Being the director of development at a nonprofit can be an incredibly dynamic, rewarding position. It can also be busy and at times, extremely demanding. However, if you are passionate and dedicated to your job, you will likely gain a large network of donors, and you may find yourself entering hundreds of contributions every week, while continuing to meet with donors and develop fundraising strategies.
Sounds great, right?
While having an actively growing donor network is the dream for many development directors, it also presents new challenges. One of these challenges is donor acknowledgement. The more contributions you receive, the more complicated it can become to thank every donor in a timely fashion. Since most donors expect some kind of donation acknowledgement within 48 hours, waiting too long to respond to a donor’s gift can result in hurt feelings, or possibly the decision to disconnect from your organization.
So how do you stay on top of your busy schedule and still let your donors know they’re appreciated? While you may not have time to compose a handwritten note for each gift, you can take advantage of the technology available to you through your donor management system and your fundraising software to make sure that your donors are thanked for their contributions.
One of the major advantages of having a great donor management system (we love Salesforce for nonprofits!) is that you can streamline the donation and acknowledgment process. When entering a donor gift, you can easily generate and send thank-you notes with the system’s automated workflows. Since you’ll have control over what the notes say, you can craft heartfelt, personal thank-you emails, and donors will receive them within 24 hours. You’ll also be able to see contributions over time, so you can send personalized notes if donors contribute a significant amount, or if they reach a gift milestone.
You can also use your fundraising software to acknowledge your donors. For example, in our GiveSuite, when donors give through the online portal they receive a custom receipt via email that contains necessary tax information. The email can feature your organization’s logo, photos from recent projects, and a personalized note that thanks the donor for his or her contribution. This allows the donor to feel more connected to your organization, instead of simply receiving an impersonal confirmation.
Technology exists to make your job easier and more efficient. The more you can simplify the thank-you process, the more time you can spend on face-to-face meetings with your donors. You’ll have happier donors, a more complete and productive system, and more time to build relationships