An example of greatness in donor appreciation and recognition

Last week Jeff Brooks reminded his readers how to write an effective thank you to your excellent donors. In order to “thank your donors so they really feel thanked” you need to know the following three things about your donor:

? Who is the Donor? (Show that you know who they are and what they did.)
? Which Campaign or Program Did They Give to? (Thank them for the specific thing they gave to. Finish the story you started when you asked.)
? How Will You Turn Their Gift Into Impact? (Make it clear: Their money is doing something great!)

He echoed the message from the Contant Contact Blog, and I want to echo it again, and add a great example that I came across some time ago.

Last year my cousin courageously ran the Amsterdam half marathon for charity. The foundation “Together is not alone” (Samen is niet alleen) for which he raised money is a small local charity that aims to support people in troubling situations mainly due to poverty. My cousin asked me to support his fundraising endeavour and obviously I donated.

Almost 4 months later I received an email with the subject “Spending marathon”. I opened it and this is what it said:

Dear all,

It’s been a couple of months since the half marathon and you must be curious what happened with your donation.

Here’s a list of children who can participate in out-of-school activities thanks to you.

– Bridget, 15 years. She is taking guitar lessons. Partly paid by the Youth Culture Fund and partly by you!
– Ilias, 8 years. Lives with his father in Amsterdam North. Is doing kickboxing now. The Youth Culture Fund is paying the fees. You are paying the clothing and attributes.
– Sofia, 15 years. She lives with her mother and 3 sisters in Amsterdam South. She is taking dance lessons with Dance-Dancing thanks to you!
– Iijah, 4 years. He’s too young to qualify for support from the Youth Culture Fund. He’s taking dance lessons with Da Moves and is very excited. When he’s older he wants to appear on ‘So you think you can dance’!
–  ... ... ...

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