[RESEARCH] New Study Shows Importance of Saying Thank You to Donors

How should we be thanking supporters? Should we thank donors for their gift, for the difference they have made or for being the kind of person they are or would like to be?

And should a thank-you be designed differently for donors at different stages in their relationship?

Do certain types of thank-you allow donors to experience higher levels of well being and what does this mean for subsequent behavior?

These questions are why Bloomerang teamed up with Pursuant and The Institute for Conversational Fundraising to support new research from The Philanthropy Centre.

The study — Learning to Say Thank You | The Role of Donor Acknowledgements — addresses four questions:

1. How do fundraisers define acknowledgement programs?
2. What purposes are served by acknowledgement programs?
3. What are the biggest barriers that prevent fundraisers from designing and implementing a successful acknowledgement program?
4. How can we make acknowledgement programs more effective in fulfilling these purposes?

The research, conducted by Jen Shang, Adrian Sargeant, Kathryn Carpenter, and Harriet Day includes several experiments and A/B tests from several participating nonprofits. It’s chock-full of practical takeaways for charities of all shapes and sizes!

You can download the study for free here >>