Donor Recognition: The Real Key to Retention

Another facet to respecting donors is providing a timely gift acknowledgment and thank-you message. Donors want to know that the organizations they donate to both receive their gifts and appreciate them — quickly.

“When a donor gives a donation and doesn’t receive a thank-you in a timely fashion, it can rub the donor the wrong way. And sometimes, if an organization doesn’t have timely acknowledgments, a donor may receive a solicitation before receiving a thank-you, which can really rub them the wrong way — being asked again before being thanked,” Sayre says.