Wondering how to say “thank you” in a way that keeps supporters coming back? Taking a moment to sincerely connect with your supporters lets them know that they’re supporting real people who honestly care about their work and their donors’ support of it.
The key to an effective thank you is remembering that people are visual first; sight is our most advanced sense. We trust what we can see. Showing your gratitude is just as important as verbalizing it.
Here are a couple ideas for conveying genuine gratitude from two tech-savvy nonprofits:
The Nature Conservancy thanks people with visuals of the places and wildlife they protect, but, most importantly, the staff people who are grateful for the support. Here is a recent one. Notice how every speaker is looking directly at the camera – in essence, at you, the donor. If you want people to pay attention, look them straight in the eye. People are wired to engage with faces, particularly people’s eyes—we read facial cues to tell if someone is friend or foe, sincere or fake. 
A face-to-face encounter, even separated by a computer screen, is the most powerful way to engage with supporters. Check out this personalized thank you that Diabetes UK posted to one of their donor’s Twitter accounts. A great way to use Vine videos to boot! We live in a world now where people 3,000 miles away can hear about your cause and give their support. But no matter how technical society gets, human beings fundamentally crave relationships. We want to see who we’re supporting.
Use visuals to show your supporters that you genuinely care, and they’ll keep giving back!
– Avery Haller
