Make December donor appreciation month

Have you ever felt under appreciated? It doesn’t feel good.

As the year-end season kicks into high gear tomorrow with Giving Tuesday, remember that appreciating your donors is a central part of your gig.

The way you treat your donors when you aren’t asking them for money is just as important as how you ask for it.

Of course, this is the season for giving — so ask. But make sure you sprinkle in appreciation throughout the experience:

• Is someone checking the inquiries you get to your emails and responding when appropriate?
• Is it easy for a donor to find someone to call if they have questions or concerns?
• Does your thank you copy sparkle or does it feel stale?
• Are you going to suppress donors from immediate follow up appeals or will they get the full onslaught of asks? If you do ask again, are you recognizing they gave earlier in the campaign?
• Is there anything remarkable you could add to your confirmation pages or auto responders?

The ask is part of it. But what happens during and after the ask is most important.

May you have a successful year end campaign!