Seven Strategies for Building Meaningful Major-donor Relationships

5. Say thank you over and over again. There is still nothing more effective than a warm, personal and handwritten thank-you note. But keep in mind that some of today’s tech-savvy donors prefer e-mail acknowledgements and accommodate them accordingly.

6. Give appropriate recognition. When your donors receive their personal copy of your annual report, what do you think they read first? Believe it or not, they turn to the donor recognition page(s) and look for their name. So it better be there — and spelled correctly. And depending on their gift level, each donor also should be recognized with certificates, plaques, room/building naming opportunities, etc.