“Thank you!” From a young age, we learn to say these magic words to express gratitude to others lending a helping hand when we’re in a time of need. As we mature, we understand that “helping hands” come in different forms, and thanks to the technology, so does how we say “thank you,” like through a text message. Considering your supporters are responsible for making your mission possible, now’s the time to reassess how you thank donors through outreach channels like peer-to-peer text messaging. Conversational peer-based communication platforms like Hustle enable organizations of all sizes to properly and personally thank donors for their fundraising contributions through 1:1 text and video messages sent directly to their smartphones.
It’s no surprise for many organizations donations serve as the primary tool for organizing and supporting events, banquets, merchandise, walks and runs, theatre performances, future fundraisers and more, in addition to driving progressive agendas. However, if your organization isn’t taking the time to say “thank you” in a timely, non-generic manner, how can you expect your supporters to continue investing their time, attention, and charitable contributions in the fight for your cause? Put yourself in your supporters’ shoes. Donor appreciation text messages help drive authentic engagement through the human-to-human connection shared over a joint interest or cause. Hustle is here to help you find the most effective way to continue the conversation through gratitude. Never underestimate the power of appreciation when it comes to building long-term relationships.
Advantage of Sending Awesome Donor Appreciation Text Messages
Before highlighting the best (and worst) practices for sending your supporters’ heartfelt appreciation messages for donations, here’s a reminder of some benefits these special notes hold for your audience and your organization:
- Notes Double as Reminders. Distinguishing yourself through gratitude makes donors more inclined to repeat donations by distinctively remembering your organization. Thanking your donors by detailing how they helped allows you to reiterate your organization’s mission, current work, and upcoming events (virtual or in-person).
- Diversifies Your Feed. We get inundated with daily emails, phone calls, and even traditional mailers. It’s harder than ever to slice through the noise and reach your audience through already-exhausted channels. Donor appreciation messages are unique and can help your organization stand out from monotonous daily communication. Using video can pull at the heartstrings giving your donors something to be proud of and share with their network.
Donor Appreciation Best (and Worst) Practices
Best Practices:
- Don’t Wait! Send in Less Than 48 Hours. Maximize the impact of your appreciation by contacting donors while their contribution is still fresh and at the forefront of their minds. We suggest thanking donors immediately after they place donations. Sending a physical letter takes days. Albeit sending an email can be done in a couple of clicks, setting it up can take days. On top of which, at best, average open rates are anywhere between 2–10%. But with Hustle peer-to-peer, a text or video message campaign only takes a few hours to set up, and 98% of text messages get opened with a 90% read rate. With Hustle Studio, you can send a video message that shows what the donations went to, for example, the building of a school and smiling faces of children.
- Talk about what donors will help you achieve. A donor appreciation message is not generic. Pull your supporters closer into advocating your cause by informing them exactly what their donations are put towards. Informing your network how you use their donations builds trust and makes your organization more transparent and dependable.
- “Dear, Hello, Hey Hey” Switch Up Your Greetings. Right now, how are you addressing your donors? Is it warm, friendly, and personal, or neutral and generic? People can quickly tell the difference. Your donors are unique, and so is their relationship with your organization, so consider evolving your attention to detail with messaging that includes engaging greetings.
- Personalize the salutation with the donor’s name. In general, it’s important to address your donor or supporters by name, but it’s especially important following charitable contributions to communicate receipt and how they helped.
Worst Practices:
- Using generic copy.
- Requesting another donation right after donating.
- Waiting too long to say “Thanks.”
- Talking about what you will achieve instead of what’s been accomplished thus far.
Donor Appreciation 101: Messaging and Timeliness through Conversational Peer-Based Texting
Funding your organization’s work so you can continue mobilizing positive change requires continual engagement. It starts with your fundraising ask and ends with a heartfelt donor appreciation note. Whatever it is you need to say to your audience, human-powered texting and video offer valuable opportunities to organizations seeking to drive engagement at scale. Hustle’s peer-to-peer messaging platform is the ultimate solution for relationship-driven organizations. For more tips, real use examples, and actionable takeaways regarding conversational text messaging in your upcoming fundraising efforts, download our latest whitepaper, Leveraging Personalized Text Messaging to Enhance Peer-to-Peer Fundraising.
Contact us today to learn more about donor appreciation through peer-to-peer text messaging and video. Let’s turn your messages into action!
