The urgency of year-end giving has passed. Inboxes are quieter. Teams are tired. And yet—this is often the most important moment of the year for your donor relationships.

For many nonprofits, the year-end season brought a surge of generosity—new supporters giving for the first time, longtime donors renewing their commitment, and recurring donors continuing to show up month after month. What happens next matters more than the ask that brought them in.

Before donors are asked to give again—whether it’s their second gift, their tenth, or the next installment of a recurring commitment—they need to be thanked. They need to see the impact of their generosity. And they need to feel that their support—ongoing or new—wasn’t just received, but truly valued.

Because while fundraising calendars move on, donors remember how you made them feel.

That’s why we created Love Your Donors Day. Not as a seasonal distraction or a one-off moment, but as a deliberate pause—an opportunity to recognize the people behind generosity. The donors and the doers. The volunteers, advocates, board members, and supporters who show up again and again to fuel your mission.

This moment exists for one simple reason: donor love isn’t extra or nice. It’s essential.

The Data Tells a Clear Story: Retention Is the Real Risk

If the nonprofit sector has a quiet crisis right now, it isn’t generosity—it’s connection.

According to the latest Fundraising Effectiveness Project (FEP) Q3 2025 report, total dollars raised are estimated to be up 3.7% year over year. At the same time, the number of donors continues to decline—down roughly 3%, even after accounting for late-reported data.

That gap matters, because it tells us something critical: giving is increasingly concentrated among fewer people.

When we look closer, the picture becomes even clearer. Micro-donors—those giving between $1 and $100—make up more than half of all donors, yet they have the lowest retention rate at just 21.3%. New donor retention remains stubbornly low at around 14%, meaning most first-time supporters never return. Meanwhile, repeat donors—those who feel known, appreciated, and connected—continue to be the most stable and valuable segment in the sector.

This is a relationship problem and relationships aren’t built through transactions alone.

What Actually Improves Retention: Start With Appreciation

The good news is that retention isn’t a mystery—it’s measurable, learnable, and deeply human.

In Bloomerang’s Mission Retainable research, donors consistently told us the same thing: they stay connected when they feel informed, valued, and seen. In fact, 65% of donors say receiving regular updates about their impact helps them feel more connected to a nonprofit, and 30% cite personal recognition or thank-yous as a key driver of commitment.

High-retention nonprofits share a few common practices. They thank donors promptly and personally. They show impact early and often—reinforcing the value of every gift, whether it’s someone’s first or part of a long-standing commitment. And they continue the conversation beyond the receipt, using updates, stories, and milestones to reinforce that every gift mattered.

The data also makes one thing clear: appreciation works best when it happens before the next ask. Donors who are thanked within 24–48 hours are significantly more likely to give again, and organizations that prioritize personalized communication see stronger long-term loyalty across every donor segment.

Retention doesn’t start with a campaign. It starts with a relationship—and appreciation is often the first signal that a relationship is worth continuing.

Celebrating the Donors and the Doers

Appreciation doesn’t stop with donors—and retention doesn’t either.

One thing we want to be clear in stewardship and Love Your Donors Day is that generosity shows up in many forms. Yes, through financial gifts. But also through time, expertise, advocacy, and care. Volunteers, board members, peer fundraisers, and community champions are all part of the ecosystem that sustains nonprofit work—and they deserve to be recognized as such.

Sector data reinforces this connection. Volunteers are significantly more likely to become donors over time, and often more loyal ones. When people are acknowledged for how they show up—not just how much they give—they deepen their relationship with a mission and are more likely to stay engaged.

That’s the spirit behind Love Your Donors Day and the toolkit we created to support it. It’s a collection of practical, low-lift resources designed to help nonprofits express appreciation to everyone who contributes—whether they give money, time, or services. Because meaningful stewardship isn’t about narrowing your focus; it’s about widening your gratitude.

When people feel valued for who they are—not just what they give—they stay. And when appreciation becomes inclusive, relationships become stronger across the entire community.

An Invitation for February—and Beyond

Love Your Donors Day is ultimately an invitation.

An invitation to slow down after the rush of year-end giving and focus on what sustains generosity over time. An invitation to thank the donor who gave for the first time, the supporter who has given for years, and the recurring donor who quietly shows up every month. To recognize the volunteer who contributes time and talent week after week. And to celebrate the advocates, board members, and community builders whose contributions don’t always come with a receipt—but matter just as much.

This February, we encourage you to make appreciation a practice, not a checkbox.

Use the free resources in our Love Your Donors Toolkit to help you say thank you in ways that feel genuine and doable. Use the Love Lab to generate appreciation letters. Explore ideas that make impact visible before the next ask. And take part in Love Your Donors Day by entering our $1,000 giveaway—our small way of giving back to the nonprofits doing this work every day.

Most of all, use this moment as a reset. A reminder that stewardship isn’t separate from fundraising—it’s what makes fundraising possible. Afterall, fundraising is a relationship business. 

When appreciation is consistent, inclusive, and heartfelt, people stay connected. And when people stay connected, missions grow stronger.

Let’s make February a month of gratitude—for the donors and the doers behind nonprofit work, and for the relationships that make lasting impact possible.

The post A Letter to Nonprofits: Why Donor Love Matters More Than Ever appeared first on Bloomerang.

Dear Charity Clairity,

For sustaining donors (monthly), I send a quarterly thank you. Is that sufficient? Do you have a better idea?

— Balancing Priorities

Dear Balancing Priorities,

Let us begin with something I truly believe: You can never thank donors too much.

Yes, it’s work. But the effort is well worth the investment. Because donors who feel appreciated give more and more often.

But, wait. You say these folks are already giving more often? True. But… they’re free to stop at any time. They’re also free to make a larger commitment at any time. That’s what you really hope for. Because a $50/month donor ($600/year) can easily become a $60 donor ($720) without batting an eye. If you have 100 donors doing this, you’ll generate an additional $7200. 1,000 donors? $72,000. That’s so much easier than trying to get one or two major donors to give you this sum.

