Saying thank you… at the right time… is so important
Howard Lake | 19 November 2018 | Blogs
Thank you: two small words that, put together, are one of the most important messages a charity can share with its supporters.
Not only does saying thank you show you value them, but it can make all the difference when nurturing supporter relationships, helping to strengthen them and reduce attrition rates.
In fact, as reflected in the Commission on the Donor Experience’s report, people who receive a great experience from the charities they support feel better about them and give significantly more over their lifetime than those who don’t.
Saying thank you at different times
Getting the timing right however is critical. While of course new supporters should always be welcomed and thanked when they sign up to regular giving, it shouldn’t stop there. Expressing gratitude at other key times will help to show regular supporters how important their regular gift continues to be, and helping them feel appreciated can go a long way to creating positive and enduring relationships.
Image: Rapidata plc
We’ve explored and developed this concept further through our Trigger Communications service and we regularly see the positive impact of a well-timed thank you message. The key is that charities are able to reach their supporters at the right time through automated, or triggered, communications in response to specific events or dates identified as pertinent to each individual in their personal donation payment journey. Each charity and their respective donor-bases vary of course, but payment trends analysis can highlight useful trigger points linked to attrition and engagement.
The difference it makes can be huge. Results have been impressive from using very simple thanking mechanisms across varied channels – post, email, phone – when combined with payment journey insight and segmentation.
Thank you and reducing attrition rates
We know that welcome packs sent to new donors can positively influence the donor experience, loyalty and life time value. But we’ve also seen attrition rates halved when well-crafted and visually impactful thank you postcards were triggered and sent after supporters’ first payments. Equally, thank you messages sent to the right audience groups by email have also shown great results in reducing attrition and increasing engagement. Reaching out with the right message at the right time in a donor’s journey, after a certain number of payments or on a giving anniversary for example, really can help improve the donor experience, help build relationships and aid long-term loyalty.
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#YouMadeItHappen
That’s why on Monday 19 November, we are proud to be supporting #YouMadeItHappen: the sector-wide campaign backed by charity bodies, including NCVO and the Institute of Fundraising, that will see charities unite on social media to celebrate supporters and the difference they make, and to thank them for their generosity. There are many great times to thank
supporters: Monday is a wonderful opportunity to join together and thank them together.
Jackie Lawrence is Marketing Manager at Rapidata and should you wish to chat with her about Trigger Communications you can reach her at jl*******@ra******.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.