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From: Sara Herschander
Subject: How to Speak Your Donors' 'Love Languages'
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When it comes to fundraising, a little dose of tender loving care can go a surprisingly long way.
In her latest piece, 9 Tips for Thank-Yous That Make Donors Feel Valued, M.J. Prest writes about “The Love Project,” a new report from the Institute for Sustainable Philanthropy that identifies several evidence-backed ways that fundraisers can help donors develop genuine feelings of love for the causes they support.
Writing thank-you letters that truly get at the heart of your mission — through warm, poetic language and genuine expressions of gratitude — are key to making donors feel like valued partners in your work, not just sources of funding.
“It’s not like you’re using a technique to get love — it is a love experience. By definition, it’s an experience of feeling,” Jen Shang, a philanthropic psychologist and co-founder of the Institute, told M.J.
According to her research, when nonprofits sent notes of appreciation to monthly donors every six weeks, giving increased by 16 percent in the first eight months, and researchers predict it could double total giving over 40 months. “Like any relationship, it takes time to develop feelings of love,” she said, but crafting sustained, authentic, and tailored communications can help to build strong and lasting donor relationships.
One common mistake to avoid? Starting thank-you letters with highly formal language like “On behalf of...” can risk creating distance when many donors crave connection, fundraising copywriter Lisa Sargent told M.J. “It’s isolating,” she said. “It creates a layer between me and my gift.”
Instead, experts say nonprofits could benefit by ditching the formal cliches, resisting the urge to use ChatGPT, and embracing a kind of slower, more sincere approach to expressing gratitude. In all likelihood, their donors will thank them for it.
For all of the tips on connecting deeply with donors, check out M.J.'s full article, 9 Tips for Thank-Yous That Make Donors Feel Valued. You might also want to check out our webinar with Shang on how to thank and keep donors, or our previous coverage on building strong donor relationships.
Have a lovely week,
Sara Herschander
Reporter
Tip of the Week
To prevent a cyberattack, be sure to train your staff. Hackers often try to trick or manipulate people into clicking malicious links or sharing sensitive information. Cybersecurity training for staff can help people identify and avoid those risks. As Michael Enos of TechSoup advises: “You can have the best systems in place, the best IT department, and then you can have a person who just didn’t know and innocently did something that caused one small crack in the infrastructure where something got through.” For more tips read, What One Nonprofit Learned From Getting Hacked — and How Other Groups Can Protect Themselves.
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