective communications plans that not only say thank you, they show donors exactly what their gifts have meant to the people they touch. And ideally, your plan should show them in many different ways.
How do you do that?
Let’s imagine your organization is a high school that has just successfully raised funds to build a new gym. You want to say thank you to your donors, who are most likely the same alumni you rely on to fund scholarship programs and more. Your first touch might be an invitation to the groundbreaking. Next, you might send a time lapse video of construction as it progresses. Local donors might be invited to the first sporting event in the new gym, while a Facebook live video would make those who are in other areas of the country feel as if they were there. A handwritten note from a student athlete would make the perfect birthday acknowledgement. Quarterly school newsletters would mention the success of sports teams who play there and any academic events held there. By the time November rolls around, the campaign naturally flows into how scholarship funds help students achieve success in the classroom and beyond. While this might seem like a lot, it’s actually only nine “touches” from your organization, but they are varied and well-planned to have meaning for the people who made this expansion possible. While some of these touches may include a subtle ask or reminder about fundraising, the goal is to primarily celebrate all that your donors have allowed you to do.
This applies no matter what your organization does – from helping students to serving entrepreneurs, feeding the hungry, saving animals or the planet, or whatever else you have a passion for.
Varied campaigns like this help you avoid donor fatigue but still convey the great news about what you do – thanks to them! And yes, this strategy applies if you have a for-profit business as well, whether it’s B2B or B2C. The messaging may be different, but thanking your customers for their business builds the kind of brand loyalty that money – and dare we say, marketing – can’t buy on its own.
So, by all means, extend a heartfelt thank you to the people and other organizations who support you at this time of the year, but don’t forget to keep thanking them as we head into 2020 and beyond.
Need help developing and executing a marketing strategy like this? Email me. We’ll grab a coffee and talk about it.
About Michael Desroches
Michael Desroches is a corporate marketing consultant, brand strategist, speaker, trainer andmentor. The Founder and Principal of Woodbridge, Connecticut-based Brand Inspiration has spent more than two decades helping corporations, nonprofit organizations, mid-sized companies and small businesses here in the northeast and across the country. He and his team help clients uncover their most unique traits and translate them into creative marketing that inspires donors to give, customers to buy, and people to trust. Learn more at www.michaeldesrochesonline.com.
