Showing the love: End-of-year stewardship ideas for memorable “Thank-yous”

Showing the love: End-of-year stewardship ideas for memorable “Thank-yous”

By Paxton Wunsch, Relationship Manager

The end of the calendar year is here. Many of our organizations have received generous gifts from foundations and individuals throughout the year and are looking for ways to thank donors in meaningful ways.

Let’s get honest. A single gift is not universal. Moreover, receiving gifts is not even a universal love language. A ”love language” is a concept developed by Gary Chapman, Ph.D, which lists five general ways that romantic partners express and experience love. While I am not exactly implying that you should “woo” your donors…many have come to use these love languages to help identify the best way to communicate, appreciate, and build better relationships with others. People are different. Donors are different. And often, the type of gift they give to your organization is different.

The Five Love Languages are:

• Words of Affirmation

• Quality Time

• Acts of Service

• Receiving Gifts

• Physical Touch

By aligning stewardship efforts with the love languages, you can tailor your thank-yous to resonate more deeply with a donor’s preferred way of receiving appreciation. Here are some ideas to express gratitude in a meaningful way:

1. Words of Affirmation: For donors who appreciate recognition or praise, crafting a heartfelt thank you would go a long way. One idea is a handwritten letter that identifies how their contribution impacted your organization and maybe even includes a picture of the program they helped fund. Another affirmation could be through public acknowledgment, recognizing donors in a year-end newsletter, website, or social media.

2. Quality Time: For donors who treasure personal interactions or experiences, try reaching out and offering exclusive experiences like a program tour or an in-house event. It could be a client holiday party, a staff luncheon, or a walk around campus to discuss the impact their donation has made. If physical distance from the donor is a barrier, try offering a virtual experience of the same things! 

3. Acts of Service: For donors who value actions, one meaningful way to show them you value their partnership is by crafting a tailored impact report or a year-in-review video. This shows the donor that you recognize their contribution and want to show them what an impact they made on your organization. If you have a corporate donor, you could also offer speaking engagements to their employees and create volunteer opportunities for them to get involved.

4. Receiving Gifts: For donors who appreciate thoughtful, tangible gifts…do just that- give a gift! Do your clients have a hand in producing a product or service you could gift? Perhaps your work impacts a certain neighborhood or population. Curating a gift or gift basket to reflect the valuable contribution the donor made to the organization is a great way to show your gratitude.

5. Physical Touch:  For donors who want to feel a sense of physical connection and care from your organization, try adding a personalized layer to your gift. You could personally deliver the handmade or mission-driven gift, create a custom keepsake such as a framed photo of a project they supported, or a plaque that represents their contributions.

While I recognize that you may not yet have cultivated a strong enough relationship with your donor(s) to identify their exact love language, this hopefully still provides you with many different and creative ways to express your gratitude for their generosity to your organization.