Say thank you nicely to major donors
Howard Lake | 4 July 2012 | News
If you want major donors to keep giving to you, then make sure you thank them promptly and appropriately – and show a bit of empathy.
Art dealer and founder of The Funding Network Fred Mulder CBE said that there were a number of occasions on which he had either not been thanked promptly enough for a gift or sometimes not even thanked at all. Senior lawyer at Bircham Dyson Bell Simon Weil also said he felt that greater appreciation could be shown to major donors and that fundraisers should try to show a bit more empathy.
Leslie Morgan of international pharmaceutical wholesaler Durbin said that he was also put off by letters that were inappropriately addressed to him.
“When you’re asking for money, make sure the address is written properly,” he told delegates at a Meet the Donors session at the IoF National Convention. “Put the letter on top so I see it immediately. Send it second class and if you’re going to include a return envelope, that should be second class too.” Mulder, on the other hand, prefers email communications.
He also disagrees with buildings being named in perpetuity after people who pay for them to be built. “If a building is going to be in one donor’s name then ask the donor for several years’ maintenance costs as well,” he said. Agree for something to be named after someone for a specified period, then open it up to other donors, he suggested.
Mulder says that a lot of charities simply don’t respect how busy donors are, and try to take up too much time. He is also a great believer in getting your board to donate – American style.
While many of the Funding Network’s members donate, it is not a requirement of membership.
“Try and encourage your whole board to donate,” he said. “Once you’ve put money in, you have a different kind of stake in the organisation.”
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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.