Last night, I received an email from the Canadian Red Cross with the subject line:
An important update on your donation
I was dreading what I would find inside. Not because I thought there would be some kind of awful update. Or that I expect terribly poor communications from Red Cross. It’s just my Pavlovian response to a lot of terrible ‘updates on my donations’ from so many charities.
Well, there was no reason for my click-cringe.
I had just received a very nice, succinct, personal and even a bit emotive email from the incredibly impressive Conrad Sauvé, President & CEO of the Canadian Red Cross. It arrived a week after I made my donation online, which is fantastic, especially given the enormous pressure the entire Canadian Red Cross staff is under, dealing with the Fort McMurray fire and subsequent disaster response.
The beginning of the closing line was especially awesome: “From the bottom of my heart, I thank you…”
If you’re looking for a great template for an easy update for your donors after an important event, or even (knock-on-wood, it’s unnecessary) an emergency, click here to see this excellent example of donor communications.
Now, because, I’m me, I just can’t help but suggest 2 small improvements as you file it away for your template. First, personalize the email with the donor name. Second, offer just a little more information about the scope of Canadian support.
Of course, easy for me to comment from the comfort of my office chair, with the luxury of not having to attend to the incredible workload that the dedicated Red Cross staff and volunteers are currently faced with.
Do you have any comments or ideas on spectacular donor communications? Share them here, or you can Email or call David (toll-free in North America on 1-800-991-3318 x101 or on our New Zealand freephone 0800 995 054).