Thanks for giving day!
Save the date! The 2019 Thanks for Giving Day is November 21st!
I created this day several years ago while working as my first director of development, and it was love at first site. I know there are other forms of this, like the thank-a-thon, etc., and this day in particular was created to coincide with the start of the holiday season. I decided to do it every Thursday before Thanksgiving Day (in the US).
The idea is to gather board members and staff that day to thank every donor that has given in the last year. I like to begin late afternoon and do something like 4pm – 8pm. I provide lists of donors, phone numbers, a taco bar and adult beverages.
There’s a nice amount of planning that goes into this before hand, but nothing that can’t be accomplished in a couple of afternoons. I like to have everything all planned out for those willing to come in and make phone calls. Typically I ask board members to sign up for a two-hour shift, and I confirm shifts a couple of days prior. This is an awesome opportunity for your board to get into the arena of fundraising and donor relationship building, and they do not have to make an ask.
What? No ask?!?!
No ask. The purpose is to express thanks to your donors. That’s all. I have loved walking by board members on the phone engaged in a great conversation with a donor. It warms my heart. And it strengthens the relationship with the donor.
That’s the basic idea. I like to do this in-house as I like the phone number of the agency to show up on caller ID. I ask board members to take any relevant notes and we add those to the donor data. And I live-Tweet and post on all social media platforms during the event. Also, there are other ways to do a Thanks for Giving Day if an evening doesn’t work.
Will you join us for Thanks for giving day? Your donors will love it. If you want to do it but the thought overwhelms you, we at Altrui be offering a discounted package to help you plan it!
Thanks for reading!