Hand written

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Birthday tracking in the CRM

Is your organisation tracking donor’s and prospect’s birthdays? What do you do with the birthdays once you record them in your constituent relationship management (CRM) solution? It’s time you use them to show appreciation of those donors closest to you. One such way is to recognise donors on their birth date. Birthday recognition impresses donors.

I am a recurring purchaser of several charity lotteries and I am also a regular donor of multiple charities. On my birthday, I receive cards, SMS messages, and emails from some of those charities I routinely support.

Mater Foundation recognises their regular lottery ticket purchasers each year on their birthday

Ways to recognise donors on their special day

Our family and friends send greetings in all forms on our birthday. But, think about the difference charitable organisations make when they recognise the special donors in their portfolios. Donors appreciate recognition on their birthday. Some ways charitable organisations recognise donors on their birthdays, include: sending SMS messages, celebratory emails, or personalised birthday cards; or, by calling the donor. Most organisations choose more personal channels for those really special donors.

Ways to obtain dates of birth

There are a multitude of ways you can acquire a donor’s date of birth, which include asking via:

  • Direct marketing response devices
  • Supporter surveys
  • Interactions with donors, including visits, phone calls, or email

When asked, some donors may share all three date elements for their birthday – day, month and year. Other donors may tell you the day and month of their birthday, but may not share the year. Some CRMs allow for this fuzzy birthday to be recorded. Others will not unless you create custom fields for month, day and year. Figure out what your CRM will allow and create procedures to accommodate both scenarios.

This blog on Classy suggests other ways to remember your donors and to make them feel special.

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Hand written notes make all the difference in the world

Hand written notes may be time consuming, but think of the difference they make. When was the last time you received a hand written note of any kind? Besides Christmas and Birthday cards, which are becoming more rare each year, it is highly unlikely you will receive many, if any, hand written pieces in the Post this year. Think back to your childhood (I may be dating myself here) when our parents wrote their parents and other relatives letters, rather than placing long distance telephone calls, and people took the time to say thank you in the most personalised fashion possible – with pen to paper.

Today, more and more of our communications are electronic, including birthday wishes. I receive a weekly report of the time I spend on my iMac, MacBook, iPad, and iPhone. The weekly reports never show a decrease from week to week.

I have written numerous blog posts over the last six years about the importance of stewardship. Those of us in the relationship business practice good stewardship in our business and in our personal lives. A 2014 news story out of the US called this to my attention and required me to take a moment to write (OK, type) about this very thing.

Why aren’t more charities taking the time to thank those important to them via a hand written note? Our heroes including our donors, volunteers, clients and staff deserve to have us take the time to thank them and to recognise them via a personalised note or phone call.

Does your organisation send personal notes or place phone calls to constituents who are closest to your organisation? Have you seen that this strategy made a difference?

Opportunities for personalised notes

Think for a moment about opportunities you have to write a personalised note. Opportunities may include:

  • Thanking first-time donors and new recurring donors.
  • Recognising donor’s anniversaries.
  • Thanking a volunteer who went the extra steps to help your organisation.
  • Recognising volunteers on the “hiring”/anniversary date.
  • Applauding staff for a job well done.
  • Recognising staff on the anniversary date of their hiring.
  • For suppliers – thanking a client or welcoming a new one.
  • Checking in with someone who needs a special touch.

INC Magazine advises us how to write a great note. In the article, the author suggests to keep the note brief, keep it personal, and never to include your business card.

Take the pledge – write a personalised note or call one donor each day this week. Experience the difference this will make, as “Doc” Emrick has, with his outreach. In addition to the gratitude you will show those close to your organisation, think about the impact this will have on your donor relations. People remember organisations that take the time to do something extraordinary for them. Everyone sends emails daily. Few take them time and the thought to craft a hand written note.

Hand written note