by Betsy Steward

Research shows that a handwritten thank-you note sent immediately after you receive a gift helps ensure a repeated—and often increased—gift. We live in a time when everything is automated: you buy something online and immediately you get an email saying how important your business is… yeah, yeah, yeah.

A handwritten note is personal. And therefore powerful. At the non-profit where I worked during the 2008-2009 economic crisis, I set a policy of sending a handwritten note within three days of receiving a gift. I believe it’s one reason why, unlike most of the other nonprofits where I live, our donation total increased instead of decreasing or staying flat during that awful time.

“But,” you say, “my handwriting isn’t good.” I won’t suggest taking a class because, really? Who has time for a handwriting class. Not I, and probably not you, either. 

But… there are simple things you can do improve your handwritten notes. First of all, block out time for this task. Notes take focus, concentration, and…time.

Secondly, close your door so you won’t be distracted or disturbed. It’s not mindless! You need to focus on it, otherwise you write half of it, make a mistake and have to start over.

Third: SLOW. DOWN. These days, we all type really fast and we all multitask. Most of us are out of practice in writing carefully and legibly. Slow down to give your hand the time it needs to write clearly.

Last, write big! Bigger than you usually write. It will slow you down, look better, and the donor will have a better chance of being able to read it.

What should you write? Something simple but sincere, like “How kind of you to send such a generous gift! You made my day. Thanks very much.” Short but sweet, and genuine.

It’s important to keep track of what you wrote, when you sent it and who signed the note. Your technique for keeping track may be determined by the database you use. 

Here’s a method that has worked well for me: Whenever a donation arrived, I created a Word document named with the donor’s name, which I stored in a folder called “Handwritten Notes.” I put in the date, typed out what I would later write by hand, and included the initials of whoever was to sign it. When another donation from the same donor arrived, I’d go back to the same document to record the next note. This way, my organization had a record of what I wrote to each donor; I could see my previous notes so I could avoid wording it the same way again; and once I figured out the wording for any particular appeal, I could copy and paste it to other donors’ documents.

Whatever method you use, don’t ignore the power of the handwritten thank-you note. When’s the last time you got one? And how did it make you feel? Sincerely thanked, I bet.

Betsy Steward is an independent fundraising consultant. She advises clients on major donor cultivation, solicitation and stewardship, as well as fundraising best practices, back-office organization, board presentations and writing to donors (appeal letters, emails, proposal letters, thank-you notes, etc.). She can be reached at BetsyVSteward@gmail.com.

This article was originally posted on Heller Fundraising Group's blog here: https://hellerfundraisinggroup.com/blog/handwritten-notes-the-secret-weapon-in-fundraising