When I was a kid, my mom was naggingly insistent that her children send thank you notes whenever we received a gift. Well, according to Tom Ahern, a leading authority on working with donors, once again mom was right.
“Thank the donor immediately,” says Ahern in his book Keep Your Donors: The Guide to Better Communications & Stronger Relationships. “The thank you letter sets the tone for all your subsequent communications with the donor.”
Trinity Lutheran Church, Waukesha, WI, is spot on when it comes to thank you’s. Church secretary Sandy recently asked me to design a simple card that would allow them to handwrite their own message of thanks, whatever the occasion.
Working with Sandy has been a charm. We discussed imagery for the cover and Sandy submitted several samples that she shot herself. With a little sharpening and perspective adjustment, her photo of Trinity’s stained glass window was just what we wanted. We topped that off with a UV coating on the cover side for a nice gloss and left the inside flat for easy writing (thanks Crossmark Graphics).
A beautiful card, a handwritten note and a fitting Bible passage. Now there’s a thank you note my mom would have loved!