One thank you too far….
Howard Lake | 5 August 2010 | Blogs
Recently I have received thank you letters by two charities I don’t support. Amazing – I haven’t given them a penny and they have managed to make me feel good about my generous nature.
But, let me explain. One is a letter from a large international relief and development charity which is thanking me for my support in such general terms that it could be a letter from any charity. ‘We are very grateful for your support. Together we have fought poverty, etc.’ The other letter is from a small youth charity – I helped them write a fundraising appeal last year and now I have got a letter saying ‘Thank you for your support. We raised £xxx through our latest appeal which exceeded our expectations.’ It is clear that this is a letter to all their contacts in their database though … not just me as their consultant.
I know I have not donated to these charities – so, why am I being thanked for support I have not given? I can accept the fact that the small charity has a lot to learn about donor segmentation etc.. but, imagine thousands of people receiving a thank you letter from the international development charity that makes them feel good about the giving they have not done.
One thing I had done though was participate in facebook campaings on behalf of the international development charity – but the only good deed on behalf of that charity had gone unacknowledged. I guess the social media guys are not in talking terms with the donor relations ladies…
Both charities have missed the opportunity to write to their non-givers (like me) a letter that said …we know you care otherwise why would you be in our mailing list… today you have a chance to right the wrongs of poverty/ or to help young people by making your first gift.
Fundraising lessons from this situation:
1. Take time to evaluate your segmentation procedures and packages that go out with your newsletters or updates… what are you sending out to different donor groups? Why? What are you seeking in return?
2. Evaluate your thank you letters or other general mailing packages. Are they old and tired and generalistic? Are you or your charity’s CEO signing things off that don’t sound at all like you or them? Authentic communications win the day.
3. Get rid of the silo mentality – get people within each team and from different departments to work more closely and purposefully together.
Redina Kolaneci
Senior Fundraising & Stewardship Consultant
McConkey-Johnston international UK
w: www.mcconkey-johnston.co.uk
About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale.
He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.