 good afternoon, good evening, whatever time it is you're joining us. Welcome to another episode of the nonprofit show. We're really excited, not just because you color coordinated by mistake or by accident or by serendipity. We've got Jennifer Palin from Blumerang here to talk to us about five donor gratitude strategies that maybe you haven't really thought about and but they're very achievable, all of them, some of them and so we can't wait Jennifer to get you to bring us some new approaches of how we can be thanking our donors. We don't do this enough. No, absolutely. You can never thank somebody. You can never overthink somebody. Yeah, exactly. Well, before we get going, I'm Julia Patrick CEO of the American Nonprofit Academy. Jared Ransom, the nonprofit nerd, is traveling east, I believe, today and she's going to be working a conference somewhere, I think in the Philadelphia area. So if you're lucky enough to be able to see her live, maybe you can get that on your dance card. Again, we have amazing presenting sponsors who've been with us day in and day out, more than 700 episodes. And this is a really important thing to share with everyone. Our sponsors do not dictate what our content is. They don't get involved in the topics that we cover. If we cover their competitors or competing ideas or products, which is pretty amazing in the world of sponsorship. So I just wanted to point that out. I try and bring that up every month or so because it's just such a unique situation when you work with sponsors. And we have one of our sponsors here today, Blumerang. We're also sponsored by your part-time controller, American Nonprofit Academy, Be Generous, Fund Raising Academy at National University, Staffing Boutique, Nonprofit Thought Leader, and the Nonprofit Nerd. Also, with more than 700 episodes, there's a lot of content. And sometimes you want to get back to our archives and see what we've talked about, or maybe you have a new problem. Chances are we've talked about it. So you can find our archives on Roku, YouTube, Amazon Fire TV, and Vimeo. You can also queue us up wherever you'd like to get your podcasts. Jennifer, we just got notified, I think, on Friday that we hit our 10,000th download of one of our podcasts. Wow, congratulations. I think that's big. I mean, I hope it's big. 10,000 of anything is a lot. So I'm excited about it. But anyway, we're back with Jennifer Palin, the guru of all things in Blumerang and Fund Raising, Senior Director, Channel Management of Blumerang. Jennifer, you were telling me, and I don't know if I really appreciated this, but off air, you actually work more with the consultants, right? I do. So fascinating. So talk to me really quickly before we move into this. What does that life look like? Sure. And it's a new division that we're just getting off the ground. Blumerang traditionally has done a terrific job at marketing and engaging and working with our end client, the amazing nonprofits we have the privilege to serve. But we also work with a lot of fundraising consultants, fundraising consultants who are doing marketing for us, who are referring customers to us, but we haven't yet engaged them as a community and provided opportunities to say thank you. So it's very apropos in my role and to reward them and to build an engagement program and really engage fundraising consultants and build a community of them. So I'm blessed to serve in this role, and we're just rolling it out. And they are such an important part of our mission. And yeah, I'm really excited to kind of get this off the ground and, you know, build a greater community of fundraising consultants as part of they're just such an important part of our mission. You know, I bet they will start to tell you things that curl your hair. Oh, yeah. I mean, they have such an interesting lens too. You know, they live a different life than the the nonprofit. They're certainly crossover, but it's it's such an interesting perspective to see it. Yeah, that's really cool. Well, I would imagine it's only going to make your your product stronger when you get that, you know, you get that commentary in that vision. And as you said, use the word lens from those folks that are on the ground doing work. And so that's really interesting. I'm looking forward to hearing more about that and and what are some of the lessons learned because it's an evolving sector. And the way we do things in the nonprofit world, I feel like has changed so much in the past 48 months that it's just like, Wow, we've needed to rethink this in so many ways. Yeah, it is constantly evolving. That's for sure. It's really fun. Well, part of the evolution process, and it really shouldn't be is this donor gratitude strategy. And I don't know why we fall down on this so horribly, but we do across the sector. And so we've got five strategies that I think, Jennifer, are very achievable one, or all five, or just picking two or three, right? So we want to go through those with you today. And the first one