Major Gift Gratitude – It Feels So Good to Say Thank You contains 10 insights from nonprofit veteran Jim Eskin when saying “Thank You” for a financial investment. Here’s what Eskin has to share:
If there’s one thing that professional and volunteer non-profit leaders — especially fundraisers — should relish doing, it’s saying thanks — genuinely, passionately and profusely. If they don’t, I seriously believe they’re in the wrong business.
This is another shining example in the art and science of fundraising, where doing the right thing is also doing the smart thing.
Start with this reality: It’s terribly challenging to be a donor. Even the wealthiest can’t afford to fund all the requests they receive. They need to make difficult choices, not between the good and the bad, but between the good and the good.
Fundraisers should fully appreciate that donors are placing a high level of trust in them when they voluntarily contribute the precious gifts of time and money.
Being in the non-profit sector over four different decades, I know that wonderful “high” provided by thanking donors for their gifts. It feels great to do so.
Here’s the best part: It doesn’t take a lot of money and other resources to do it well. The overwhelming majority of our nation’s 1.5 million non-profits that are small or mid-size at best are equipped to do an excellent job. It just takes sincerity, an honest heart, and commitment.
This being the season for giving thanks, here are 10 insights I like to share with professional and volunteer fundraisers about acknowledging and thanking donors for their generosity:
As I noted in the beginning, in the fundraising world, the right thing to do is typically the smart thing to do. Non-profits shouldn’t implement robust stewardship activities because there is a strong return on the investment. But there is no doubt that there will be handsome dividends. The most handsome dividend being simply how good it feels to say the two golden words: Thank You!
The late poet Maya Angelou said: “People won’t remember what you said, or even what you did, but they will never forget how you made them feel.” Our job in stewardship is making donors feel like the most important people in the world to us!
Major Gift Gratitude – It Feels So Good to Say Thank You was first posted at National Development Institute
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Jim Eskin’s consulting practice, Eskin Fundraising Training builds on the success of his more than 150 fundraising workshops and webinars and provides the training, coaching and support services that non-profits need to compete for and secure major gifts. He has authored 100 guest columns that have appeared in daily newspapers, business journals and blogs across the country, and publishes Stratagems, a monthly e-newsletter exploring timely issues and trends in philanthropy. Sign up here for a free subscription. He is author of 10 Simple Fundraising Lessons, which can be purchased here.