Now that election season and Giving Tuesday have passed and the year is coming to an end, it’s time to thank donors and supporters for their contributions — financial or otherwise — to your campaigns and programs. With so many people to thank, it’s important to make your “thank you” sincere and authentic. Even when thanking a large number of people, a meaningful and personalized thank you is necessary so that each person feels individually recognized for their contributions.
Video
If you have large groups of people to thank and want to make your message more personable, consider using video. You can send different videos for staff, donors, volunteers, social media followers, and community members at large. Whether it’s a candidate, a big-name board member, a friend of the organization, or even a department director in the speaking role, a basic, straight-to-camera thank-you video is a quick way to show appreciation to specific groups of people. Video allows people to truly see that they’re appreciated through non-verbal communication like facial gestures that they would only otherwise see in a face-to-face conversation.
Events
Whether it’s your paid staff or your core volunteers, sometimes the best way to show appreciation is by getting them all together and celebrating! It doesn’t have to be elaborate or expensive, but the best part of our movement is our people, so we should celebrate together! Remember that relationships are at the core of organizing, so when we have the opportunity to bond with and connect to each other- we should take it!
Long-Term Teams
You have probably heard about “love languages” and how they can help you better understand your partner and the ways they like to be shown love, but did you know that there are appreciation languages, too? If you lead a team, it’s helpful for you to know each team member’s appreciation language, especially if you want to retain the folks on your team and create a healthy workplace culture. A great resource for discovering how everyone on your team can feel valued is AppreciationatWork.com. Some people get embarrassed or stressed out when they’re celebrated in public, so it’s important to know how to validate and show gratitude for all team members in a way they can accept. On the flip side, you can spend time publicly acknowledging the folks who want and need that validation, rather than sending them gifts that might not register with them as appreciation.
Keep Them In The Loop
If you have donors who gave throughout your campaign, on Giving Tuesday, or during end-of-year giving, the next time they hear from you shouldn’t be right before the next major fundraising deadline. Make sure to keep communicating with your donors and supporters regularly, especially when you don’t need anything from them. You can show them how their money is being spent, celebrate your wins that were made possible by their contributions, or just keep them up to date on everything you are doing. The key is that you stay in touch.
As we begin to wrap up the year, make sure to thank everyone in your community that contributed to your success. If you need help implementing your big ideas in the year ahead, book a free strategy call with us today.