A friendly reminder for non-profits…
Don’t lose sight of appreciating each donor that gives to your organization. Thank them regularly and honor them by showing them the impact of their participation. It doesn’t matter if they give $5 or $5 million. Never categorize them into one massive group and forget that there are individual stories as to why they each got involved. I know it’s easy to forget this in the day-to-day activities of running an organization. When I worked in non-profit years ago, I definitely lost sight of this from time to time.
Organizations that get this will have a far greater growth potential than organizations that are “too busy” to pay attention to its donors. I know this is a lot of work, but it fuels the work in the field and leads to even greater impact.
I appreciate organizations that our family supports that do this so well. I’m so impressed by their commitment to include us in their narrative. They definitely make us feel that we play a role (even when its very small) in their ability to make an impact. It’s probably why we continue to support these great organizations. This is not about kissing up to a donor or prepping them for another ask but more about showing gratitude for participation and most importantly, celebrating collective impact which further fuels participation.
I’m not an expert in donor relationships or science, but I have a feeling that actively engaging donors might be a good idea. Just a passing thought…