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Strong relationships with donors and volunteers are like a bridge for when the river rages.
As a fundraiser, you are paid to be grateful–kind of strange when you think about it.
Recently Erik Anderson, Founder & President, The Healthy Non-Profit LLC, blogged about what he experienced shortly before Thanksgiving:
Over the last few days, I have been bombarded with stewardship emails, eBlasts, snail-mail, social media posts, text messages, and thank-a-thon calls from various charities and non-profit friends.
If you go back and look at my blog archive, you can see that I am a HUGE fan of these kind (sic) of activities. However, I can’t seem to get this one simple thought out of my head this year:
Are we just going through the motions?
Are we conveying heartfelt thanks this way?
When you are paid to be grateful, it’s easy to slip into going through the motions.
Earlier this week I did a podcast for Green Light Fundraising Club members, A Deep Dive into Gratitude: Bonding with Donors and Volunteers. I covered the types of activities Erik described above and many more. So his questions hit home.
Recently I read about a donor who was giving a charity $500 a month and the donor received exactly the same thank you letter three months in a row with only the date changed. That’s going through the motions. Not exactly heartfelt.
Eric recommends charities ask the question: “Is this how I would engage a member of my family?”
His question about family reminded me of a recent interaction I had with my youngest sister.
A few years ago my mother died and I told my father that I would like to lead his funeral when it came time. I offered to lead his funeral as a gift to him and to my nine brothers and sisters.
He died ten days before Thanksgiving. He was 88.
The weekend before Thanksgiving I led a family story-telling time following the visitation. Then the next day I led his funeral and burial.
Honoring my father by leading his funeral was an emotional task and, by God’s grace, I was able to do it. My siblings expressed the gratitude to me after the visitation, funeral and burial.
I have a habit of posting on Facebook a brief statement I call “note to self.” The day after the funeral I posted, “Note to self: A funeral does not end the grief but gathers the mourners for stories & strength for the long journey.”
Several friends and family members posted comments in response to my note. My youngest sister wrote, “Very true Rich. I thanked you several times for doing such a great job at the visitation and the funeral. I just want to tell you that I think you absolutely rock. And I love you.”
In the quiet of our motel room, her kind words helped me weep as I grieved my Dad in a way I couldn’t while leading.
You never know when your thank you is going to be deeply moving to a donor or a volunteer. That’s why you want to thank your donors several times and several ways.
Wisdom for the week: Gratitude builds strong relationships like a bridge for when the waters rage.
Photo: Bridge at Arthur’s Point by anthonycramp. Used by permission through Creative Commons.