So, yes, it’s work to thank a little bit more often. Yet it’s one of the most surefire ways I know to increase donor lifetime value.

A thank you is an opportunity to connect meaningfully

Why not reframe your approach from “chore” to “opportunity?” Researcher Penelope Burk has worked over two decades in assessing what donors want, and a prompt, personal, outcome-focused thank you is at the top of the list. In a Burk Donor Survey, 40% of respondents said they had received at least one thank-you letter in recent memory they would describe as exceptional. Its “warm, personal tone making the letter feel like it was written just for me” was cited most often.

• 45% of donors said it was an outstanding thank-you letter that inspired them to give again.
• 23% said they gave more generously because of the quality of the acknowledgement they received.

If your modus operandi is calculating how little you can get away with when it comes to donor acknowledgements, you’re missing the boat.  You’ll still have the original pledge, but you’re unlikely to get an upgrade or legacy commitment.

On top of that, your donors just won’t feel as good as they could. And isn’t part of the social benefit sector’s mission to spread joy – thereby making our world, and the people in it, just a little bit happier?  As the “Father” of modern fundraising, Hank Rosso, is famous for saying:

“Fundraising is the gentle art of teaching the joy of giving.”

Let’s talk a bit about simple ways to leverage the thank-you process to inspire greater happiness and loyalty.

6 keys to effectively thank monthly donors

There is a HUGE difference between thank you’s that fulfill the requirement of acknowledging gifts and thank you’s that inspire donor love and devotion. Don’t forget: monthly donors are some of your best bets for legacy gifts. So, keeping them committed and identified with your cause is tremendously important.

1. Flatter your donor.

People respond to compliments; in fact, they crave them. “You are amazing.” “You made this happen.” Flattery is a gift. When you help people feel appreciated and loved, you help them attain the highest goal to which most people aspire in their search for meaning.

2. Lean on impactful visuals.

A picture, indeed, is worth 1,000 words. Close-ups with captions work wonders. Here are two examples from Vida Joven, which sends something brief (it doesn’t need to take even an hour of your time) every month:

3. Focus on the outcome.

Put this together with the wonderful qualities the donor possesses (e.g., vision, insight, caring, understanding, generosity, compassion, remembrance). “Jimmy will go to bed with a full tummy tonight – because you cared.” “You remembered – because Gloria couldn’t.”

4. Stand out!

It’s critical your donor perceives they are being thanked. Don’t add in an ask. Don’t go on and on with your organization’s case for support – which can make your communication sound like another pitch. Keep it simple. Heartfelt. Pure gratitude.

5. Close warmly.

“Sincerely” is a bit formal and does nothing to build a relationship. A thank you letter is a place to gush a little. Instead, try something heartfelt or mission related: “In gratitude,;” “Warmly,;” “With appreciation and admiration,;” “For the love of theater,;” “In celebration of you,;” “From the bottom of my heart,” etc. Here’s another Vida Joven example:

6. Add a targeted, personal touch.

For those who give a gift that’s above your average, it’s worth acknowledging this special commitment with an “above average” thank you. After all, you probably thank donors of $1,000 differently than donors who give $100 or less, right? A $100/month ($1,200/year) donor should be treated similarly. Pick up the phone! [ Grab my free “Donor Thank You Calls E-Book + Script.”] Leave a pure gratitude voicemail if you don’t reach them. Send a personalized thank-you text or video. And make sure, when sending a newsletter or connecting in person, you offer opportunities for donors to get involved in other ways than just giving. Make them feel valued as people, not just wallets, and they’ll value you as well.

Bottom line: you’ve already done the hard part

One of the least acknowledged benefits of monthly giving programs, from the donor perspective, is that giving more frequently in smaller amounts can give your donor a recurring pleasure high.

This is a great argument for a monthly giving program as a way to offer donors greater rewards. Lean into it!  Think of “recurring gifts” as a two-way street. They keep giving AND you keep giving.

They’re doing it monthly. Maybe you should too?

Hope this seems like a balanced approach,

— Charity Clairity (Please use a pseudonym if you prefer to be anonymous when you submit your own question, like “Balancing Priorities” did.)

How often does your organization thank monthly donors? Let us know in the comments.

The post What’s the Best Way to Thank Monthly Donors? appeared first on Bloomerang.

Dear Charity Clairity,

Right now, I am signing and jotting a note on the acknowledgement letter for every gift made by a donor in my portfolio of roughly 1,500 donors of $1,000-$9,999, as well as prospects (event attendees/invitees, some non-donors, and others who’ve been identified through research as having good potential). These are all folks whom I am attempting to build relationships with to some degree. While I recognize it might be more effective for the signer to be someone higher up in the organization, we are all geographically spread out and, even if we weren’t, nobody else has the bandwidth to be signing these. We recently promoted someone to Senior Development Associate/Board Liaison, and I’m wondering if we could have them sign letters? This would be mostly for gifts below $1k, with the goal of giving these folks extra attention to bring them up to, and beyond the $1,000 level. 

— Too Many Letters to Sign

Dear Too Many Letters to Sign,

You note your goal is to build relationships.

And the strategy you’ve outlined towards achieving this outcome is signing and jotting personal notes on acknowledgements.

Let’s break this down.

• The goal is spot on.
• Your strategy of special, individual notes is terrific – a great starting point.
• Getting personal is key to building and sustaining relationships.

But whether this works effectively will depend on what else you do. As well as what others within your organization do. Because philanthropy facilitation is a team effort.

A team approach to the gratitude game.

Ideally, everyone is part of your culture of philanthropy. Sometimes, the task of instilling this culture falls to a visionary development staffer. It begins with encouraging team members to come from a place of “love of humanity” in all their interactions – extending this both internally and externally.