is, I think the most basic, but in some ways, maybe the most valuable snail mail personalized. Thank you. Talk to us about that. Sure. And, you know, it's funny to be talking about this, because we're in this age, this digital age where everybody is on Instagram and Facebook and LinkedIn and texting that, you know, we don't really pay attention to our mail. And I think that's one of the reasons the rarity of receiving something in the mail today is what makes this so special. And it really helps if you can send a thank you in January is a great month to think to think about as a thank you as a thank you month and having a thank you campaign. You really distinguish yourself if you take the time to send a personal, you know, piece in the mail. And I say the more personal, the better, a huge fan of handwritten. Now that can't be done for all of your donors. So of course, you have to segment, you know, who are maybe you choose your newest donors, your largest donors, but the more personal you can make it the better, you know, people give to people. And so this comes from you, this doesn't necessarily come on, you know, while it is behalf of the organization, it is really from you. And while you're at it, I'm also a big fan of sending, you know, a token gift or letting them know that you're gonna send a token gift. And then a week later, you actually follow through. And, you know, there's so many, you know, opportunities when you do this or when you say a thank you. It's an opportunity to get them involved and engage them in a non monetary way. Maybe it's giving them a list of upcoming webinars, inviting them to event, asking about their interest in volunteering. And it's also an opportunity to make a special mention, you know, is this their 10th year of giving? Did they just increase their support? I'm also a fan of having somebody else send a thank you. For instance, if they supported a specific campaign or a specific program, maybe the person that heads up that program sends the thank you. And art. And I love that. You know what? I have never I have to witness to you. I've never thought of that. I mean, I think sometimes like, I think of like the board chair writing a note to, you know, bigger donors or folks that but I love that idea. Okay, you blew my mind. And, you know, I've always run I run into the problem in the past. Well, that person doesn't have time to write it. That's okay. You ghost write it for them. And it comes from them. And it makes it easy, you know, for the person whose main job isn't to thank the donors, but you notice to have the program. So yeah, love that. And you know, Jennifer, I don't know what you think, but I always say, you know, you don't have to write a novel. You can write a literally write three or four sentences. And it's the act of receiving something at your mailbox that's handwritten. And I think there's value in that. But I think sometimes it seems overwhelming because we make it overwhelming. You do, we do. I mean, and I always like, you know, I receive lots of mail that's like direct mail, if possible, have it in a different shaped envelope, hand address it, let it distinguish itself from all the other mail we receive. And I will end on this note. I use kooky stamps. Don't just get the forever flag stamps. The US Postal Service has amazing stamps. And they're all different. And I think that that's, you know, something that grabs your attention. That's just me first. Yeah, that's such a great idea. I haven't thought about that. You have to check out, I mean, I know I live in the Southwest, but you have to check out the mariachi stamps that are out now. They're super cool. They're super cool. I mean, so they do everything from cartoons to artists. I mean, it's really, I think a great way to connect some personality to, okay, well, so we've witnessed on that, I think this is something everybody can do. Now, this is something that I had not really thought of. And I guess this speaks to the issue that I'm not getting these as new when I am a new donor, right? So you say send a welcome kit to new donors. Talk to us about that. Sure. I think it is a chance to welcome them to the organization, you know, welcome to the XX family. We're so grateful. I think when somebody joins with a gift, they're raising their hand. It's the beginning of a relationship. They want to be more involved. Give them an opportunity to do so. I wouldn't spend any money to make anything you send them extravagant. It could be a guide. It could be a gift of content or articles. It could be engagement opportunities, along with that. If you can think of it as part of the concept of the welcome kit, do a thank you call. You know, we did not enough people pick up the phone and call first time donors. And it doesn't even have to always be first time. It could be loyal donors, but you know, Bloomerang does a lot of research in this realm. And research shows that the speed to the second gift, the likelihood of a second gift and the amount of the