KNOWING HOW TO SAY THANK YOU WITH EXCELLENCE SETS YOUR ORGANIZATION APART FROM THE PACK

When my daughter was young, a family friend gave her a birthday present. She was so excited to open her gift. She was expecting a toy, but it was some piece of clothing. Her disappointment was palpable. A very visibly disappointed child, the last thing on her mind was "thank you."

After some prompting, she did say "thank you" for the gift, but we all knew she wasn't really thankful. She had said what she was supposed to say, but it lacked something, and we all knew it.

I find that nonprofits do the same thing all the time. If you give to their organization, you may receive an automated thank you or a cold card that can even be handwritten. "There, now," they may think, "the thank-you has been said; mission accomplished." Right?

Uhmmm. No.

Not long ago, I became acquainted with a precious and gifted pastor. We engaged in a great conversation about our careers. I explained that I teach organizations to say 'thank you' excellently and how it increases their income. He was intrigued.

I gave him a bold challenge. I told him that I would be attending his church for the first time the coming weekend. I also told him that I would be putting in a personal gift during their giving time.

Now, here was my challenge. "If your church is like most, I will give my gift, and no one will acknowledge my gift in any way."

I went on to say that if that happened, "I promise, I will never give to your church again!"

What happened? Well, let's just say I can't give to his church again without breaking my promise!

National studies tell us that the number one reason donors cite for giving less and even stopping their giving to an organization is that they feel that their giving is not appreciated.

The Bank of America studied why very wealthy donors stop giving: They no longer feel connected.

The "father" of fundraising, Adrian Sargeant, says the most significant reason organizations don't say thank you well is "the difficulty in convincing them to invest in thank-you's." THEY DON'T THINK IT'S THAT IMPORTANT.

WHAT?????

CHURCHES AND NONPROFITS DON'T THINK SAYING THANK YOU IS THAT IMPORTANT.

Nonprofit leaders don't think saying thank you is that important.

Pastors don't think saying thank you is that important.

Nonprofit boards don't think saying thank you excellently is that important.

WHAT? ARE YOU KIDDING ME? When, as a child, someone gave me a gift, my mom was close by and would prompt me with, "What do you say?" THANK YOU. SAYING THANK YOU WAS NOT OPTIONAL IN OUR FAMILY!

Why does an excellently said "thank-you" mean so much? Lisa Sargent says: "A well-done thank-you forges an instant connection. It tells your donors, loud and clear: 'You matter to us...and your gift makes a difference."

Trust me when I tell you, KNOWING HOW TO SAY THANK YOU EXCELLENTLY SETS YOUR CHURCH OR NONPROFIT APART FROM THE PACK.

Invest in saying thank you excellently in your newsletters.

Study how to say thank you excellently in your thank you notes.

Explore how to set up systems to say thank you well.

As a board member, explore the protocol for welcoming and thanking first-time donors.

As a nonprofit leader, involve your board in thanking first-time donors.

KNOWING HOW TO SAY THANK YOU EXCELLENTLY SETS YOUR CHURCH OR NONPROFIT APART FROM THE PACK.

Selah; pause and think about how excellently your organization says thank you.

For many years, I have collected great thank-you's. I have personally studied what makes a thank-you moving or boring.

Using what I have learned, I created a cheat sheet with copies and examples of some great thank-you's.

You can download it for free, with no strings attached.

Refuse to remain naïve about the power of great thank-you's. Get my free gift to you, "Getting That Elusive Second Gift By Writing Better Thank You's!" and start down the path to getting your organization the money it needs!

David