personalised note

Hand written thank you 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 high unlikely you will receive many, if any, hand written cards 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.

A recent 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.

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.

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?