Why Donor Recognition During Thankuary Makes All the Difference
January and February are traditionally quiet months for nonprofit fundraising, often referred to as a “slow period” in the fundraising calendar. After the bustling year-end giving season, it’s easy to assume donor engagement might naturally dip—but this doesn’t have to be the case. With the right approach, this lull can become an incredible opportunity to strengthen your donor relationships and set the tone for a successful year.
5 Reasons Why Thankuary is the Ideal Time to Focus on Donor Recognition and Gratitude:
1. It’s a Fresh Start
The start of the year offers a clean slate. Donors are reflecting on the impact they made in the previous year and are open to renewing their commitment to causes they care about. A heartfelt thank-you can reinforce their decision to give and encourage them to stay involved.
2. Donors Are Ready to Reconnect
After the rush of holiday giving, many donors appreciate hearing from organizations—not to be asked for more contributions, but to see the real impact of their generosity. This is the time to show them how their support made a difference and to express genuine appreciation.
3. Build Momentum for the Year Ahead
By starting the year with gratitude, you’re laying the groundwork for future engagement. Donors who feel valued are more likely to contribute again, share your mission with others, and participate in additional fundraising campaigns throughout the year.
4. Fewer Competing Appeals
During these quieter months, there’s less noise from other nonprofits vying for attention. This creates a unique opportunity for your organization to stand out with personalized messages of thanks and creative ways to engage donors.
5. Strengthen Donor Relationships
Acknowledging donors now solidifies your relationship before you start asking again. A well-timed thank-you fosters goodwill and demonstrates that you value their contributions beyond monetary support.
Acknowledging Donors as the First Step in Building Relationships
Acknowledgment letters serve as the foundation of donor relations. These personalized messages let donors know their contributions matter and that their impact is valued. A well-crafted acknowledgment letter should:
- Express appreciation for the gift.
- Specify the donation details, including the amount and date.
- Highlight the impact their donation will make.
- Include a personal touch, such as a heartfelt sign-off.
Acknowledgment letters are not just formalities—they’re opportunities to deepen your connection with your donors and inspire future support.
5 Creative Ways to Thank and Elevate Your Donor Recognition Efforts
Keeping your thank-you efforts fresh and engaging ensures that your donors feel genuinely appreciated.
Here are 5 creative ideas to show your gratitude:
1. Personalized Donation Receipts
Every contribution that is made to FundRazr receives an automated templated email acknowledging the payment. You can personalize the email by including a short thank-you message.
Go beyond the standard receipt by adding a heartfelt note or specific examples of how their gift will be used.
2. Thank-You Videos
Record a short video featuring your team or beneficiaries expressing gratitude directly to your donors. A personal touch can go a long way!
Video tips from our digital fundraising strategist:
- Don’t make it too long. 1-2 minutes is plenty.
- Unless you are running a large campaign that is raising over $50,000, – sometimes, a smartphone is all you need. It does not always have to be professionally done.
- Don’t stand in front of a busy background, but also don’t use a boring background either. Try going outside on a nice day in a park or a quiet place in town with a nice background that doesn’t draw too much attention away from you.
- Don’t forget a call-to-action. While you’re expressing gratitude, it’s also a great opportunity to engage your supporters further. Encourage them to follow your organization on social media, subscribe to your newsletter, or provide a teaser at your upcoming campaign or event.
3. Phone Calls
A quick call from your team or volunteers to say “thank you” can leave a lasting impression. Thank them for their past contributions, share updates, and give them a call-to-action. This direct outreach builds rapport and can encourage immediate action.
4. Exclusive Perks
Crowdfunding perks are unique, impactful add-ons to maximize the value of a contribution. They can be a variety of items, physical or digital, like t-shirts, merchandise, digital recipes, or posters – whatever you can offer your donor as a token of gratitude.
Perk tips from our digital fundraising strategists:
Use your perks on a limited basis to create a sense of urgency. You can also change your featured perk throughout your campaign, so each donor can choose the one that speaks to them for the same monetary value. This is also a great way to add new content to your campaign and keep things fresh!
5. Public Recognition
Highlight your donors in newsletters, social media, or your website. This fosters a sense of pride and belonging.
With peer-to-peer fundraising, you can give recognition to top fundraisers with individual and team leaderboards. The leaderboard will prominently display the names of fundraisers, along with the funds they’ve raised.
