The Hand’s on Fundraiser – Mary Cahalane
By Mary Cahalane
It’s usually an inside job.
There you are, minding your own business. Getting the job done.
You know the work inside and out. Sure, there are days… and nights, when all you want is a stiff drink and a chance to relax.
But there are needs to be met. People to be fed. Or housed. Furry little animals to be adopted.
You know the score.
So there you are, late into the afternoon, writing. You’ve had your notes. Fought some off. So it looks like you just might get this one done tonight. You sure hope so.
That’s when you hear the knock on the door. And you know your hopes are shot.
“You know, you haven’t captured our work quite right,” she says. “That’s not the important part of what we do. Let me explain…”
You try to hide the sigh. It escapes anyway.
She means well. Has a heart bigger than this city. But what she doesn’t know is fundraising.
And that’s the danger here. You’ve seen it before — good fundraising appeals, killed before they can work.
It’s programsplaining. And it’s brutal.
She’s left you no choice. So you slowly reach over to your desk drawer and open it. Your weapon isn’t new and shiny. But it’s trustworthy. And you know you’ll need it now.
You have to stop this crime before it goes too far. So you hand her this note, hoping to contain a fundraising catastrophe before it starts.
Dear Esteemed Colleague,
What you are suggesting is dangerous. Worse, it doesn’t work. So before you continue, please read this:
You know too much. All there is to know about what our organization does. You do it every day. I admire you. But I know what our donors need to know. I’ll keep it simple. Donors are less concerned about how you do your work.
You’re very good at what you do. You work long hours for less than private sector colleagues make. And you innovate! (Small budgets can push you to that.)
But your great new process isn’t nearly as interesting to donors as what you accomplish.
Here’s the thing: Donors don’t ask for much. What’s the problem, and how can I fix it? Sounds simple, right? It is.
Fundraising communication is for donors, not insiders.
Most importantly, fundraising is for donors, not you. Sure, your work should be celebrated. I’ll come to the party.
But this fundraising appeal? The next newsletter? Not the place. Not the audience.
Here’s the bottom line:
Your work? It needs money.
And that’s where I come in. You need the gifts our donors will send. So you need fundraisers to talk to our donors in the way they want to listen.
So let fundraisers do their work. We’ll all be better off.
I walked away, hoping my message got through.
The thank you letter
Now, let’s take a look at something we all deal with.
How to write a thank you letter when you’re feeling stuck.
Stuck?
You’ve been working hard on that last campaign. And now, you have new gifts! After the celebration, you begin to wonder. How can you write a thank you that works? Where do you start?
Here’s my quick thank you letter how-to.
First, a confession: I used to write rote, boring, perfunctory thank you letters. And I didn’t much like writing them. Plus, with an appeal, you feel like you have a goal. Thanks are an afterthought, right?
Wrong. So. Wrong.
Then I read posts by my friends Pamela Grow and Lisa Sargent. My eyes were opened. Saying thank you well matters. Unless you don’t care if donors stick around. So here is my advice for your great thank you letter.
Personalize the salutation: Nothing says, “We love you for your money” like a “Dear Friend” thank you letter. Don’t do it.
First paragraph: One great line: Just like your appeal letter, the first line of your thank you does some heavy lifting. Make it sing.
“On behalf of…” is coma-inducing. Don’t do that either.
Instead, imagine your favorite person in the world.
Imagine they’ve just given you the greatest gift — the thing you’d never dare ask for. Hang on to that feeling of love and gratitude. That’s what needs to fill this line. Make it short. And make it all about the donor, not your organization.
Stuck? Try “You’re amazing!” or “You’re my hero!”
Flatter away. Gush. Trust me, no one hates being told they’re wonderful.
Second paragraph: Look at what you’ve done! Tell your donor exactly what their generosity accomplishes.
Hint: this is never “meeting our annual fund goals”. Connect their generosity to the beneficiary.
Because of your generous gift, a family will have a real Thanksgiving dinner this year.
Make the connection without inserting your organization.
Nothing in this letter is about how great you are.
Third paragraph: Stay connected. Use this to suggest ways they can learn more, call for a tour, or reach you or another real person via phone or email. (And do I have to say that they’d better be able to reach that person?)
Fourth paragraph: Say it again. Restate your gratitude. Tell them again why they’re important.
Have a human sign the thank you letter. Make it someone as high up in the organization as possible. Or sometimes, the person the donor has a connection to.
Sign it for real. Add a note — even if the note is only “Thank you very much!”.
Don’t make the IRS the star of the thank you letter. Stick that boring but necessary language at the bottom of the letter. No one wants to read it — they just want it there.
Mary Cahalane is principal at Hands-On Fundraising where she focuses on improving fundraising results through great communication and a donor-centered mindset. She writes this column exclusively for each issue of Foundation Magazine.
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