HOW TO RUN A CHARITY THANKATHON

Every charity needs a charity thankathon. Building long-term relationships with supporters is essential. The most effective way to do this is to tell them about the difference they have made and to say thank you and you don’t need a thank a thon script!

Running a charity thankathon is a fantastic way to connect with supporters, gain invaluable information about why they support your cause and also ensure that they continue to help in long-term. How do you do it and without a thankathon script?

1. GET BUY IN – Your donors don’t want to talk to fundraisers. They want to hear about the difference their support has made first hand. It is essential to get the buy in from trustees, key volunteers, front line staff and even beneficiaries where appropriate to take part in your charity thankathon.
Explain the importance of having continued support from your donors and how imperative it is that they are thanked. It is also worth mentioning the warm glow that they will get from speaking to the people who really believe in the work your cause is doing 🙂

2. DATABASE GOALS – One of the most unique (and best) things about being part of a small charity, is that you can really get to know your supporters. Once you have your list of who to thank; such as donors, volunteers and fundraisers, add relevant snippets of information. This could be anything from ‘came to Christmas fundraiser’ to ‘has given £2000 over 3 years.’ By doing this, you build a picture of the supporter for the person doing the thanking, making it as personal as possible.

3. SPLIT YOUR LIST – Now you have the list of who is being thanked, split this up for staff to call, email or send a handwritten card to within a set time-frame. Your team will have limited time to do their thanking, so make it as simple as possible. With your added details, try to match supporters to staff who would fit their motivation to support.

4. DON’T WRITE A CHARITY THANKATHON SCRIPT – Instead make bullet points and brief the team to tell stories of the work they do. The key point is not to talk about the charity, but your beneficiaries and how their support has helped to change lives. Make sure that there are no asks for money and that the team thank, thank and thank again!

5. DEBRIEF – Hold a session to talk with the team about the feedback supporters gave to the charity thankathon. This insight is a great way to help build a supporter profile. It also encourages your team to think like fundraisers, understanding donor motivation and how important they are to the charities future.

We need to let our supporters know how much they mean to our beneficiaries. They are people who are keeping your charity going. So please, thank, thank and thank again!