“Thank You” – two small but POWERFUL words

From the time we are able to speak, we are taught the importance of showing gratitude. Can you recall the moment when after receiving a gift, a treat or a kind gesture that an older person in your life looked at you and asked, “Now, what do you say?” At first, you could only repeat them back “Thank you.”  But soon you discovered saying thank you after “Now, what do you say?” gained you an affirming broad smile, glowing eyes, and a head nod. You smiled, too.

You learned that saying thank you not only made the person you thanked feel good, it also made you feel good. No matter how old or how young, no matter how small or great the gift or gesture, saying those two words -- thank you -- meant a lot. So you were happy to say it and would say it often.

The power those two little words have to make someone feel good are great, but the power not hearing them is equally great, if not greater. Just ask anyone who has ever held a door for someone and didn’t hear those two little words. If it has ever happened to you, you know not hearing thank you can adversely affect someone both mentally and physically. In fact, social media is full of videos, graphics and posts on this issue.

So, if someone can be adversely affected because they don’t receive a thank you for what might be considered a small gesture (holding the door), it goes without saying that donors of time, money and other resources expect to be thanked. It may not be possible to thank each donor in person or by phone, but each should be personally and promptly thanked. If your fundraising plan does not include a systematic approach to personally thanking your donors, your plan is incomplete.

Here are some tips for personally thanking donors:

• Donors of larger or ongoing gifts should receive a personal call from the Executive Director or a board member.
• Donors of smaller gifts should receive a personalized thank you note in their donation acknowledgement.
• Donors of time (volunteers) should be thanked early and often during their service. Volunteers might also receive a formal thank you during an appreciation event.

No matter who they are or what they give, make sure you thank all who support your organization. That includes your staff and board members.

Michelle Nusum-Smith, an experienced nonprofit leader, consultant, coach and trainer, is a self-proclaimed “Do-gooder who helps do-gooders to do good.” Michelle is the owner and principal consultant at The Word Woman LLC, a nonprofit consulting company. She has nearly 20 years nonprofit experience, including program development, financial management, fundraising (including grantwriting and individual donor cultivation), human resource management, marketing and public relations, board relations, and event planning.

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