5 Tips for Boosting Donor Retention Through Thoughtful Messaging
Retention is key to sustainable fundraising. Thoughtful and timely communication can help you maintain strong relationships with your donors.
Here are 5 ways for donor recognition and engagement:
1. Send a Welcome Email or Letter
Introduce new donors to your organization, explain the impact of their gift, and outline how they can stay involved.
With our MailChimp integration, you can easily send set up your email marketing for your fundraising efforts:
- Automated email marketing – Automatically send emails to your supporters. This includes new campaign announcements and thank you messages. Automated emails help you engage with your donors without manual effort, especially during fundraising campaigns.
- Fundraising campaign updates – Keep your supporters informed about your fundraising progress, goals, and milestones through regular updates, even if they cannot contribute to the campaign.
- Data analytics – Mailchimp offers insights to evaluate the performance of your email campaigns. You can track open, click-through, and conversion rates to determine which messages and strategies are more effective.
2. Share Stories of Impact
Regularly communicate how their contributions are making a difference. Use specific stories and examples.
Campaign stats include your goal, campaign deadline, funds raised, and number of contributors. Sharing these information is great for supporter engagement because:
- Stats show you are transparent, allowing supporters to see how the campaign is doing. In fact, this is the number one reason for these statistics – to foster more contributions!
- Showing the amount raised and the remaining goal can create a sense of urgency and motivation. Supporters may be more inclined to contribute when they see that the campaign is close to reaching its goal or if there are limited time or quantity-based incentives.
- Campaign statistics are useful for marketing and promotional efforts. It’s another opportunity to talk about your cause and make your campaign visible and engaging.
3. Personalize Your Messages
Address donors by their name, reference their past contributions, and tailor your communication based on their preferences.
4. Celebrate Milestones
Mark special occasions such as anniversaries of their first donation or major organizational achievements they helped make possible.
Sharing milestones, such as reaching a certain percentage of the goal or hitting specific funding thresholds, provides content for updates and social media posts, helping to keep the campaign visible and engaging.
5. Offer Ways to Get Involved Beyond Donations
Invite donors to volunteer, attend events, or participate in advocacy efforts to deepen their engagement with your mission. Use this time to build connections through non-monetary engagement. Encourage supporters to subscribe to your newsletter, follow you on social media, or participate in volunteer opportunities.
3 Actionable Ideas to Turn Quiet Months into Fundraising Opportunities
January and February are often quiet months for nonprofits, but with a strategic approach, they can become opportunities to lay the groundwork for a successful year.
1. Ask for Small Donations
Small donations, such as $5 or $20, make giving accessible to more supporters while adding up to a big impact over time. Highlight how even a small gift can support specific needs, like supplies or program costs, and show donors the tangible difference they can make.
Use these small contributions as a stepping stone to inspire deeper engagement, such as signing up for recurring donations or staying involved through updates and volunteer opportunities.
2. Encourage Recurring Contributions
Train your donors to give regularly by suggesting monthly donations with our donation form. A recurring gift builds steady support and ensures long-term engagement. Supporters can choose the frequency of their donations: weekly, monthly, quarterly, or annually.
FundRazr’s donation form even provides easy embedding and impact tracking. Turn your website’s highest traffic page into a donation powerhouse with our donation form and track contributions seamlessly.
3. Create a Wishlist
Wishlist items are intended to demonstrate the clear value of a donation. You can break your fundraising goal into tangible wishlist items and give your donors a choice of what they prefer to fund. For example, they gave $50 but also fed a whole family in a shelter for a day.
Tailor your message and explain to your supporters why and how the wishlist is making an impact. Share your organization’s wishlist of specific needs, such as office supplies, program funding, or staff training, and let donors understand how these contributions help your organization get a fresh start of the year.
Turn the Lull Into Opportunity
While the early months of the year might feel slow, Thankuary is your chance to flip the script. Thoughtful gratitude can transform this downtime into a time of connection, creativity, and critical early contributions. By expressing genuine appreciation, building trust, and keeping your supporters engaged, you’ll set your nonprofit up for a strong, sustainable year ahead.
Start your Thankuary strategy today and see how a little gratitude can go a long way in raising more all year round!
