58 WWW.CITYGATENETWORK.ORG MARCH/APRIL 2019 DAY­TO­DAY FINDING FUNDS Barry Durman Saying Thank You The importance of being quick, generous, and genuine with your appreciation Barry is director of develop­ ment for SIM USA. You can contact him at barry.dur­ man@sim.org. R elationship is every- thing in raising funds. You’ve heard this before, so it’s very important to make sure that every com- munication with any donor is as personal as possible. Your thank you communica- tions are especially important. When you say thank you through print and/or email, the copy should refer to the gift amount and the purpose/project to which it was given. This will let the donor know that you will use it where they intended. Written receipts/letters/emails should be returned within 48 hours. When I have been involved with ministries that achieve this turnaround sched- ule, donors are amazed and say so because it is unusual. They really appreciate the efficiency, and it speaks loudly to the way the ministry is managed and how their money will be used. This is true with large gifts also. Show your appreciation right away. The most personal way to say thank you is in person, and next best would be a phone call. Set a gift amount level that triggers a visit and another that triggers a phone call. Assign leadership in the ministry to make these visits and calls. Follow up the visits or calls with a written correspondence. The bottom line is that donors these days give to people, so people need to be personally involved in saying thank you. Speaking with the donor shows that you value the relationship. The conversation enables the donor to ask ques- tions and get an update report in detail. The large-gift written thank you should be a very personal hand-signed letter, with a personalized P.S. Keeping donors up to date on the progress of what they have given to is also extremely important. They have made their contribution because they want to make a difference, and if they can see/hear that their gift has made an impact on the lives of people they will be far more likely to give again. Print off a couple of photos of smiling people affected by the gift and enclose them with the thank you letter or email. Tell a little part of their story (without names). It will have a long-lasting impact. There might be cases where it would be good for more than one thank you to be delivered by your ministry. Depending on the size of the gift and where it is designated, leadership and departmental appreciation could be shown. Remember, keep apprecia- tion as personal as possible, and say thank you quickly and sincerely.