A few weeks back I had coffee with a former client. She’s a great fundraiser that has a knack for connecting donors with their passions.
She’s one of my favourite people. Not the least because she always has a great story to share. This Friday morning coffee was no exception.
We only had a few minutes together before I had to head off to my next visit on my whirlwind trip through the Canadian prairies. Once we caught each other up on some of the more mundane stuff, Cynthia* excitedly launched into a story about a donor.
She had gone to visit an elderly fella who had just moved into a long-term care facility. He had just made a very significant gift of $50,000…in response to a direct mail letter.
He’s a loyal donor, giving for more than 10 years, but always less than $1000! But if you can believe it, this is not my favourite part of the story.
The part that really got me sporting a wide smile happened when Cynthia went to visit the donor.
This gentleman had just gone through his over 80-years worth of accumulated possessions, leaving behind almost everything so he could squeeze into his very small long-term care quarters.
He had settled in by the time Cynthia arrived. She noticed that in the sparsely furnished and tidy small space he had brought only a few personal items. But over in a neat stack on his little desk, was every single letter her charity had mailed him.
Of course I was happy to learn that many in that neat stack were packages my team and I had created.
But much more important is the perfect evidence about how critically meaningful good donor communications can be for those who receive it.
That put a wide goofy grin on my face for the rest of my whirlwind trip.
[*I’ve changed Cynthia’s name to respect her request for anonymity.]
Would you like to make your donors cherish every communication from your organisation? Fundraising Pharmacy can help. Email or call David (toll-free in North America on 1-800-991-3318 x101 or on our New Zealand freephone 0800 995 054) today for free, no obligation advice.