The key is playing to each individual’s strengths. When they get personal, they should do so through an expression of their unique selves.

So, before assigning donor-facing, relationship-building duties to anyone, consider where their strengths lie. Are they good with people? Do they listen well. Are they curious? Would any of these adjectives apply to them: empathic, kind, generous, creative, optimistic, inspiring, collaborative, resilient?

How donor relationships blossom.

If they don’t put their best, most authentic self into the relationship then it’s not really going to become a relationship.  It will simply be a transaction. Transactions end. Relationships bloom.

It’s a mistake to get fixated on a single task (signing; note jotting) lest it become a mere transaction. One you simply check of your list, before planning ahead for the follow-through moves and touches that will result in a transformative journey for the donor – and, hopefully, for your organization as well.

Okay, let’s get to the meat of your question.

Here are some strategies I’ve found effective for acknowledgements:

1. Prompt response. This means 48 hours for snail mail and instantaneous for email or texts sent in response to online gifts. Note, I consider this the “official” response that lets donors know their gift was received and appreciated (i.e., it didn’t go into a black hole). This does not mean a subsequent thank you, from someone else, might not be optimal (see below).

2. Handwritten signatures. Some people will actually lick their fingers to see if the ink smudges off. They want to know someone took the time to personally sign their letter. And, yes, the more important the better. Because sometimes people care that the head of the organization knows they gave.

3. Adding personal handwritten notes. These are MAGIC – so keep doing what you’re doing. To me, a thank you letter without a personal note is like a Hallmark card with nothing but a signature.  It simply looks like you couldn’t be bothered to even try to connect. They’re best when you can refer back to a recent communication or meeting with the donor to show them you know them (e.g., “Great to see you at the Gala,” “Hope your daughter is enjoying college!,” “Seen any good films lately?” or “Looking forward to our coffee!”). But even something simple like “Your dedication means a lot!” or “You are our hero!” work well. 

• The note can be written directly on the appeal letter itself, or
• On a little sticky note you affix to the top (visible when the recipient opens the appeal).

4. Adding more personal handwritten notes. Whatever you do, don’t cut back on these. You likely won’t have the bandwidth to write notes on every letter, but you can definitely do so where it’s likely to give you the biggest bang for your buck.  There are two places where I’d suggest you focus:

• Donors who’ve made above-average gifts to you in the past. First, figure out what the average gift was to your organization. Second, run a report of everyone who gave more than this amount. Might you be able to add notes to these folks’ appeals? You can have a volunteer or staff person do this. Just something simple like: “Thanks for your support. It means a lot!” “You make all the difference!” “Your generosity means the world to those who rely on our support.” What’s important is you begin with you and you put it in handwriting, so the donor feels special. Because you took the time to single them out.
  
• Donors who have connections to your board and committee members, other donors, and volunteers. People give to people, not organizations. So, if someone the recipient knows adds a personal note, they’ll automatically pay more attention. It’s a form of social proof, one of the key principles of influence espoused by Robert Cialdini. If someone else thinks your organization is worth supporting, then the recipient is likely to agree. For them, the note acts as a decision-making shortcut.

5. Added thank you phone call. (See below)

6. Additional thank you letter or note. (See below)

Here are some relationship-building ideas for you moving forward:

1. Continue signing acknowledgements and writing brief personal notes for everyone in your current portfolio. (I’m assuming it’s mid-level, and you have someone else handling major gifts) If you have too many folks to handle, hand some off to your new Senior Associate. If there are a few who would benefit from a note from your senior leadership, select these out and ask your staff or board members what they can realistically handle.

• You might consider having the letters signed by a senior leader, while you then add the personal, handwritten note. It could be something like “You rock! All of us here are so grateful for your meaningful support.” If you know the donor is close to your Executive, you might even write: “Monika asked me to let you know personally how much we all appreciate your support.”

2. Create a mid-level portfolio for your Associate (starting with donors from $500 – $999). Prioritize those who’ve made first-time gifts at this level (this is a significant initial commitment, so special treatment is warranted) and those for whom your research shows additional capacity.

3. Make prompt thank you phone calls to targeted donors. Yes, this adds to your workload. But, research shows it’s well worth it.

• BONUS: For folks on your list who should really get a letter from senior leadership, you can make the prompt call, letting them know they’ll receive their official thank you later. Do leave a quick message, letting them know how to contact you should they ever have any questions. It’s so nice when people feel they have “their person” with whom to connect!

Having too many letters to sign is a good problem! If you can hire folks to help you, great. If not, identify others on your team who may be the right fit for this sort of task. Then, allocate a portion of their time to what I like to call your “Donor Love and Loyalty” program.

Hopefully, these tips will help you make the case to allocate more resources to this magical relationship-building strategy.

— Charity Clairity (Please use a pseudonym if you prefer to be anonymous when you submit your own question, like “Too Many Letters to Sign” did.)

How does your organization navigate stock donations? Let us know in the comments.

The post What’s the best way to acknowledge gifts if you hope to use them to build donor relationships? appeared first on Bloomerang.

Introducing Mobile Video Acknowledgements from Bloomerang. We’ve built a new way for you to effortlessly spark richer, more meaningful donor connections by sending personalized thank-you videos directly from your mobile device. This feature is designed to make every supporter feel seen, valued, and deeply connected to your cause, turning your expressions of gratitude into your next wave of impact.

Mobile Video Acknowledgements bring your message to life, conveying emotion and sincerity in a way that text alone never can!

Create deeper, more meaningful connections

Imagine a donor receives a donation receipt for a gift they just made. A few moments later, they receive an email with a personal video from you. You greet them by name, thank them for their specific gift, and perhaps even show them exactly how their contribution is making a difference—a new book for the library, a happy animal at the shelter, a smiling face at your community center.