second gift, they all go up fairly significantly by just picking up the phone. It could be a voicemail. It could be very quick. You could give it to somebody else and your staff. It can be a volunteers job. You know, just some kind of regular consistent. This is what all new donors receive. Actually, my alma mater ones, they sent me a card. It looked like a birthday card. And it was like blowing out a candle. I thought that was said because it was like my first time giving. I love it. You know, I was on a board that we did every year a board thankathon. And we had a board member who had a company where they had like a phone bank. And we would go in and we made it really fun. And we were all given stacks of you know, names and we'd go in and we would call and we would be like we just, you know, I'm Julia Patrick, board member, blah, blah, blah. Just want to say thank you. And people would be like, what? I'd be like, I'm not here to ask money. I'm not here to do anything. I just want to say thank you. And the number of people would be like, hold on, let me give you my credit card. And we'd be like, we can't do that. We're not here, but we just want to thank you. And it was, I'll tell you, Jennifer, I think it reengaged a lot of our board members, because it put them in front of people in a way that made board service more realistic or more valuable. I mean, it's a two per really, because it helps from it's a great, I mean, what more fun of a volunteer job, a great way to say, oh, yeah, this is why I'm involved, you know, Yeah, cheap and easy. I mean, it took a little organizing. And I think in the beginning, some of the board members were like, oh, God. Then I would, I realized that board members would be like, so hey, what's the next thing? I mean, they wanted to do it, right? You know, I think it's a cool. It's a cool thing. I really, really do. You know, somebody's just written in live before we move on. And they asked the question, what are some best practices around engaging the board and thanking donors? Kind of what we're just talking about. But it's a I mean, along those lines, do you think signing notes or I mean, do you have a sense that that should be a part of their the board's work? I think it's a great part of a board's work. Of course, it depends on what the board's priorities are. But I mean, I'm from board members I've worked with, I've actually received a lot of complaints, you know, we're not asked to do anything meaningful, we're just being spoken to. So it's something concrete. And, you know, if you have a board member who's retired, or they're bored, can I do more? Let me give you 10 names. So it can be tailored to the specific board member. I do think it's helpful if you can put some kind of organization and structure, because there's the kind of powers you were talking about, about bringing the same amount of people in a room, ordering some pizza or getting some coffee and bagels and bringing everyone together next to their cell phones, you know, you know, you give them a short script, you can do a role play, you give them a little bit of education and let them go at it. Or I've also been a part where, you know, everyone's virtual, it's hard to get in a room, make a competition out of it, who's called the most, you know, who's gotten the best piece of feedback, you know, it build on like, build some energy around it, don't make it, you know, so it's less of a, oh, it's a chore, a really fun thing to do. So I think, you know, and then get feedback and whatever works, you just replicate. So I think, you know, create a best practice that works for your organization and then for your specific board members. I love that. Thank you. Thank you. That was a great question. It was a great question. Yeah, I love, I really do love that. Now, Jennifer, for those of us watching Live, it is the beginning of January, or actually I should say mid-January. And so you're saying use that tax summary with a gratitude and then add impact. Talk to us a little bit about that. Sure. Yes. I, you know, people want tax summaries, be proactive about it, do it on the forefront. Don't just send a tax summary. It's a waste of postage and paper. Use it as an opportunity to talk about what they're giving this year accomplished and, you know, and how wonderful they are. I always say in everything you do this month, be thinking, be thinking, you know, the donor. And of course you have to include the prerequisite information, the gifts that they gave, the dates, maybe the designations that they've made to different areas. You know, the regular nomenclature, if any goods were received, the amount that's tax-aductible or if all of it's tax-aductible, say that as well. And I wouldn't have that be the front thing. It could be like the title. You can put it below your signature. You can put it on the next page. You know, being able to, it's an opportunity to thank the donor even when they're not expecting to be thanked. You know, it shows that they mean more to