For nonprofits, it’s also the time of the year when we raise, on average, nearly 1/3 of our annual income.

Put those two together, and you’ve got a powerful motive for perfecting the art and science of giving thanks. A great thank-you can turn a one-time donor into an annual or monthly supporter.

Have you thought about how thanks can themselves be a form of giving? We give thanks, yes. But the thank-you itself can also be a gift to the donor.

Donors deserve a little something from the organizations they support, after all. People give because they get something out of it – the feeling that they have made a difference in the world, that they are good and worthy persons, that they are part of something greater than themselves.

A great thank-you can give donors good feelings like those.

Imagine how I felt when I received this note from the Mustard Seed School in Hoboken, NJ.

Here’s the text:

Dear Jan,
On behalf of the Mustard Seed School community, thank you for your contribution. Thank you for creating an environment where every student is welcomed and celebrated. Together, we make a foundational difference in the lives of Mustard Seed students.
Gratefully,
[Name redacted]
MSS Parent

Let’s look at the ways this thank-you note is a gift to me, the donor:

• It’s handwritten! A parent spent time and personal energy producing this note.
• It uses my name, recognizing me as an individual.
• It focuses on my contribution. I created an environment where every student is welcomed and celebrated! Whoo-hoo!
• It incorporates me into a community by emphasizing what “we” do “together.”

Two important things this lovely little note does not do (but that are all too common in nonprofit thank-you letters):

• It does not focus on the Mustard Seed School. What it does say about the work of the school it attributes to me, the donor.
• It does not use statistics. No statistic ever made anyone feel valued. Stories can, but not numbers.

So, your year-end appeal is just about ready to mail, right? (Right?) Have you also considered how you will thank the donors who respond?

Think about how your thank-you can be a gift that makes donors feel special – special enough to want to give again and again. Let me know if you need help.