5 Steps to the Second Gift

Step 1: Within 48 hours
Thank your donors promptly and sincerely. Strengthen your new relationships while their gifts and the warm feelings associated with them are still fresh in their minds.

Thank everybody — no matter how small the gift. Use First Class postage for fast delivery. If you promised them a gift (calendar, wristband, tote bag, etc.), send it immediately. Recognize their new-donor status in your acknowledgment, welcome them to your organization, reference their gift amount and get specific about how their donations are having a direct, immediate impact. And be deeply grateful. Avoid a transactional, donation-receipt format that is cold and impersonal.