This is the kind of memorable, standout experience that inspires a true sense of shared purpose. With Mobile Video Acknowledgements, you can:

• Record videos up to 90 seconds long: Perfect for a short, heartfelt message.
• Send directly via email: The video lands right in your donor’s inbox, ready to make their day.
• Acknowledge donors from anywhere: See a special donation come in while you’re at an event? Thank them on the spot.

Effortlessly communicate your impact

As a nonprofit professional, your time is your most precious resource. You’re constantly balancing fundraising, program management, and community outreach. We designed Mobile Video Acknowledgements to be as efficient as it is effective.

The entire process happens within the Bloomerang mobile app, built right into the Bloomerang Giving Platform.

1. See a donation: When you see a new gift in your activity feed, you’ll have an option to respond.
2. Tap to record: Select “+ Video” to open your camera and record your message.
3. Personalize and send: Review your video, make any edits to the email, and send it on its way.

That’s it. There’s no need to export lists, switch between apps, or manage complex third-party integrations. If you have Bloomerang’s Journey Automation you can even schedule reminder tasks for your team to create thank-you videos after a donation is made! It’s a seamless part of your workflow, empowering you to create impactful messages that transform every interaction into a meaningful gesture of appreciation.

Inspire lasting donor loyalty

Timely, personal thank-yous are a cornerstone of donor retention. When a supporter feels genuinely appreciated, they are far more likely to give again. In fact, donors are 4x more likely to give to your organization again if you thank them within 48 hours of receiving their gift. Mobile Video Acknowledgements helps you build this cycle of generosity.

Every video you send is automatically logged as an acknowledgement interaction on the constituent’s timeline in Bloomerang. This ensures your team has a complete view of every touchpoint, allowing you to build smarter, more personalized engagement strategies over time to boost your donor retention. You’ll have a clear record of your personal outreach, helping you understand what resonates most with your supporters and keep them coming back to give time and time again.

This feature is included in all Bloomerang Giving Platform bundles, with no limit on the number of videos you can create or send. We want to empower every organization to make personal connection a central part of their fundraising strategy.

Start fostering deeper connections today

Change doesn’t happen by accident. It happens on purpose, fueled by the relationships you build with those who share your vision. Mobile Video Acknowledgements provides a simple yet powerful way to celebrate generosity, deepen those connections, and inspire the kind of loyalty that will accelerate your impact for years to come.

The post Turn gratitude into impact with Mobile Video Acknowledgments appeared first on Bloomerang.

Nonprofits that don’t adequately show appreciation for the hard work and dedication of their supporters will receive less funding in the long run because they’ll struggle to retain those supporters over time. 

Here at Bloomerang, we specialize in donor retention. Our team has studied the effectiveness of retaining donors rather than acquiring new ones, and that research guides our entire approach. Retention is the key to maximizing your fundraising strategy, and appreciation is at the root of that strategy. In this guide, we’ll dive into how your organization can create an appreciation strategy. Then, we’ll provide a list of ideas to help you say “thank you” to your generous supporters.

1. Why Does Donor Appreciation Matter?
2. The Foundations of Your Strategy
3. Donor Appreciation Ideas
   • Ideas for New Donors
   • Ideas for Recurring Donors
   • Ideas for Major Donors
   • Event Appreciation Ideas
   • Appreciation Gift Ideas

We’ll start with the fundamentals: the importance of donor appreciation and how it can inform your fundraising strategy. Let’s dive in!

Why Does Donor Appreciation Matter?

Saying “thank you” to individuals who do you the massive favor of contributing to your organization isn’t just polite; it’s also a necessity to acquire their long-term support and contributions.

Put yourself in the shoes of a supporter. You have found an organization with a mission that is near and dear to your heart. To help fund one of their main programs, you decide to give a donation of $100. It’s not a massive gift, but it’s still a substantial contribution to the cause! A week goes by and you don’t hear anything back from the organization. Then, two weeks go by—still nothing. At first you’re disappointed, but then you simply start to forget about the whole incident. The point is, you never give again.

This situation should never happen for your supporters. Dr. Adrian Sargeant conducted a survey about why donors stop giving. He found that 5% of one-time donors thought the charity didn’t need them, 9% had no memory of supporting, 13% never got thanked for donating, and 8% never had any information about how their gifts were used. Although some reasons are certainly out of your control, the ones listed above are within it. Here’s the complete breakdown:

• 5% thought the charity did not need them
• 8% got no information about how monies were used
• 9% had no memory of supporting
• 13% never got thanked for donating
• 16% passed away
• 18% thought the charity had poor service or communication
• 36% thought others were more deserving
• 54% could no longer afford to give

Most of these issues can be completely avoided if your organization is able to communicate effectively and show proper appreciation. 

Then, when supporters do stick around for your organization, you’ll make more money in the long run. It’s around ten times more expensive to acquire new supporters than it is to retain existing ones. Plus, over time, retained supporters tend to end up making larger contributions to your mission, resulting in additional revenue. You can see an example of this and the resulting revenue that accompanies a simple 10% increase in donor retention:

The main idea is that retention (and therefore more effective fundraising) is rooted in communication, appreciation, and gratitude, making a simple “thank you” message worth its weight in gold.

The Foundations of Your Donor Appreciation Strategy

The backbone of any successful donor appreciation strategy is data. Having access to the right data will not only help you to choose the right donor appreciation ideas for your audience but also help you to craft more meaningful and resonant appreciation messages for your supporters.

Therefore, as you begin crafting your appreciation strategy, analyze the profiles in your donor database to be sure you’re reaching supporters where they are and creating messages that resonate with them.

Analyze your audience

Using a dedicated donor database (especially one that’s designed with retention in mind), you can gather all of the information you need about your supporters to craft an appreciation message that will resonate well with them. Consider the segments of your audience and the levels of appreciation that should be attributed to each segment. For instance, you might not add your first-time donors to a donor recognition board, but that could be a great option for your major supporters.

When you start putting together your donor appreciation strategy, create slightly different plans for each of your various audience segments.

