Ask a Responsive Fundraiser: How to Say Thanks, Generational Gaps, and More

Welcome back to Ask a Responsive Fundraiser! This week, Carly Berna, Director of Product Marketing at Virtuous, is back to answer your questions. We’re tackling donor thank yous, bridging the generation gap, and more.

Be sure to check out past editions of Ask a Responsive Fundraiser and leave us a comment on LinkedIn so we can answer your questions! 

Dear Responsive Fundraiser: What is the most effective way to say thank you for donor retention? Should we call? Send a handwritten card? Or is an email sufficient? Does it depend on the size of donation?

—Grappling with a Gratitude Gap

Dear Grappling: At Virtuous, we often say, treat every donor like a major donor. What we’re saying here is treat every donor like they want to be treated! Which is exactly how we treat a major donor. 

We learn their preferences, what they like, how they want to be talked to, and how often they want to hear from us, and then we listen to those preferences and connect with them the way they want. That should also apply to thanking your donors. What do they prefer? Do they like a phone call? Would they rather text? Do they like getting custom videos? Or do they just want you to shoot them a quick email? 

Learn their preferences, record them in your CRM, and use that when you follow up and thank them in the future.

Dear Responsive Fundraiser: What strategies can we use to get the younger generation to donate?

—Seeking Strategies

Dear Seeking: If I had a dollar for every time I heard, “We need to get the younger generation to donate,” I would be incredibly wealthy. 

Can I tell you a secret? It’s not about getting the younger generation to donate—it’s about life stages! People start donating as they get older, are settled with their families, and have more disposable income, around age 65. 

The key is to change your fundraising, marketing, and messaging for the demographics of whoever is in that life stage. If that is a Baby Boomer, Gen X, or, in the future, a Millennial, then how you communicate to them will change as they reach that age.

That doesn’t mean you can’t engage younger generations at all. You definitely can. Here are a few ideas:

1. Look at their social influence: Would they be willing to make a post about your organization and engage others around your cause?
2. Promote micro-donations: Focus on campaigns that are smaller and recurring donations that would fit the budget of younger donors.
3. Ask them to volunteer: Although they may not have the funds to donate, they may have the time to engage through volunteering and get invested in your organization.
4. Provide leadership opportunities: Establish a youth advisory board or committee where younger generations can have a voice with new ideas about your cause, allowing them to foster a deeper connection and commitment with your organization.
5. Be transparent: Younger generations want transparency about where donations go, how funds are used, and the impact they are having. Whether they are volunteering, advocating, or donating, you’ll need to be very clear about the process to build trust and gain their support.

Dear Responsive Fundraiser: I often feel that the IT department stops the technology we want to implement in the fundraising department. Do you have any suggestions on how to overcome this?

—Implementing Issues

Dear Implementing: I don’t want to throw IT under the bus, but I know they can be curmudgeons sometimes when it comes to new technology. In their defense, they’re trying to protect the organization in various ways, but that sometimes feels like a barrier to innovation. 

Here are a couple of ideas to help break down those silos:

1. Involve Everyone in Decisions: IT shouldn’t be the only voice when choosing software. Bringing other teams (Development, Marketing, Donor Service, etc.) into the decision-making process ensures that the tools you select work for everyone. IT’s role should be to guide and support, not dictate.
2. Encourage Cross-Team Collaboration: Have Fundraisers spend time with other teams and vice versa. When each team understands the challenges and successes of the other, it builds empathy and a stronger sense of shared mission.
3. Communicate Regularly: A simple weekly update from each department can make a difference. When everyone knows what’s happening across the organization, it creates transparency and opens up opportunities for collaboration.
4. Walk in Each Other’s Shoes: If possible, let team members experience a day in the life of their colleagues. Whether it’s a Fundraiser shadowing IT or an IT professional spending time with the Donor Service team, these experiences can break down barriers and build stronger, more collaborative relationships.

If you’re reading this thinking, “That won’t work; you don’t know my IT department,” I encourage you to try it, and you might be surprised. If not, comment back, and we’ll help straighten them out. 😉

Read more: How to Sell Your CRM Conversion Internally: A Strategic Guide

If you want your question answered, drop us a line on LinkedIn! Check back next Thursday to see what our Responsive Fundraisers have to say.