Saying ‘thank you’ is a fundraiser’s greatest superpower

Less than 20% of organisations effectively thank donors for their gifts. It’s appalling. But I don’t want to dwell on that. Decades in this business have taught me that a generous spirit generates more generosity.

I’ve done some basic research into my own giving over the past two years. Thankfully my partner supports my philanthropic tendencies, since all those small donations do add up, but they have provided some data I can use. When I looked at my 133 donations to 34 Australian organisations, I found that just four organisations (12%) maintained what I would describe as excellent engagement. Of the rest:

• 68% sent me no emails at all
• 15% sent me a single great “thank you”, but nothing since
• 6% issued some weak communication, either asking me for more money or telling me about their AGM.

It simply reinforces what we’ve been saying at GiveNow for the past 20 years. When someone donates to a cause, they’ve reached into their pockets and thought carefully about your organisation for at least five minutes. They’ve handed you a warm lead and shown they are willing to believe in your mission.

I realise there are some charities that bombard potential leads with an unwanted truckload of emails, socials and mail stuffed in the letterbox. But the 85 to 90% of organisations that say nothing are the real sinners.

One of my favourite causes is Defence Community Dogs, which has a great fundraising program and touching campaigns and goes to great efforts to thank its supporter base. Not surprisingly, it has one of the highest donor retention rates in the land.