Choose your appreciation ideas

After you’ve considered your audience, start thinking of the different appreciation ideas that will best reach each donor segment. For instance, you might consider the following segments:

• When you segment by gift amount, you can choose different appreciation ideas for major and mid-tier donors and others for your lower-tier supporters. Remember that the larger the donation, the fewer supporters you’ll have to thank, which allows you to create more extravagant gestures, like phone calls or donor wall mentions.
• If you segment by recency, implement different appreciation ideas for your first-time donors and long-term supporters. Your first-time donor strategy will aim to achieve your second or golden donation, and you’ll likely act quickly, whereas you may spread out your appreciation for long-term supporters over time.
• When you segment your supporters by age, you can make some assumptions about the types of appreciation that your donors will enjoy. For instance, younger donors may appreciate a personalized thank-you video acknowledgement, while older donors may be more responsive to a handwritten letter.

We could go on and on with various segments, but the ultimate goal is to customize your appreciation approach based on your donors’ preferences and history.

Say Thank You

Remember that the whole purpose here is to say “thank you” to your supporters. Even if you send them a gift or feature their name on an appreciation board, you should accompany the gesture with a note that informs the donor of the gesture and actually say “thanks!”

The note should be personal, noting the supporter by name. You should also be sure to say exactly what the supporter did to earn your appreciation. For example, you might say something like:

Dear Jessie, thank you so much for your donation of $100 to the Save the Dolphins campaign. Your contribution will provide a fish dinner for 10 injured dolphins tonight! 

This note is personal, shows appreciation, and notes the exact donation amount and campaign the donor supported. The next element that you should be sure to include in this note is the impact of the contribution.

Show Impact

You can see in the example above that the nonprofit wrote what the $100 would accomplish for the mission. This is a key element of your donor appreciation strategy because donors want to know where their money is going. Remember the stat from before? 8% of supporters who stop giving do so because they don’t know where their money is going.

Showing impact allows supporters to understand that their money isn’t just a paycheck for your organization—it’s accomplishing something that will help further your mission. After all, your donors give to your mission, not necessarily to your organization.

Donor Appreciation Ideas

While these are by no means the only ideas available, they do present a summary of the potential options for your organization. You can use these as a starting point to begin building out your donor appreciation strategy as a whole.

For your convenience, we’ve split up the 22 appreciation ideas into categories so that you can jump to the ones most relevant to your needs:

1. Ideas for New Donors
2. Ideas for Recurring Donors
3. Ideas for Major Donors
4. Event Appreciation Ideas
5. Appreciation Gift Ideas

Let’s learn more!

1. Donor Appreciation for New Supporters

You work hard to acquire new supporters. It’s a shame to think that after all of the work and funds that you spent on the acquisition process, those supporters could simply give once and never again. If you’re able to retain them for the long run, their lifetime value with your organization will rise significantly.

The rate of supporters who donate for a second time after they’ve given once to a nonprofit is only around 20% according to the Fundraising Effectiveness Project. But once they’ve contributed this second donation (or the golden donation), the chance that they’ll continue donating to your organization rises to about 60%.

Therefore, your initial sign of appreciation for your new donors is incredibly important to retain their support for the long haul. We recommend creating a cultivation timeline for your first-time donors to show your appreciation, encourage them to get more involved, and eventually make your second appeal. You can see a sample of this type of timeline below:

As you can see, this timeline doesn’t simply provide a single opportunity to say thank you, but has several opportunities to do so. Therefore, you can incorporate multiple donor appreciation ideas in your own iteration of a new donor cultivation timeline.

Let’s dive deeper into four of the ideas that you’ll find on these timelines, each providing an additional opportunity to show donor appreciation.

Immediate Donation Receipt

Most of the time, donors will give their first donation using some sort of online platform. This is one of the virtual fundraising trends that will not disappear anytime soon, but will likely become stronger over time.

Set up your fundraising software so that a donation receipt is sent immediately after the contribution is received, whether it’s for a campaign hosted on a crowdfunding, peer-to-peer, or donation page. Craft this message to say an immediate “thank you” to the donor, also using their name and specific donation amount for personalization. It will also act as a confirmation that the donation was, in fact, received by your organization.

Follow Up Phone Call

Within 48 hours of a donor contributing to your organization, give them a quick call! This may seem like an outdated strategy, but it’s incredibly personal and allows you to make a personal and memorable connection through appreciation.

Create a script that your development team can follow during these follow-up conversations with your new supporters. Customize these scripts based on the segments of supporters who are being called. Then, make sure everyone is up to date on the latest donations so that they can make these phone calls in a timely manner.

Survey 

Surveys are a great way to both get your new supporters involved and to show your appreciation for them. It shows that their opinions matter and are an important part of your organization’s plans going forward.

Send a survey after you’ve called and had a couple of other interactions with each of your supporters. Then, be sure to ask informative questions that will also help you optimize the new donor experience for the future.

Additional Information About Your Mission

Donors don’t give to organizations—they give to missions. Showing your supporters the extent of your mission and the work that you do in the community is a great way to show them how their contributions make a difference.

Provide additional information about your organization through welcome packets, newsletters, and other resources. Be sure to discuss your various projects in the community to show the impact of the donations that your supporters make.

2. Donor Appreciation for Recurring Donors

Recurring donors give at a consistent rate, usually on a monthly basis. These supporters don’t necessarily need to be stewarded towards additional gifts on a regular basis. Every now and then, you may want to approach them. However, on the whole, you should steward them to keep them interested in your organization and your mission.

The key thing to keep in mind here is to not fall into the “set it and forget it” trap with your recurring donors. They should never forget about your mission. If they do, when it’s time for them to rework their personal finances, you might lose your valuable recurring donor!

A good recurring donation program provides consistent funding for organizations and increases the retention rate. You don’t want to lose these supporters!

