Giving thanks: Ideas for how to show your supporters that you care around the holidays

You know how to show your family and friends that you care about them around the holidays – Making your family’s favorite pumpkin pie or picking out presents for your friends is a staple. However, the end of the year is a great time to show your donors, volunteers and other supporters that you appreciate them, too.

Although, how you do that might not be as clear cut. You might do a great job at thanking your donors initially, but letting your donors know you haven’t forgot about them ensures that they wont forget about you.

Here are six creative ideas to say ‘Thank You’ to your supporters:

• Send an email with your year end report – Sending your year end report to share the outcome of your work will make your supporters feel like they really are part of the team. Another tip: transform your year end report into an infographic. Click here for some inspiration.
• Send an email with a video thank you – Sending a multimedia thank you will make you stand out from other organizations. This is a great low cost option, and a creative way to show that you care. In this video, you can give your supporters a tour of your office, summarize all of the great work you have done in the last year, or use signage.
• Holiday cards – Holiday cards with pictures of your staff or clients (with their permission) puts a face to your mission, and gives your supporters something to hang on their fridge. This can be a digital e-card or a physical card. Whatever works best for your organization and your supporters’ communication styles.
• Send a special letter to donors, preferably a handwritten one – Personalizing your thank you letters will add a special, personal touch. If you are stretched for time or stamps, you can limit handwritten letters to just your highest donors.
• Host a donor/volunteer thank you event – …but not an event that requires the donor to give more money. Energy and money put into an event like this might seem like a waste, but this can be a better investment in the long run. If a supporter feels truly appreciated, they will give more in energy, time and money in the future.
• Send a present – Of course, this can be an option for just your top donors. Remember to give only “token” gifts in order to comply with federal law. You can find out more about current “quid pro quo” gift limitations here. Send a coffee mug, an ice scraper (depending on the weather in your area) or another universally useful item with your organization’s logo on it.

What methods has your organization used to say “Thank you!” to your supports?