the organization and to you than they thought they did. I love that and I think sometimes too, we don't know how we've made an impact, right? I mean, because we just are like, oh, this organization does great work and I wanna support them and here's whatever. But I think it's, I think you're right. Sometimes we need to, we think our donors know, but they don't. And or worse, they confuse us with somebody else. Yes, yes, we never assume. No, no, absolutely not. Okay, so we've gone through strategies one, two, and three. This is kind of an interesting one and one that I don't think I would have necessarily gravitated towards. And you're saying strategy number four, acknowledge new donors or donors in a newsletter or on social media. Yes, January is a great time to, you know, and it's a, you know, social media and a newsletter is a great venue to talk about all the things that their support made possible. You know, you know, you know your constituents and where they look, you know, a lot of times if you're sending out a newsletter or even a blog post, you know, it's being consumed, it's being consumed by like a mass. So to be able to acknowledge them for more, for higher, you know, end donors, major donors, you know, make that a little bit more targeted, you know, make it personal. But I think being able to publicly, you know, thank people and really acknowledge that in, you know, that kind of platform is really meaningful. And, you know, some people do, I've seen a newsletter come out where every quarter they're thanking donors of that quarter and they're listing them. I have found that people like to see their name in print, right? That's why annual reports are so powerful. But I think, you know, the organization-wide, the newsletter is a great, you know, is a great platform and on social media to express gratitude and, you know, to have that be part of your mantra, especially in the new year. And I also think too, you know, that goes along and I would love before we move on to strategy number five. You know, I think that that should be included with any of your donor investors or grand tours, even significant contracts. I think the corporate side of this is something we overlook. I mean, XYZ Foundation gives to you, I think that is something that helps your own branding as well. You're absolutely right. Yeah, we talked about that before the show, like earned media, give them that visibility. You know, it's like to be thanked in the public setting, which really is, you know, really elevates the thank you. Yeah. Well, it elevates the engagement. Absolutely. I mean, I think you as an organization can look like a rock star. If you have, you know, you've, I wanna say secured permission, but it's not like a shock because sometimes foundations will wanna be a little bit more secretive and they won't necessarily want, you know, their gifts acknowledged in a public way. Yeah, you do have to be sensitive about that. I get that. But I think that, you know, I think it's a win-win, you know, if everybody's on the same page. Yes, absolutely. Wow. Okay, so now let's go to strategy number five. And this, I love, because we were in the green room, Chatter was sharing with you that I did this with an organization and it was amazing. Make a DIY thank you video. Okay, my friend, walk us through this. Oh, yes. Yeah, we were talking about it. It doesn't have to be fancy. And in fact, I think it actually is better if it's not. And have the thank you come from your beneficiaries. I know you were talking about an organization that you work with in Africa where the actual, you know, children are being supported and they were having fun with it and they were making a thank you video and how wide received and how that it kind of went viral and created even more donations because how often are the donors get a chance to hear from the beneficiaries, especially if they're in a more remote area, you're giving them this access and exposure, you know, directly to the people who have been impacted. So I really say you don't have to overthink it. I know with prior organizations I worked, you know, I did a lot of work in academia. I would dress my son up in the hat that said the university and the sweater and, you know, take a picture, do a video of us saying, thank you. And people love that. I had a colleague who dressed up his dog and had the dog bark and said, what he's really trying to say. And then I also would say send it in a way that you know, that, you know, you're constituent, you know how they communicate. Like if I have a donor where she doesn't read her email, I will, but she texts me in two points, you know, two seconds after I sent to her, that's how I'm going to communicate that with her. Yeah, I really think it's a nice personal way to say thank you. I think it's a really cool thing. And I think to your point, you know, it can be fun. It can be, as we used to say back in the day, you know, a gorilla style. It's not beautifully edited. It might be a little shaky. I