The Mikuska Group  

Thank you is just about thanking, yet so much more

It’s been a mixed bag as far as thank you letters and gift acknowledgements on my gifts to charities this year. Some have gone so far as to weaken my resolve to give to them next year. Others have given me cause to give again. Yet others have left me indifferent.

Here are some of the results:

The good:

  • A handwritten card with a personal note along with a receipt for my gift, sent within a week.
  • A lovely personal letter sent the next day from the executive director for a gift made through CanadaHelps.org (the receipt came immediately through Canada Helps).
  • An acknowledgement and receipt sent the day I dropped off my cheque.

The bad and ugly:

  • No greeting. No “Dear Julie” to catch my attention. In the same letter, they said they look forward to my continued support in the future.
  • My gift to one of the largest campaigns in the city went unacknowledged for months (they had cashed the cheque promptly, though). When I e-mailed to inquire about a receipt, they said it would be coming in the new year.
  • A member-based charity sent a tax receipt for a portion of the membership that was a gift, but again, many months after the initial payment was made.

Really, a thank you is very simple. Think of what your mother taught you – sit down and write to Aunt Ruth for her birthday gift right after you got it. The longer you wait, the less likely Aunt Ruth is to send you another one.

Sending a thank you is telling the donor they’re important. And a well-written thank you letter tells them they’re really important. But even a prompt, less well-written letter is much, much better than a great one months after the gift.

Even if you can’t get a receipt generated promptly (and that’s a subject for another day), send the thank you anyway and let the donor know when to expect the receipt.

It’s not about the transaction. It’s about how you make donors feel. So make them feel important and say thank you as soon as they make their gift.

Julie Mikuska

  ·  

Blog Archives

Articles By Category