The day of love is almost here.
While often positioned as a holiday for romantic love, Valentine’s Day can equally be about the love you have for your family, friends, pets—and donors.
Before I sat down to write this blog, I did a mindfulness exercise called the 5-4-3-2-1 Grounding Technique. It’s a way to quiet the mind and focus on the moment you are in by paying attention to your five senses.
While contemplating the blog topic, it struck me that reflecting on the five senses might be helpful. Engaging someone’s senses brings them out of their head and into their body, where they can experience your gratitude in a more powerful, lasting way.
So, let’s delight your donors’ senses and make them feel, see, hear, taste—and yes—smell your gratitude.
Sight
Create an “Impact Report” with infographics showing how donations transformed lives over the past year. Include real photos of the people or projects that have benefited from your donors’ generosity.
Design a virtual donor wall, an online “Legacy Wall of Honor” of sorts, thanking donors, providing impact statements and sharing photos showcasing your good work.
Produce a video featuring someone impacted by the work your nonprofit does, expressing their gratitude for the service or assistance they received. End with a simple statement from you or your team… “YOU helped make this possible. Thank you.”
Hot Tip: Worried about the time and effort to produce and send videos? Check out Thank View and ViewSPARK, two video messaging platforms that can help you from start to finish.
→ Higher Ed nonprofits: Design an infographic showing the “ripple effect” of their gift—how one scholarship leads to a degree, a successful career and finally, giving back to the community.
Hearing
Create a simple 1-minute “Sounds of Impact” audio clip featuring the everyday sounds of your nonprofit going about fulfilling your mission. End with a thank you… “These sounds are brought to you by YOU. The generosity of donors like you allows us to do our good work (or insert mission statement). Thank you.”
Record a unified thank you from your entire staff (everyone says, “Thank you!” together) followed by a brief message from your ED.
Hot Tip: Wondering how to send your audio messages? Platforms like DonorDock and Slybroadcast use ringless voicemail technology, sending your audio messages straight to your donors’ voicemail (individually or in bulk).
→ Health Care nonprofits: (With permission) Record the sounds of the NICU—babies cooing, heartbeat monitors, parents adoring their newborns—then add a message of thanks… “These sounds are made possible because of the generosity of donors like you. Thank you.”
Smell
Drop off a small bag of coffee beans with a handwritten note. Thank your donors for their support… “Just like a good cup of coffee, your support brings comfort and hope to those in need and helps to fuel lasting change.”
Send a scented candle with a handwritten note… “Your generosity lights the way for those we serve.”
Mail small packets of wildflower seeds that will bloom into fragrant flowers. Include a handwritten note… “May these flowers be a growing reminder of your legacy. Your support helps us flourish. Thank you.”
Taste
Work with a local bakery to create heart-shaped cookies with your nonprofit’s logo or mission-related symbols. Personally deliver to local donors with a handwritten note.
Package a jar of honey with a personal note… “Just like bees working together to make honey, support from people like you creates a lasting impact. Thank you for being a vital part of our hive!”
Send individually wrapped fortune cookies with a custom message printed on the fortune inside… “We are so fortunate for your support. Thank you!”
Touch
Make a textured bookmark featuring your nonprofit’s mission, impact stats, or a quote from someone who received help.
Create a tactile infographic with raised elements or different textures representing data points about the impact of their donations—making the statistics literally tangible.
Using quality paper, create a simple origami piece related to your mission or thank-you message (butterfly, tree, heart, animal, flowers) that donors can display.
→ Human services nonprofits: Send a handcrafted item made by program participants (a small woven basket, a crocheted pot holder, a beaded bracelet) that donors can keep as a tangible reminder of their impact.
I’m sending my love and gratitude to YOU, nonprofit fundraiser, for all you do to make the world a better place. And if I could send you all a Berry Good Strawberry Scratch ‘n’ Sniff Sticker so you could smell my appreciation for the “berry good” job you are doing, I would.
Happy Valentine’s Day!