Donors want to know that the organizations they donate to both receive and appreciate their gifts.
With so much data available on donors and so much technology allowing fundraisers to track how donors first gave, how much they’ve given, what they’ve responded to, and what prompted them to give when they did, it’s not acceptable to ignore this data when recognizing donors.
It makes perfect sense to use donor data in the content of acknowledgements and stay away from generic thank yous.
Does everyone in your donor data file get the same message? They shouldn’t. Each message should be customized to the particular donor. The more data embedded in the thank you, the more personal and direct the link will be between the donor and your nonprofit. For example, if a donor donates to a campaign to help a specific country or illness, make reference to that in your acknowledgement instead of just thanking the donor for his/her $20 gift. In other words, the more personal the acknowledgement, the more appreciated the donor will feel, which greatly increases the likelihood of that donor remaining loyal.
How do you personalize your acknowledgements. Please share your knowledge and successes.