Of course we’re thankful that our donors donate, but to have gratitude means we are ready to show appreciation and kindness to them. Calling donors is a meaningful way to show our appreciation to them and to treat them kindly.

As long as you don’t ask for another donation, donors love getting a Thank You call and statistics prove they will give more. A phone call is relatively cheap and it’s personal. It can boost your direct mail and email responses.

A development director can make the calls, but imagine a donor’s feeling of importance if the executive director, or a board member takes the time to give them a call.

Here are 7 tips for meaningful thank you calls.

1. Use the person’s name. I know, really we have to tell our callers that? Don’t they already know? You’d be surprised what happens when people get on the phone, every thought flies from their mind.
2. Identify the callers’ relationship to your organization: director, board member, former board member, or long-time volunteer.
3. Say something about the recent gift: size, frequency, etc. You should KNOW something REAL about the donor such as when they started giving, how long they’ve given. Check your donor database before dialing their number.
4. Keep voicemail messages warm and short.
5. If it’s a voice to voice call, indicate early in the call that this is a call to say thank you. Nothing more. Have a plan whether you’re going to try to call back if they don’t answer, before the answering machine picks up. Research says that a warm, non-rambling voicemail is almost as effective as talking with the person.
6. If there is a willingness to talk for a moment, ask the caller to tell something about someone they know who has gone to Teen Challenge and ask how their life is different or better because of your work. One or two sentences is all. If they don’t know someone, you can share a short story with them.
7. If there is a willingness to talk for a moment, ask a question about why the donor made their gift? An open-ended question that allows the caller to learn something new about this donor is invaluable. Be sure to document your conversation in your donor database for reference next time a call is made.

As we near the end of our calendar year, please know I am truly thankful for you, as a Teen Challenge staff member and all the work you do for your ministry throughout the year!

What if you don’t have a phone number?

Consider a letter to donors who you would have called, but didn’t have their number.
“You are all kinds of amazing. And, I wish I could have told you that over the phone, but I don’t have your number. (Darn.)”

Go on to ask the donor to share their number with you by email or phone. Often, it works like a charm!