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You are here: Home / Blog / Say thank you better: here are 16 ways

Say thank you better: here are 16 ways

Say thanks

Why don’t more nonprofits say thank you better?

It shouldn’t be hard to send a great gift acknowledgment. A sincere, emotional, meaningful thanks is a critical step in donor relations.

And it’s also just plain polite.

Secure a gift then flub the thanks and you may have seen the last of that donor. Saying thank you well matters!

That’s why I chose the topic for this month’s Nonprofit Blog Carnival. And I’m thrilled to bring you some of the best ideas all in one place.

Ready for some gratitude? Dig in!

  1. My friend Dennis Fischman offers the Ideal Thank You Letter with a great checklist for you of what to include.
  2. Feeling stuck? Get started with Pamela Grow’s Donation Thank You Letter Template. And Pam has also shared some great examples of email thank you letters: You can never thank too much and Best nonprofit email thank you.
  3. Janna Finch reminds us retention is about impact and gratitude: How to Turn One-Time Donors Into Repeat Donors.
  4. So, how much attention do you pay to matching gift donations? How about thanking donors who go to the trouble? Mason Rainey writes that The Key to Repeat Matching Gifts is Acknowledgement.
  5. And this is so important – especially for those of you with a less-than-enthusiastic board when it comes to fundraising. Amy Eisenstein shows us how to turn board members into a thank you army with The Simplest Way to Get Your Board Members to Help with Fundraising.
  6. We’re often focused on donors, but how much thought have you given to your volunteers? Lacey Helmig, Communications and Media Coordinator, Youth Volunteer Corps, shares 10 Ways to Thank Youth Volunteers.
  7. Want to be sure you do something well? You have to have a plan! So Ann Green offers Why You Need A Thank You Plan.
  8. Shanon Doolittle knows her way around donor love! Donor, I Just Called To Say I Love You.
  9. Are your middle donors feeling forgotten? Leslie Allen shares Inspiring Your Middle Donor with Major Thanks to help you make sure they feel recognized.
  10. Joanne Fritz always has great advice. She offers two for you about thanking donors: 5 Thank You Letters Donors Will Love and Donors and Volunteers Love a Handwritten Thank You. (I couldn’t agree more with that!)
  11. And Julia Campbell reminds us that time is also a gift – and that it’s not all about the Benjamins – in her piece, Nonprofit giving is about more than just money.
  12. My friend Beth Ann Locke is really good at saying thank you. And she’s put her best posts together for you in Appreciation, Gratitude, and Thanks. Enjoy!
  13. Looking for some ideas that are a little more creative? Randy Hawthorne at NonProfit Hub has got some good ones – and all very doable! Six Ways to Give Big Thanks to Big Donors.
  14. So, how often do you think “What can we do to delight our donors today?” If you can create more of an organization-wide gratitude culture you’ll also improve donor retention by leaps and bounds. Claire Axelrad suggests five ways for everyone in your organization to come together to thank your donors: 5 Ways to Revolutionize Your Nonprofit Culture to Stop Losing Donors.
  15. Lori Jacobwith shares her ideas to build on your donor relationships: Donor Thank You’s: 5 Simple Things to Do to Cause Deeper Engagement With Your Supporters.
  16. And when the subject is thank you, Lisa Sargent is a must. And she came through with these riches for you: How to write a better thank-you letter and why it matters, on the wonderful Pamela Grow’s site, How hopeFound says Thank you and Sample thank-you letters for you to swipe, before and after (on SOFII). She also shares the following to help you with a tricky type of thank you (both on SOFII as well): In lieu of flowers and Sample In-Memoriam thank-you letters.
Nonprofit Blog Carnival

Photo credit: Hello Goodbye

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Filed Under: Blog, Thanks Tagged With: donor love, email thank you, thank you letter 17 Comments

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  1. Why You Need a Thank You Plan | Ann Green's Nonprofit Blog says:
    September 28, 2015 at 2:25 pm

    […] This post is included in 16+ ways to say thank you better: September 2015 Nonprofit Blog Carnival […]

