Saying Thank You.

Never ever, ever, ever never ever forget to say thank you.

Ever.

I have the most incredible support team in the world. (Scroll down, look at all of them!) To be honest, I am so blown away by the support I’ve received it’s staggering. And if there is one thing a good person, and a good fundraiser, needs to do is SAY THANK YOU.

Every time anyone gives you a donation, whether £.01 or £1,000,000.00 thank them. And when you thank them, don’t just mumble something nice or stick “ta” on their Facebook profile. Give kind, thoughtful words. If you are out on collections or working for tips you may not be able to stop and thank someone as you should, but you should always be sincere and smile.

Keep a thank you letter template handy. This is great if you are sending emails, letters, or cards to people for their donations. Some sites will automatically send thank yous right to the donor, but don’t count on it.

Here’s an example:

Dear X,

I am extremely grateful for your donation of X to the National Autistic Society. I’ve trained very hard for my marathon and raising funds to support people living with autism has only encouraged me to keep at it. Your donation helps support work programmes, schools, and gives help to families who care for autistic family members.

On Sunday, March 21st I will be running the streets of Rome with the encouragement of people just like you. From the bottom of my heart, thank you for your encouragement and support.

X

Now this is just a generic letter. I encourage you to put personal bits in to make it extra special. (Ex. “You’ve always said I was crazy, but now you’re supporting my crazy!”) You can also Tweet or post your friend/family/colleague’s name and let everyone know what a fantastic thing it is they’ve supported you. Others use sponsor’s names to decorate their running jersey.

However you decide to say thanks, remember to do so with kindness and sincerity. But most of all, remember to do it.