mean, but that it's genuine, it's short and sweet. And I think there's nothing wrong with saying, you know, I'm standing on the stage, you know, getting ready to do a practice for this new ballet that you helped support. Or I'm here in this park on some new playground equipment that you, because of you, that BOI, because of you, we got this swing set. I think you can make these things like real. Does that make sense? Absolutely, and it shows more authenticity, yeah. And, you know, what I say about, you know, stewardship, it really builds trust, which is the foundation of any lasting relationship. And I think people do underestimate its power. It is really powerful. Yeah, I love this. And again, I'm gonna ask you this question because this is like a fun thing and it sounds great, but it could also seem overwhelming. And you made a really brief comment. It was just part of a bigger phrase. And you, in the very beginning, you used the word, you know, segment. And so would this be that case where you're saying, okay, yeah, we love this idea, but we can only do it to our top 25 donors or our top 10 or something like that? I mean, what are your thoughts there? Yes, I think it is likely unrealistic to do it with everybody. So I think with your organization, you have to think who are my top priority? Is it the people who given for the first time? Is it people that have made the larger gifts? Okay. Is it people who maybe gave last year and not this year? And then think how we can, you know, how can you delegate the task, you know? Maybe a thank you comes from the leadership for the top donors and maybe the thank you comes from volunteers for lower level, you know, see how, you know, obviously the more impact you can make, the better. But, you know, and it's not a one size fits all. It doesn't have to be the same kind of thank you or, you know, and you can leave it up to the person's job it is to do it. You can have administrative assistants do it. Yeah. So, you know, everybody has limited resources. And so I think being strategic about how you're going to spend them is reasonable. You know, I love your concept of flexibility mixed with creativity. And I think that's a really cool thing because it makes it a lot more achievable. And the last thing we want to be doing to our teams is adding one more piece of drudgery that one of the things with the students in Africa, it was so magical for them. Yeah. Like one boy was like, I want to show you how fast I can run on our new soccer field. And he had another kid take an iPhone that our executive director had taken to Africa. And he ran as the kid ran kicking the ball. And I was like, oh my God. I mean, it was so genuine in the moment. And I was like, it just, it was magical. And so I asked our executive director, you know, well, what did the kids think about this? And they were like, is that all we want to do more? Can we do this again next semester? I mean, they became invested in the process. And so to your point, it was a win-win for everybody. I know, what a great side effect, right? Yeah. I think you have to rehearse and make it perfect, you know? But we've seen sometimes the funniest things are the outtakes. Exactly. And I think, you know, again, you use that word authentic. It was, it's an authentic engagement that you can't recreate and it's there and it just, it's so powerful. So as is your visit, Jennifer Palin, always powerful. We love having you on the nonprofit show. Jennifer Palin, Senior Director, Channel Management at Bloomerang. You know, if you're a consultant, I'm going to throw you out to the wolves, Jennifer. But please do, that's why I'm here. Thank you. If you're a consultant and you want to engage with what Bloomerang's doing, yeah, check them out. Bloomerang.co, I think.com also works, right now? Correct, it does. Okay, so Bloomerang, really an interesting organization full of talented people. We are very blessed to be working with them day in and day out and we get to get their best minds to join us. Again, I'm Julia Patrick, CEO of the American Nonprofit Academy. Jarrett Ransom, the nonprofit nerd will be joining us shortly. Again, thank you to all of our presenting sponsors, including Bloomerang, American Nonprofit Academy, Fundraising Academy at National University. Be generous, your part-time controller, the nonprofit nerd, nonprofit thought leader and staffing boutique. These are the folks that make visits like Jennifer possible. So, hey. Thank you. Thank you for having us. Oh my gosh, it's been really fun. I'm going to write some thank you notes. Later this afternoon. I love writing thank you notes. I write, I try and get out a number every week. But yeah, this is really cool and you've reminded me why I love it and why it's such a good thing. Absolutely. Well, thank you again. Take care. Thank you. Remember, everybody, as we like to end every episode with our little mantra, to stay well so you can do well. We'll see you back here tomorrow, everyone. Thank you, Jennifer.