    Reply
  2. October Nonprofit Blog Carnival Call for Submissions: Tricks or Treats – How Do You Get and Sustain Major Gifts? - Clairification says:
    September 29, 2015 at 2:42 am

    […] nonprofits and experts around the web. (Get in the SPIRIT with September’s Carnival, “15 Ways to Say Thank You Better“, hosted by Mary […]

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  3. Clairity Click-it: Major Gifts Edition - Clairification says:
    October 2, 2015 at 2:41 am

    […] receive the monthly curated collections, please click on this link. And be sure to check out the September Nonprofit Blog Carnival: 16+ Ways to Say Thank You Better hosted by Mary […]

    Reply
  4. Mixed Links for Nonprofit Marketers | Kivi's Nonprofit Communications Blog says:
    October 9, 2015 at 1:30 pm

    […] The Nonprofit Blog Carnival for September is up. This theme was how to say thanks. […]

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  5. How to write a thank you letter when you feel stuck – Hands-On Fundraising says:
    December 1, 2015 at 11:50 am

    […] September’s Nonprofit Blog Carnival gave you links to great articles on thanking your donors. […]

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  6. How to create something they will treasure – Hands-On Fundraising says:
    January 12, 2016 at 11:48 am

    […] 16+ ways to say thank you better: September Nonprofit Blog Carnival […]

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  7. Is your annual report a vanity piece or a hard worker? – Hands-On Fundraising says:
    October 14, 2017 at 9:14 pm

    […] Credit is one thing – and important. But don’t forget to say thank you as well. […]

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  8. Donor love means knowing how to say thank you – Hands-On Fundraising says:
    March 13, 2018 at 11:49 am

    […] few weeks ago, I summarized how to say thank you. There’s more great information here from some very smart […]

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  9. How Nonprofits Can Stand Out During the Crowded Giving Season - Good360 says:
    March 19, 2018 at 3:17 am

    […] More tips: 16 Ways to Say Thank You Better […]

    Reply
  10. 6 big mistakes small organizations make with fundraising | Wikifund says:
    August 10, 2018 at 4:48 am

    […] Thanks are an area where even the smallest organizations can shine. Only 100 donors? Great! You can hand-write those thanks. You can pick up the phone and call them. Those donors can feel like they mean the world to your organization. […]

    Reply
  11. How Nonprofits Can Stand Out During the Crowded Giving Season - Good360 says:
    May 21, 2019 at 2:39 pm

    […] More tips: 16 Ways to Say Thank You Better […]

    Reply
  12. Fundraising Tuesday: What Can We Do in Just One Month? - Communicate! says:
    October 29, 2019 at 7:21 am

    […] as many ways to say thank you as you’re sure your nonprofit can do […]

    Reply
  13. 6 big mistakes small organizations make with fundraising ⋆ Hands-On Fundraising says:
    April 24, 2020 at 1:59 pm

    […] Thanks are an area where even the smallest organizations can shine. Only 100 donors? Great! You can hand-write those thanks. You can pick up the phone and call them. Those donors can feel like they mean the world to your organization. […]

    Reply
  14. TY Thursday: Welcome New Donors - Communicate! says:
    May 6, 2021 at 7:21 am

    […] if you thank her in multiple ways, she will know why she gave. And one of the best ways to say thank you is to recognize a first-time […]

    Reply
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    July 29, 2021 at 11:43 pm

    Suitprint Letreros Luminosos En Playa Del Carmen

    16+ ways to say thank you better: September Nonprofit Blog Carnival ⋆ Hands-On Fundraising

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  16. How to take your nonprofit's annual report from chore to score says:
    November 22, 2021 at 12:42 pm

    […] is one thing – and important. But don’t forget to say thank you as well. We know donors will look for their names. So it may be important to them that you do a list. But […]

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  17. 5 ways to win back your lapsed donors ⋆ Hands-On Fundraising says:
    March 25, 2022 at 3:48 pm

    […] donors – emotionally, promptly and personally. Need some help with that? Read here, and here and here. Or check out the Thank You Letter Clinic on SOFII from Lisa […]

    Reply

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