One of the most difficult situations that nonprofit organizations find themselves in is soliciting donations and finding ways to thank them without breaking the bank. It is so important to show that you value the donations that donors give to you because if you do, they will continue to support you. The good news is that your gifts do not need to be extravagant or take a ton of time to create. However, spending a little time and effort to thank donors for their support will create a stronger connection with them. Here are four cost-efficient and thoughtful ways that organizations can show that they value their donations and that they appreciate the support they provide.

1. Give your donors hand-written notes that you personally send to them. People always appreciate having hand-written notes that express their gratitude for their financial support. We are not referring to the kind of notes that are just printed on boring white paper and sent to everyone. Personalized notes that are sent to donors that are directly thanking them for their support are the perfect way to show that you appreciate them. Some people even prefer receiving a handwritten thank you note to sending a mass email or text message thank you to people. Email, text messages, and voicemails are not even close to saying thank you to your donors through a letter. It is easy to create a nicely-written thank you message for donors that you work with, and post it for a very low price. People love to receive notes that say something nice to them, and that is exactly what you need to do to help them feel appreciated.
2. Use social media to praise donors who have supported your cause. Publicly acknowledging donors by spotlighting them on social media is a great way to show that you care about your donors. An added benefit to posting about specific donors on social media is the ability for donors to share this on their own profiles and expand the reach of your organization to potentially get more support. Posting images or short videos thanking certain donors specifically is a surefire way to make your donor feel special.
3. Call or send cards to celebrate milestones (anniversaries, birthdays, etc). One of the perks of having a robust donor management system is the ability to store important information about your donors. Be sure to document important milestones in his or her life, such as birthdays or anniversaries in a donor management system like MyDonors. Some charities even give donors a special thank you on the anniversary of the first donation they ever gave to their organization. If you have a well-designed and well-managed database of donors, you are able to develop a system for celebrating milestones and anniversaries. Then, spend time checking in with big supporters to see when they are upcoming events like weddings, engagements, and births. If someone is celebrating a significant life event, thank him or her personally by calling him or sending a handwritten card or a gift.
4. Give a gift to your donors by sending them a cherished photo as a thank you for their support. If donors donate to a charity that builds a home or supports another worthy cause, we send them a wonderful, one-of-a-kind framed picture to show that the donation was appreciated. It is a really easy way to say a thoughtful thanks to donors who give to you or to projects that you support. Some nonprofits create beautiful, framed photos of people who have supported their work, which include thank you statements and statistics. Supporters greatly value receiving tangible gifts that show the world how much their donations have impacted others. Donors appreciate receiving photos to show where the money has gone. Let them know how much they are appreciated by your donors by sending them notes, photos, statistics, or telling them a story about how much they have affected someone.

Celebrating donors is so vital to fostering growth in your donor base. Take this list and begin to implement it and find unique ways to show that you cherish those who make your organization run.

MyCommunity exists to build relationships and tools that equip organizations so that they can maximize their impact. Our suite of tools is designed to help organizations of all sizes focus on their mission without worrying about the logistics. We understand the importance of building strong relationships, so we provide the necessary tools to maximize impact and make a difference like our easy-to-use platforms MyDonors and MyVolunteers. Likewise, MyNonprofitCoach equips nonprofits with the training they need to be successful. Schedule a demo for any of our solutions here.

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Source: https://www.soapboxengage.com/blog/1809-6-cost-effective-and-creative-donor-thank-you-gifts