How to say thank you properly

The most important task of a fundraiser is to tie people to the organisation or to the project and to motivate them to donate. If you get a donation happiness is big, but sometimes the subject “say thank you” is neglected. The donor has the right to expect an appreciation for his donation, so it is important to say thank you properly. We give some useful tips:

thank fast and detailed. On betterplace.org you have 21 days to contact the donor personally via the transaction protocol. You’ll find the protocol in the “Administration”- area of your project. Your message should be longer than one sentence!
thank your donors very personally! That starts with addressing the donor with his name. You may also refer to the amount of the donation or to what exactly it will enable. It is essential that your message doesn’t sound like a standard text, it should be individual. You may also surprise your donors with something special, for example by sending them a short video with a thank you - message. No expensive equipment is needed, simply use the camera of your smartphone and go. The video doesn’t have to be professional, but individual. And not only for large scale donors.
extend your gratitude to an invitation! Invite the donors to the next event of your organisation, ask them to share the information on the work of your organisation with their friends or invite them to support your project by volunteering. The aim of your message should be to get an answer. That is how you build a relationship with the donors - and you can ask them again for more donations later on. It is very important to listen to the feedback on your message: is ist positive or critical? Accordingly you can change your message or send similar messages in the future.
if the donor complies you may thank him publicly (for example on your homepage). Not only large scale donors should be mentioned here, but also (faithful) small scale donors.
if possible keep contact with the donors every now and then. Do not “only” contact them for christmas to ask for more donations!