Instead, show appreciation for your recurring donors by not asking for money. Instead, find other ways to involve these supporters and to show your appreciation for them.

Event Invitations

Host events that simply provide a “thank you” to your supporters rather than asking them to contribute to your organization. These events may be a luncheon, happy hour, or another opportunity to have a good time.

In addition, events are a great way to mingle with your supporters and create lasting relationships and connections with them. The invite shows that you care and the opportunity to network with them builds up relationships. You can read more about appreciation events later in this article.

Volunteer Opportunities

Volunteering may not immediately sound like an appreciation idea, but hear us out! When you start a volunteer program, you give your supporters a chance for an up-close view of what your mission is accomplishing. While you can tell your recurring donors about their impact that they have on your mission, they’re more likely to develop a personal connection with your organization if they can see that impact as well.

Be sure to incorporate appreciation into the calls-to-action as you’re working with recurring donors to encourage them to volunteer. You might offer to meet after the volunteer experience for a happy hour or work appreciation into your recruitment messaging. For example, you might say, “Hugo, thank you so much for your gifts to Hope Rains, the campaign providing clean water to communities in need. If you want to meet those who have benefitted from your contributions, consider volunteering at this week’s water purifier assembly!”

Bonus! Your supporters who volunteer also may have the opportunity to increase their monetary contributions to your organization as well if they qualify for volunteer grants through their employer’s corporate responsibility program.

Program Updates and Communication

Just as your new donors want additional information about your mission as a whole, your recurring donors will want to know about the progress that your organization is making in the community. Be sure to communicate this progress clearly and consistently to your recurring donors.

Send email newsletters with updates about specific projects and post social media posts regarding the various activities your organization is involved with. Then, of course, be sure to say “thank you” to everyone who makes this progress possible. Be sure to keep in consistent contact with your recurring donors, always showing them their impact on the mission at hand. This lets them know where their money is going and allows you to give a specific “thank you” for their impact.

Thank You Letters

Do you have a leap of excitement when you check the mail and notice that there’s a letter in there for you that’s not a credit card or utility bill? We do too and so do your donors! Studies show that people also absorb and retain information better when they read it on paper than on a screen. This means that donor appreciation letters can make a splash for your supporters.

Write personalized letters that will capture your supporters’ attention. This shouldn’t replace an initial confirmation email or a digital thank you, but it does help solidify your strategy and provides another medium on which you’re showing your appreciation. To make sure these letters are personalized, leverage your donor segments and craft messages that each will find engaging. Then, ask your executive director or development officer to personally sign the letter.

Appreciation Gifts

If you’ve ever run a 5K for charity, you know that the most exciting part of the activity is receiving your free t-shirt at the end of the race. That t-shirt may even become your favorite one that you’ll wear until it has holes along the seams. You may not remember the exact amount that you paid for the race or your finishing time, but whenever you wear the shirt, you’re reminded of the organization and the mission you supported.

This is the reason appreciation gifts are so important and effective. While t-shirts are a classic option, they’re certainly not the only one. Branded merchandise and gifts of all shapes and sizes make for a great way to show your appreciation for your recurring supporters’ contributions. Plus, they’ll think of your mission each and every time they see the gift.

3. Donor Appreciation for Major Donors

Major donors make up the backbone of successful fundraising strategies. According to this article, $410 billion was given in philanthropy in 2017 and 49% of the funds donated were by the top 1% of donors. If that’s not enough, DonorSearch found that 88% of nonprofit funding usually comes from the top 12% of donors.

Because of this grand impact that your major donors have on your strategy, it makes sense that you should put a little bit more emphasis, time, and effort into appreciating them. The only thing better than a major gift now is another promised major gift in the future. Saying thank you is the first step to stewarding these supporters and cultivating additional contributions for the future.

Send Personalized Video Acknowledgements

According to GITNUX research, nonprofits that personalize communications see a 10-15% higher donor retention rate. Plus, statistics from NPSource show that about 57% of people who watch nonprofit videos go on to make a donation.

The takeaway here is crystal clear: personalized appreciation videos are a powerful tool for engaging donors more deeply in your mission and ensuring their long-term support.

Bloomerang makes creating personalized donor videos easy, with a simple three-step process:

1. Your fundraising team sees a special donation come in through the Bloomerang mobile app.
2. A fundraising team member or volunteer records a personalized video message to thank the supporter for their unique contribution.
3. The donor receives the video acknowledgement via email.

Your videos don’t have to be too long—a quick, 30-second to one-minute video that includes a genuine gratitude message from the sender is more than enough to make donors feel seen.

Send gratitude videos promptly (within 48 hours of the donor’s gift) to show supporters that your organization truly values them.

Publicly Highlight Major Supporters

While you’re bound to have some supporters who want to give anonymously, the majority of people appreciate being recognized for their contributions. Public recognition is a great way to give a shout-out to your most impactful supporters, plus it gives others a level to strive for.

You might decide to highlight a “donor of the month” on social media platforms or shout out to them at organization events so that you can give proper recognition to each of your major supporters who want this kind of attention. Be sure to check with them first before highlighting their story for the world to see. You could also highlight major donors in regular documents like your annual report. This allows you to tie the contributions made by these supporters directly to your success from the year.

Personalized Appreciation Letters

We mentioned that appreciation letters can be used for your recurring donors, but it’s also a great strategy to reach your major donors! While you may use segmentation strategies for your recurring or lower-level supporters to show appreciation, you should write completely individual letters for each of your major supporters.

You might decide to start with a thank you letter template to be sure you hit all of the important elements of this letter, but you should make sure the final version incorporates more personalized elements. For example, including information about your major donors’ motivations for giving is a great way to make a personalized connection with them.

Exclusive Event Opportunities

Again, events are a great way to get any of your supporters further involved with your organization and your mission. But major donors should have some preferential treatment given the level of their importance for your organization. Exclusive events allow your major donors to mingle with one another and with your team.

