This is the best thank you note I’ve ever gotten. I’m a monthly donor for HOPE Inc, (Helping Other People be Empowered) http://hopbe.org, and it is written by a participant. It made me stay a donor to them.
What makes it special?
First of all, read it. It says,
“I pray this note finds you in your heart. I would like to thank you for all that you have done for me. Your giving and support has helped keep a roof over our heads. We faced eviction at least five times. I was a single father of two, working full time and going to school. I didn’t give up and it was because of beautiful souls like yourself who bless people. You blessed my family beyond measures.
Happy Holidays
Vaslon”
What makes this thank you note the best?
- Handwritten, but it’s not JUST that.
- I could feel the emotions on the page. It was really written by someone they helped.
- The way it starts just felt so real to me. He wanted to touch my heart, and he wanted to let me know what my donation meant to him.
- Hearing how he had struggled touched me. My donation is not that large, but getting this thank you note, I felt like they were so grateful that I would like to give more.
- I’ve gotten a thank you note from another participant at this nonprofit but this one had no canned language. It was straight from the heart.
What was on the other side of the card? It just says “YOU GIVE HOPE, thank you so much!” But it wouldn’t matter to me if the rest of the card was blank. That’s how powerful this thank you is.
I was a monthly donor to another nonprofit and the only time I heard from them this year was when I changed my credit card and it didn’t work. Once they got a fundraising person I didn’t even hear from the executive director anymore. He and I used to talk all the time and I would give him free fundraising advice. But then, aside from a mass invite to their fundraising gala, I never heard from him. So I stopped giving to them and started giving to a different nonprofit that kept in better touch with me.
What can you learn from this?
- A handwritten thank you note means a LOT to your monthly donors. I am proof.
- A fancy thank you note doesn’t make donors give more. It’s what’s on the inside that counts.
- Your donors really want to hear from you, and they expect YOU to reach out to them.
- If there’s a way for you to get a participant to write a note to your donors, you can be sure that they will treasure it.
- Consider when your donor stops giving to you, they don’t stop giving in general. They just go somewhere else. Probably because they didn’t hear from you except when you wanted money.
When you’re considering making a year end gift, consider HOPE Inc.
Why give to HOPE Inc? Where does the money go?
- They help single parents finish college in one of the most economically depressed areas of the country (Georgia)
- It’s harder for people to rise up out of poverty in Georgia than just about anywhere. You’ll be giving where it is needed the most.
- When parents get college degrees, their children have a higher quality of life.
- When you’re living at the edge of poverty, the inability to buy books or pay one semester’s tuition can mean you delay college for years, possibly forever. HOPE Inc helps parents buy books, rent, tuition, groceries, even furniture if they are transitioning out of homelessness.
- HOPE Inc also helps single parents learn how to budget and take better care of their finances. By educating parents about how to handle money, they help ensure parents stay financially fit and stop the cycle of poverty.
- HOPE Inc also helps single parents get internships that lead to jobs after they finish college.
- When you help a single parent finish college by giving to HOPE Inc, you help stop the cycle of poverty.
- HOPE Inc. loves their donors, and you will feel truly thanked.
