Thank Early, Thank Often
by Larry Weaver
Many of you may have heard this phrase, or similar others, like “thank before you bank”, but this month’s case study with CrossTalk really brings it home. The simple task of thanking a donor in a timely manner is one that will generate future donations. In FundRaiser Software, whether you have Select or Professional, the word processor for writing thank you letter templates is built right in, as is the capability of printing corresponding labels or envelopes, so you really have no reason not to thank folks almost immediately for their generosity.
From a technical tip point of view, there are several steps you can take to insure that you make the most efficient use of your time in regard to thank you letters.
Prepare thank you letter before the event
First, you’ll want to have the letter template written before you enter gifts. In other words, if you have a special letter you want to use in response to a person donating at a particular event, make sure it’s written (and proof-read) before the event. If the letter is to have a special graphic, like a logo, make certain it’s on the computer in a place you’ll remember, and that is accessible from any computer (if you’re in a network situation) you or others who do thank you letters will use. Remember that letter templates need to have a unique letter Code associated with them, and that code can be up to 9 characters long, using numbers, letters, and/or the underscore. To make sure a thank you letter only shows up on the dropdown for gifts, make sure you give the template a Type code of either G, 1, or 2. The G type code will allow the letter template to show up in both dropdowns available on a gift record, while the 1 and 2 types will limit the template to either the left (1) or right (2) gift thank you drop down only.
If sending thank you by email
If you will be sending thank you letters by email as well as postal mail, you may want to consider having the email template separate, not as a totally different letter, but in the “email template” side of the letter template. This is really only needed if you want to word the email template differently from the letter you send in a printed format, but it can be handy, especially if you want to include links to websites or show the email address you’ve sent to as an “inside address” rather than the donor’s street address. You’ll end up with two templates in one, in effect, that share the same name, and code, and reason for being sent. The biggest difference will be the method of delivery.
If you have multiple events going on
If you have several different events going on, then you may have several different thank you letter templates on hand, worded differently for different events. Events need not be “physical” events, such as gatherings: a mailing is an event; a phonathon is an event; a visit from a board member is an event. It is even and event, in effect, if a donor gives because they saw or heard about you through an ad on radio, television, or a billboard. Make sure that each gift is entered with the correct template assigned for that particular gift and donor, and with the proper coding, like the Motivation code, to indicate why the gift was given. This will help you in reporting after the fact, as well as in looking at year-end results for the various fundraising activities over time. Remember in coding gifts that Motivation tells why they gave to us, and Purpose tells how that money is to be used (ear-marked, designated, or restricted use funds, in other words).
Helpful features connected to printing thank you letters
When thank you letters are printed through the automated correspondence section of the print menu, you are able to print a report of those gifts, as well as printing matching labels or envelopes. Even more important in certain respects is that printing through automated correspondence will allow you to “Mark Thank You’s Done”, which will insure that no one gets a second letter for an already acknowledged gift, as well as placing a date and time stamp on the gifts for which you’ve printed letters.
Don't delete or modify... Clone
I recommend never deleting a letter template that you’ve used as a thank you, nor should you modify those that have been used in the past for use in the future, in my opinion, because it’s nice to maintain thank you letters exactly as they were first sent. You can, through the Windows | Letters menu, open up the Form Letter Listing window, and create a “Clone” of any template you like, then change the clone and use it in the future. Keeping the original intact means you’ll always be able to re-create any letter that was sent in the past. And letter templates take up very little room on your computer, in the grand scheme of things. And you can, in that same window, mark old templates as no longer “Active”, so that they don’t confuse or clutter up the lists.
Tips in a nutshell
So, make new thank you letter templates before you start receiving gifts; de-activate old or no longer used thank you letter templates; and do become familiar with the automated correspondence features of FundRaiser, so that you can spend more time cultivating new gifts and less time writing out thank you notes. It will be worth your time and then some.
Larry Weaver leads online training for FundRaiser Select and Pro. In his free time Larry enjoys music, motorcycles and being a grandfather.
Resources
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