Experts generally estimate that 80% of donations come from about 20% of donors. Bloomerang’s research shows an even greater divide, with 88% of donations coming from 12% of donors.
That’s why cultivating major donor relationships is so important. They can truly make a massive impact on your cause and help you serve more beneficiaries. This guide will walk you through how to follow up with major donors to retain their support and keep them as part of your community.
1. Be Prompt With Communications and Appreciation
Donors want to know that you received their gifts and appreciate their contributions as soon as possible. Use your nonprofit constituent relationship management platform (CRM) to automate initial follow-up to communicate with major donors as quickly as possible.
Kindful recommends reaching out within 24 hours and explains that an initial donation acknowledgment letter should contain the following elements to comply with the IRS (for the most up-to-date info, read the IRS website on Charitable Contributions: Written Acknowledgements):
- The donor’s name
- Your organization’s full legal name
- A declaration of your organization’s tax-exempt status
- Your organization’s employer identification number (EIN)
- The date the gift was received
- A description of the gift and the amount received
- A statement that no goods or services were provided in exchange for the donation, or a description of the goods or services your organization provided
After sending this initial acknowledgment letter, you can follow up with more personalized thank-you notes later on. That way, you can provide both quick and tailored responses to donors’ generosity.
2. Use Multiple Touchpoints
When it comes to major donors, you want your recognition to match their contributions. One simple thank-you email won’t necessarily cut it.
Follow up with major donors multiple times using different methods to show just how much you appreciate them. A complete follow-up cadence may include:
- Handwritten thank-you note
- Phone call from your nonprofit’s executive director or board chair
- Video message from a beneficiary
- In-person meeting between nonprofit leadership and the donor
To align your recognition strategy with major donors’ preferences, survey them about how they’d prefer to be thanked. Store their responses in your donor database for future reference.
3. Personalize Your Messages
Customizing your next round of thank-you messages shows that you care about major donors as individuals and want to build lasting relationships with them. Personalize your follow-up to each major donor by:
- Addressing them by name. Leverage your CRM to automatically input donors’ names into your email thank-you templates. Regularly check in with donors to ensure you have their correct preferred names stored so you refer to them appropriately.
- Referencing their specific gifts. Include donors’ exact donation amounts or in-kind donation items. This specificity demonstrates that you value each contribution and the potential it unlocks for your organization.
- Including details about their past involvement. Major donors do more than just contribute financially. Recognize what else each supporter has contributed to your nonprofit, such as board membership, gala attendance, or volunteer involvement. Many CRMs make it easy to do this.
Ultimately, your thank-you messages should make major donors feel like valued members of your community and help you build genuine connections with them. The more you interact with and learn about your major donors, the better you can thank them and fortify these relationships.
4. Demonstrate Impact
While the first part of major donor follow-up should occur soon after you receive donors’ contributions, the second should happen once you’ve actually used their funds. That way, you can map exactly how donors have furthered your cause.
Demonstrate major donors’ impact by:
- Sending project updates. Let’s say a major donor contributed to your capital campaign. Instead of following up with that supporter again once the initiative is over (which could be several years in the future), send them regular project updates that let them know how your project is progressing and assure them you’re using their funds appropriately.
- Including metrics. Back up any impact claims with data. For example, a soup kitchen may note how many meals they’ve served thanks to donors’ generosity, or an educational nonprofit may indicate the high program satisfaction rate for a new program they created using major donors’ funds.
- Sharing beneficiary stories. Pair concrete metrics with stories that humanize the cause the major donor helps through their contributions. For instance, a children’s hospital may spotlight a child who received groundbreaking treatment due to major donors’ investments in childhood cancer research.
5. Spark Future Engagement
Once you’ve thanked major donors, don’t make another ask right away. Instead, keep major donors involved in your cause and steward these relationships by inviting them to participate in additional engagement activities.
These may include:
- Facility tour
- Leadership briefing
- Exclusive Q&A session
- Major donor gala or luncheon
These events also provide an excellent opportunity for your staff to get to know major donors on a deeper level. Ask them why they started supporting your cause in the first place, how their experiences have been with your nonprofit so far, and what types of activities they’d like to see offered in the future.
6. Thank Major Donors Publicly
After reaching out privately, share your gratitude with the whole community. Other supporters can celebrate the contributions of major donors and be inspired to lend their generosity as well.
You may thank donors publicly by:
- Including them in your annual report
- Adding them to a donor wall
- Giving them a social media or newsletter shoutout
- Acknowledging them at an event or gala
While many donors will enjoy this public recognition, some may prefer to keep their contributions private or anonymous. Remember to always ask for permission before thanking donors or sharing any of their information publicly, and store their preferences in your CRM so you know which donors only want private thank-you messages.
Major donors play a significant role in making your mission possible. Taking the time to properly thank them shows your nonprofit acknowledges the gravity of their contributions and is committed to building meaningful relationships with them. Along the way, check in with major donors to ensure your recognition strategy aligns with their interests and preferences.