These events can be in conjunction with fundraising events (like galas), but it’s always good to have a healthy mix of both fundraising and stewardship events throughout the year. Therefore, make sure to include events in your regular schedule that will be exclusively available to your major supporters.

Gather Feedback and Insights 

Many of your major donors and stakeholders want some additional insight into your programming than you would typically give for your supporters. They also may want to give your organization additional feedback about your activities given the fact that they’re funding such a great portion of them.

Schedule meetings with your major donors and stakeholders to give them the opportunity to share their opinions about your organization’s current programming and activities. This gives you the opportunity to address any of their concerns, and it gives them the opportunity to also share their concerns and present new ideas for your team.

Donor Recognition Wall

Donor recognition walls are a classic idea to commemorate your major donors. Featuring their names on a physical or virtual wall allows you to share their involvement with the community, providing public recognition for their contributions.

Create an in-person donor recognition wall at your organization in a well-traveled location. This enables your supporters to see their own names on the wall as they pass by. Plus, other prospects and donors might see the names of major donors and feel incentivized to give in order to be recognized alongside them.

4. Donor appreciation event ideas

Earlier in the article, we’ve discussed the benefits of hosting donor appreciation events. The majority of events your supporters are invited to attend are likely fundraising-focused, meaning the hosting organization has an underlying motive to attain funds from the attendees. It often becomes an expectation for donors to give an additional donation during the event itself.

However, when you take a non-fundraising approach and don’t ask for money, you can focus solely on creating connections with your supporters and building on relationships. Essentially, events where you don’t ask for funds ensure the focus of the event is entirely on your supporters themselves, not their wallets.

At the core, these events are designed to build trust, respond to donors’ questions, and help demonstrate the alignment between your donors’ interests and your organization’s mission.

There are some inherent risks to these events. You might receive some backlash about hosting events that have no immediate return on investment. You also can’t host too many of these events; usually just one big one will do the trick! These events will give you some ideas for how you can raise more by not asking for donations at your next event.

Donor luncheon or dinners

Who doesn’t love free food? Donor luncheons and dinners provide the perfect space and opportunity to enjoy a good meal while networking with supporters, encouraging them to mingle with one another, and say thank you for all of their contributions.

You might put together a short presentation or have a speaker chosen to give a group-wide “thank you” for the contributions made to your organization over the year. Depending on your donor management software, this can be a breeze to set up or take some time. Be sure to also include updates about the nonprofit’s progress and impact of gifts to take this presentation further.

Virtual facility tour

Essentially, a lot of the ideas that you could use for your virtual (or in-person) fundraising ideas can be taken to the stewardship sphere if you host them for free. A facility tour is a perfect example! Many of your donors, especially those who started donating during the age of social distancing, may not have seen your office space and work sites before. Showing them where the magic happens is a great way to say “thank you.”

For instance, if you’ve just finished a capital campaign that would help expand your office space, you might record a virtual facility tour that supporters can see so that they know what the campaign accomplished.

Happy hour

Happy hours are a great virtual or in-person way to relax and get to know your supporters. For less formal organizations, you might ask your supporters to meet you at a local restaurant or bar for a happy hour. Or, if you’re a part of a larger or more formal organization, you could even rent out a nice spot for a happy hour to take place.

Make sure you provide conversation starters or topics that your supporters can use to mingle with one another. You should also make sure your major gift officer has the opportunity to talk to prospects during this time and get to know them on a personal level. Similar to the luncheon or dinner idea, you might decide to host a short speech during which you can give a blanket “thank you” to all supporters who contributed.

Holiday celebrations

The holidays are an ideal time to show your appreciation for your supporters. Many holidays have gratitude and appreciation at their core, making it a great time to bring everyone together, celebrate, and show your appreciation for donors. Plus, this provides a memorable experience that you can use as a launching pad for an annual celebration.

The classic idea is to host a winter holiday celebration where you can celebrate the end of the year with your supporters. The only problem with this is that focusing on stewardship could collide with or overshadow your end-of-year fundraising season, potentially causing you to miss out on year-end donations. Instead, you might choose a different holiday season like a Spring fling, Independence Day, or Valentine’s Day to center your event around.

5. Donor appreciation gifts ideas

Who doesn’t love receiving a present? Donor appreciation gifts provide a platform to say thank you to donors at all levels. You might even decide to provide different types of merchandise or gifts for each level of supporter at your organization.

Sending gifts makes supporters feel appreciated. Plus, you can receive additional benefits from this type of appreciation strategy. When merchandise is branded to your organization, your supporters will think of your mission every time they see the merch or use items from a goodie bag. Educational materials can provide additional information about your mission, making it a great way to connect with donors while also informing them further about your organization.

Branded merchandise

Branded merchandise provides two different benefits for your organization. First, it provides a tangible item to show your appreciation for everything your supporters do for you. Second, it serves as a reminder of your organization and your mission over the months or even years.

The classic merchandise items include things like t-shirts and mugs, but you can also get incredibly creative with this idea and design anything related to your organization or your mission as a whole. For example, if you work to provide technology to schools, you might brand a power bank with your organization’s logo and with your dedicated color scheme.

Books or educational materials

Educational materials are a meaningful way to give supporters an inside look at your organization’s activities and the reason for your mission. Plus, they make a great donor appreciation gift!

Let’s say there was a particular book that influenced your leadership to launch your organization; try giving that book out to your supporters! You might even try to host an event with the book’s author if you really want to go the extra mile.

Baskets and goodie bags

When you put together branded merchandise, you’re likely going to have a number of different items to give away or sell. You may even have a number of different designs for your various campaigns. For supporters who go above and beyond, you can put together baskets and goodie bags of these items for them to enjoy.

You might even host little giveaways that all of your supporters are automatically entered into with a number of themed baskets or giveaways. This will not only show your appreciation but also provide additional incentives to give!

