A Thank You Note to Write Home About

I am pretty jaded when it comes to fundraising appeals . . . and to gift acknowledgements.  I have written more than my share of both during my career.  And my husband and I try to give as generously as we can to a number of organizations.

So it is not often when I am impressed by either.  Yet I was pretty darn gob-smacked by the recent thank you note I received from WalkBoston (it came with a more formal gift acknowledgement).  So impressed I had to scan the thing and share it.

OK, here is why I was so impressed:

1 - The note is handwritten.  By the Executive Director.  Not just a note scribbled on the top of a form letter (though that is noted and appreciated as well).  But an actual separate piece of paper with a full note on it.  This made it personal. 

2 - It invites me to become involved immediately.  Not by giving more money (getting hit up again in the same envelope as a thank you is a pet peeve).  No.  They want me to get involved in their advocacy efforts.  They want ME, not just my money.

3 - They are already asking me for my feedback.  They want to know what is on my mind . . . and what I think is important for them to look into.  Not only do they want ME, they want MY OPINION!

4 - They sent me a nifty guide book.  Which I was not expecting and was surprised and delighted by.  (AAM also recently surprised and delighted me with a sticker for our car that says Support America's Museums.  We are not car sticker/bumper sticker people, but it is SO going on the station wagon whether my husband likes it or not!)  Kudos to both WalkBoston and AAM for giving me unexpected warm fuzzies.

5 - They invite me to a specific program.  Warmly. 

My husband was the one who wanted us to make a contribution to WalkBoston, and I happily went along with it.  But now I really want to know more about it and feel a hundered, maybe a thousand times better about our gift, and the organization, because this note made it personal.  And gave me warm fuzzies. 

How much time did it take Wendy Landman, the Executive Director of WalkBoston to write this?  Maybe two minutes.  The impact?  At a minimum, an easy renewal.  But likely a couple of advocates and long-term supporters.

Has a thank you note ever bowled you over?  Or are there ways you try to create personal connections like WalkBoston did?  We would love to hear about it!  To share your stories, simply click on “comments” below.  (If you are reading this from your e-mail subscription to the blog, please go to our blog's website to add a comment.)

- Susie