Gracious, Danka, Arigato, thank you, ….regardless of the language spoken the recipient feels the same….appreciated and acknowledged. In everyday life, common courtesy demands that you say thank you in response to a good deed. That rule carries over into the fundraising arena even more. Contributors who part with their hard earned cash expect a thank you when they make a donation. And when it’s not received, the donor feels his efforts to help were overlooked.

If donors aren’t made to feel appreciated they can be a nail in your organization’s coffin.

We all hear and see the stories of starving people throughout the world who go to bed hungry every night, but psychologists tell us that millions of people go to bed every night literally starving for sincere appreciation.

Each of us has a psychological need to feel wanted and recognized and if your campaign can remember that and build a program emphasizing that philosophy, you’ll see fundraising miracles happen.

Showing appreciation is full of big meaning to everyone. It becomes a quality in a highly thought of character. It’s something you can’t see but you sure can feel. Those who harness its power are surrounded by a dedicated heartfelt army of friends that stick by your side.

I have an aunt who has sent me money on my birthday for the past 39 years. One day after I received my annual bounty, which by the way is the equivalent to a hamburger and coke, I called to thank her. While talking to her I said, “this has got to cost you a lot of money every year, after all you’ve got over 50 nieces and nephews.” She said, “no not at all, I only give to you and 3 others.” I was taken back and asked her why I was so lucky and with a quiver in her voice she told me how lovely my thank you letters were and how good it feels to hear from those you’ve given to. It’s a lesson I’ve never forgotten and I can tell you it pays off in dividends and calories in the case of my aunt.

At my firm, I make it a priority that all donors are thanked no matter how small their contribution and they’re thanked within 72 hours of receiving the donation. A $5 contribution given the proper attention can grow into bigger more consistent donations down the road.

A donor acknowledgment program should be tailored specifically to the donor who gave to your campaign or organization. Your goal should be to make every donor feel like you know him and you’re familiar with his giving habits. You’re in competition for the donor’s discretionary income and so to encourage the relationship you’ve got to court them and a thank you goes a long way towards achieving that goal.

A thank you letter should be designed with as many specifics as possible. A good thank you can only be written to one person for one specific occasion. If you have a good database manager it’s fairly easy to mention the amount the donor gave to the organization. It can be very easy and make the letter much more personal. Writing back to the donor the way he or she signs his own letter is another way to get to win the donor over. Try using a monarch size envelope with matching paper to give it more of a personal look. The key is to make the letter look like you’ve sent it only to them and not 1,000 other donors.

Individuals who contribute large donations, $1,000 or more, should get a personal letter or even a personal phone call from the candidate or the head of the organization. This kind of attention will give you huge dividends down the road.

One organization I contribute to sends me a birthday letter and last year they even called me on my birthday. I don’t give a lot, but I can tell you that if I have left over descretionery funds I’m going to remember how kind and appreciative this organization has been and fork over an additional contribution this year.

Being a leader in an industry that’s many times considered the step sister in the family of a political campaign, I get plenty of jabs from media, and campaign professionals and even friends about my chosen career as a political fundraiser. There’s not a week that goes by when someone doesn’t ask me, “How do you keep doing this.” I couldn’t keep up this pace in such a thankless field.” Many years ago after a heated two years of raising money for a member of Congress and seeing the campaign responsibly spend the money I had raised so the he could win the election, this member walked into my office to see me. It wasn’t a scheduled meeting and the election had just ended. It was a slow Friday afternoon in November. He entered my office extended his hand and said, “Todd I just wanted to drop by to say thank you for helping me win.” To many campaign professionals this might seem like an occurrence that happens regularly, not in the fundraising arena. Although I know my clients are grateful for my help and I of course am grateful for the opportunity to help them, I never expect a thank you. This was a very rare occasion. And it still to this day has an impact on the way I raise money for this member. He gets first priority and if I have a little extra time it goes to his campaign. I go out of my way to raise more money for him. It’s the power of thank you. It’s the magic of making someone feel appreciated. That day I was recognized as someone who truly does give added value to the political world.

The power of these two words is phenomenal. I’ve seen donors to political campaigns frame an offset printed thank you note from a member of congress and hang it in their living room, for all to admire. Do they realize that the member really didn’t sign it? I don’t know. They know they were recognized for giving what they had to a cause they believed in enough to back up with their wallet. That’s real commitment and it deserves real gratitude.

Campaigns who realize the power of the “thank you” tend to have the magic touch when it comes to raising money. The donors keep coming back again and again and are always there to back up the one person that recognized them for opening up their wallet and making a solid commitment to someone they might barely know. They support the candidate through the toughest battles and give again and again, all because someone took time to say one of the magic words our parents all taught us, “Thank You.”