Put Your Automatic Donation Receipts to Work
Someone made a gift to your organization. Hurrah! They’ve shown they care about your work, and want to support you. And, you have their money so your work is done, right?
Wrong. As soon as a donor hits “submit gift,” your work as a fundraiser starts. While I’m a big fan of great (and timely!) thank you letters, hand-written notes, and phone calls, your stewardship can —and should —start with your automated email receipts.
Use Your Donation Receipt As Your First Thank You
When a donor makes a gift to your organization, they’ll get an automated receipt. Unless you customize it, however, that receipt will be dull and lifeless —and say nothing about your organization, your work, or the impact of the donor’ investment.
A receipt that says “Thank you for your support. Keep this for your records.” is not a thank you email and does nothing to give your donor the warm and fuzzy vibes you want them.
Instead, treat that automated receipt as your first thank you letter. Even a few tweaks to your current template can breathe some life into the receipt. What if you…
Had an interesting and fun subject line that put a smile on your donors’ faces…
Personalized the salutation to remind your donor that you know who they are and care about them…and...
Included stories, videos, and calls to action that let your donor learn more about your organization.
Just that human touch will elevate your receipt into a meaningful touchpoint rather than an email that will just get deleted.
Tell a Story
Donors give because they want to have a positive impact, and there’s no better way to illustrate the impact of their investment than with a compelling story. Good fundraising focuses on storytelling, and your automated email receipts are no exception!
Your automated email receipt is a perfect excuse to share a great story about your work. Highlight a programmatic success, a heartwarming moment, or a tear-jerking triumph. It might be the story of one dog rescued, one child who learned to read, or a family who bought their first house —whatever your stories are, tell them!
Your story doesn’t have to be long. A brief paragraph —or even a photo with a pull quote or brief description —is worth far more than any email that starts with “thank you for your donation.”
Show the Impact
That old mantra “a picture is worth $,000 words” might as well be rewritten as “a picture is worth 1,000 bucks” when it comes to fundraising. Ample evidence shows that a compelling photo will connect your donor to your mission and can increase your overall fundraising.
So, let’s go ahead and use some visuals on your auto generated receipt! Photos are great, and videos are even better. Whether it’s an informal video of you saying “thank you,” or a beautiful overview of your mission and impact, it brings your work to life in a way that no words can. Regardless of how you choose to structure your receipts, paint a picture of your work that will resonate with your donors.
Read More: How Telling Stories Will Help You Find New Nonprofit Donors
Talk About the Numbers
Donor want to know where their money goes, and how it’s used. Why don’t you tell them?
Get specific about where your donors’ dollars will be used, with clear examples. What impact does a dollar have? What programs are funded? And what outcomes do you expect?
Whether you use a simple infographic or brief bullet points, those numbers will only underscore the importance of your work —and of your donors’ investment.
Have Them Take Action
When someone makes a charitable donation, they feel good. They’re basking in the glow of their altruism and are inspired by the photos and stories you shared.
So, what do they do next?
This is it: your time to pull them even closer to your organization. On your confirmation page, have your donor take action. You could:
Ask them to follow you on social media,
Direct them to sign up to volunteer;
Invite them to RSVP to an upcoming event;
Or even prompt them to check and see if their employer will match their gift.
No matter what you ask - even if it is simply inviting them to visit your website to learn more about an upcoming project, or to read another constituent story - having them take action immediately after they’ve made a gift is a powerful and simple way of deepening their relationship to your organization.
