The Art of Appreciation
I just finished a book that educated and moved me deeply: How to Say Babylon, a memoir by Safiya Sinclair. There were so many moments of awe in her story. For me, one of them was her acknowledgments. It was a reminder of the art of appreciation.
In fundraising, this can be dicey business. From the donor’s perspective, “We couldn’t have done it without you” seems a bit disingenuous. I seriously doubt that my $50 really made much of a dent in program implementation.
Let’s be honest. Platitudes of thanks like these are mostly a plea asking donors to keep on giving.
In contrast, what struck me about the book acknowledgements was their specificity. They thank someone for something real.
Sincere Message Ideas for Donors
I’ve adapted these acknowledgements for our context. Perhaps they’ll inspire you as you craft sincere messages of donor appreciation.
- When [we] began [this work] 10 year ago, you were the first [funder] to, not only believe in this vision but, more importantly, believed in me at a time when I felt the most alone in this world. Thank you for your patience and unwavering belief, which helped give [us] the confidence [we] needed to [do this work].
- Thank you being one of my fiercest advocates.
- Thank you for helping to sharpen my mind … and for pushing [us] to be [our] absolute best. Your wisdom and encouragement these past [X] years have been an indispensable gift.
- The entire [foundation] team rallied around this [project] with such care and helped to bring it into existence.
- To my most unwavering advocate and mentor, thank you for helping to make space for [our] work in so many crucial ways over the years. Thank you for being [our] wisest and most steadfast supporter in all our endeavors.
- Thank you for paving the way for [us and other nonprofits like us], and for always offering your help, advice and encouragement.
- A very special thank you for your infectious passion and tireless support for [our issue area] in [our geography].
- My deepest thanks to [a person] for being such a wise and generous advisor, and to the [foundation and their team] for the years of support.
- I’m immensely grateful to [you], who have been hearing [us] talk about this [work] for more than [X] years, and never stopped believing in its possibility.
- Thank you for offering a lamplight of hope when [we] needed it most. You have always shown [us] how to be [our] best selves.
- Thank you [to a group of people] for giving [us] safe haven, for the laughter, the advice, the listening ear, the shoulder to cry on, and the dazzling inspiration of your genius minds. I have found a family in each of you. Your sisterhood has made my world.
- Thank you for instilling the steadfast rebel in [us], even when you didn’t like [us] very much. [Our] fire is your enduring gift. The way has been rocky, but I hope we keep working on it.
- Thank you for helping [us] to understand all the power [we] possess. You showed [us] how to walk taller.
- Thank you for always reminding me how to move with grace, to always change the spaces [we work in] for the better.
Ms. Sinclair’s acknowledgments reminded me how truly beautiful a sincere thank you can be. And how in sincerity, you can use donor appreciation to tell stories about your nonprofit’s impact, have a conversation with a donor that has no “ask,” and ultimately keep donors giving.