Coupons and discounts

You likely host a number of activities, events, and maybe even conferences that your supporters are invited to attend. And chances are that many of these opportunities aren’t free. As a sign of appreciation for those who donate to specific campaigns or above certain amounts, try offering coupons or discounts.

Again, this is an incentives program that provides a token of appreciation for supporters who contribute. For example, you might provide a discount to your annual holiday party registration for everyone who donates to your year-end campaign.

Wrapping up donor appreciation

Donor appreciation is the launching pad for stewardship and retention. It’s the first step to building lasting relationships with your supporters. Therefore, be sure to put together a concrete strategy of your own to say “thank you” to each of your donors.

You can use the various ideas and appreciation approaches throughout this guide to help design your strategy and ensure it’s up to scratch.

If you’re looking for additional advice for building relationships with supporters, consider perusing the various resources below:

• Nonprofit CRM | Complete Guide to Choosing the Best Solution. See how having the best CRM to meet your specific needs results in better relationships with donors.
• Bloomerang’s Guide to Donor Retention. Learn more about donor retention and the impact that it has on your fundraising efforts as a whole.
• Nonprofit Annual Reports [+ Template!]. See how you can create your annual report to best steward your supporters, plus check out some awesome examples to get started.

The post Donor appreciation: creating a strategy & 22+ ideas appeared first on Bloomerang.

Dear Charity Clairity, 

There has been some concern about the fact we have our $1,000+ donors listed on our website. My gut tells me our mid-level and legacy society donors would not generally be upset if we were to take the listings down; in fact, I think most of them don’t even know they exist. I’ve always been bothered by the fact we had defaulted to listing people (a recipe for disaster). It was something I always wanted to remedy/clean up, but just hadn’t gotten around to. And I have only gotten one complaint about it in two years.

While my manager and I would both recommend discontinuing the practice, this feels more like a judgment call than a best practices thing. I’d like to have some expert logic to point to, since it’s possible there may be a completely different perception we’re not considering.

— To Publish or Not to Publish?

Dear To Publish or Not to Publish,

That is the question! No doubt one many others have as well. So, thank you!

As you intuit, there is no one right way to approach donor listings. But, there are considerations that will apply to all nonprofits.

I like to approach conundrums like this one with a mini-SWOT analysis. It’s a version of a pro/con analysis, but better because it takes into account threats (bad things that might happen if you do/do not list publicly) and opportunities (good things you’ll potentially miss out on), depending on your course of action.

Just to refresh, here’s what a SWOT analysis can look like:

You’ll want to begin with internal factors over which you have control. Any of these can be a strength or a weakness (sometimes both), depending on your organization’s experience and resources. For example:

• Our listings are always/mostly/seldom accurate.
• The time and care required to develop our listings is manageable/not manageable.
• People give larger gifts to receive public recognition.
• People complain about perceptions of exclusivity.
• People complain about lack of privacy.
• Mistakes in listings lead to ill will and decreased future giving.
• … what else would you add based on what you know about your experience?

Next look at external factors. Might you have opportunities to grow your fundraising through public donor listings? If you don’t list names, might you lose out on larger gifts? How do you know? Are you basing your decision-making on gut feeling, past experience, third-party anecdote, first-hand accounts or research? You might consider:

• Targeted campaign: If you think people might give more if you actively promoted giving at certain levels in return for recognition, that’s different than finding out for yourself that this worked after doing a campaign.
• A/B test: Better than assuming why a campaign succeeded or failed would be to proactively launch an A/B campaign where randomly half your donors receive a “recognition in return for $1,000+ gift” message and half receive a simple ask with no indication gifts of $1,000+ will be specially recognized.
• Survey: Another route would be anonymously surveying donors and asking questions like:

• • “How would you prefer to be acknowledged for your donation?” 

• • “On a scale of 1-5, how important is it to you to receive public recognition for your gift?” 

• • “Which of the following recognition methods would you be most interested in (with options like event program; annual report; website)?” 

• Experience: As you mention, you’ve had only one complaint in two years. That could be a good enough reason to forego the hassle of preparing the listing. Especially if it opens up that time for more high-yielding fundraising and donor retention activities.

What should you do?

A lot depends on your culture and who your donors are. Do you all appreciate setting an egalitarian tone (in which case, listing folks based on how much they give might be frowned upon). Or do you find major gift philanthropy is boosted when you promote and list gifts at leadership giving levels?

Bottom Line:

• In my experience, I’ve had many donors make larger gifts so they could receive public recognition.  Not everyone cares, but plenty do. And I’m totally fine with that!
• Also in my experience, I worked at a nonprofit where it took a full two months of multiple staff painstakingly reviewing names to assure we got everything right (I think that’s where your “recipe for disaster” comment comes in). And we still made mistakes. So, one year, we simply stopped listing anyone under $1,500. It took a lot less time, and… no one said a word. So, that became our new standard operating procedure. Should it have been? Maybe. Maybe not. You see, we didn’t explore running a targeted campaign to see if people would give more (or less) based on the opportunity (or threat?) of being publicly recognized. Nor did we survey donors to ask them what they wanted (maybe some $500 donors who weren’t listed simply kept quiet but stopped giving). Nor did we deliberately substitute the time we saved with another more productive strategy. We simply relaxed a little (which wouldn’t be a bad thing if we consciously decided upon that as an objective).

Alas, there’s no one-size-fits-all answer to your question. To be sure what works for you requires more evidence. Or at least a thoughtful evaluation of the evidence you already have.

Whether you publish or not, I hope you find a recipe for success!

— Charity Clairity (Please use a pseudonym if you prefer to be anonymous when you submit your own question, like “To Publish or Not to Publish” did.)

Does your organization use public donor listings? Let us know in the comments. 

The post [ASK AN EXPERT] What Are The Pros And Cons Of Public Donor Listings? appeared first on Bloomerang.