The Power of Thankathons – Bright Spot Fundraising

How a thanking initiative helped halt decline in individual giving.

In a tough fundraising climate where people are thinking twice about their charity gifts, taking extra good care of existing donors is obviously a solid strategy. They could be third-party fundraisers, event participants, individual donors at any level, or regular givers.

In Episode 103 of the Fundraising Bright Spots podcast, Alice Barley Chaudhuri, who at the time of the podcast interview was Head of Fundraising and Communications at Chance for Children, shared how the decision to organise a special thanking day in 2020 ultimately helped the team to halt a long-term decline in regular giving income. Importantly, the initiative was straightforward and practical. And you can use it to deepen the connection with every type of donor.

Chance for Children is an INGO supporting children across Africa. The charity is reasonably small, and Alice is one of four in the fundraising team. New to the role at the end of 2019, she faced a sizeable fundraising target just as the new financial year saw the counter set back to zero. So Alice was on the lookout for initiatives that would help.

The idea for a day-long thankathon took root when Alice attended Bright Spot’s quarterly Breakfast Club for Fundraising Leaders. That morning, Louise and Sarah from Mines Advisory Group shared insight into their time-limited thanking initiative. And they gave valuable tips to help fundraising leaders like Alice introduce something similar.

It was the simplicity of the idea that prompted Alice to consider rolling it out to thank the charity’s supporters, including regular givers. This important group of donors give generously and contribute significantly to the charity’s unrestricted income, aka the holy grail of income. But being an older demographic meant there had been a steady decline in support over several years – sound familiar?

Getting started

Alice knew a top-down approach would be important if she was to involve people from other teams. So sharing the idea with the CEO was top of the to-do list.

With the CEO’s buy-in and encouragement, Alice had the confidence to invite colleagues from across the organisation. She set the date, pulled together a list of donors and assigned them to those involved.

“I think you really have to get buy-in from someone on the leadership team. I’m on the leadership team, but the fact that my CEO said ‘yes, do it’, really then got the buy-in of everyone else.” Alice

Creating the ‘mini WOW’

And then she sent those colleagues a KitKat…

Alice explained she was conscious that spending time calling donors was unlikely to already be at the top of most people’s to-do list. Everyone was super busy with their day job, with extra pandemic-related pressures piled on top. That’s why at 2pm on thankathon day, Alice invited everyone to ‘have a break, have a KitKat’ and catch up on Zoom.

That was when the internal impact of the thankathon became apparent.

Harnessing unexpected wins

Alice shared that a by-product of this donor-focused activity was greater connection with colleagues. The shared, feel-good experience brought everyone together. But more than that, it started a culture shift in the organisation that has increased understanding across teams.

It helps that since the first thankathon, the chair has been hugely supportive, encouraging everyone on the board to take part.

But perhaps the most notable shift internally was an acceptance across the organisation that it’s okay not to see a financial return in the short term when it’s the right thing to do for donors – something fundraising leaders know yet often come up against. It’s a fundamental mindset change towards proactive, strategic donor-friendly activity.

The power of a personal thank you

In just a few hours, Alice and her colleagues created a deeper connection between donors and the charity, fostering loyalty and for some, an increased likelihood of generous giving in the future. And over the last two years, the long-term decline in regular gifts has halted. She shared that it was that first thankathon that set things in motion and led to this remarkable achievement.

As fundraisers, we know the power of a personal thank you. But when Alice included a legacy pledger on the thanking list, she did so tentatively. A brief call from the supporter months before had given Alice the impression the supporter didn’t feel the need for regular contact with the charity. But pledging to leave a gift in her will, it felt right she should receive a call from the CEO. The outcome was a lengthy, emotional chat during which she felt able to share her reasons for the gift and connection with the charity. It was a conversation that wouldn’t ordinarily have happened. And now Alice has the background information she needs to make sure the supporter has the right experience with the charity.

The value of getting started

The first simple thankathon day had such an impact on the charity that Alice and her colleagues have gone on to develop the initiative into its current format – a carefully planned week-long event. And they have introduced different activity around the week of calls, including thank-you cards and a digital campaign to build anticipation. But still, at the heart of the initiative is the focus on helping supporters know their generosity makes a big difference.

Since we recorded the podcast interview, Alice has moved on from the charity, but Sian Underwood, who is Individual Giving Officer at Chance for Childhood, let me know that the team continue to invest time and energy into creative thanking for all their generous supporters. For instance, just before Christmas 2022, they did an extra mini thankathon which went well and boosted income from their Big Give campaign.

For instance, Sian let me know that as a result of one of these calls, a donor decided to QUADRUPLE their already large gift! Going forward they plan to do quarterly thankathons based around anniversaries of supporters’ gifts, as well as their usual annual thanking event.

Key takeaways

• Do your utmost to get buy-in from the CEO / senior leadership team. This makes a big difference to your chances of getting people on board.
• Language makes a difference. Promoting a ‘thanking day’ or ‘thankathon’ might be more likely to inspire people than a new ‘stewardship strategy’.
• Start small if need be. Don’t wait for everyone in your organisation to get on board – harness the enthusiasm of those willing to help.
• See it as a pilot. There are bound to be things you can learn from the first one. Search for ways to improve with the next one.
• Create ‘mini WOW’ moments internally too. Go the extra mile to give those taking part a positive experience. Thoughtful touches let people know you appreciate their help.

Listen to the podcast now to hear more from Alice and how she went from a standing start to a successful initiative in a short time and with a small team.

And if you’re looking for inspiration or want to connect with other fundraising leaders facing challenges similar to yours, join me at the next Bright Spot Breakfast Club for Fundraising Leaders by subscribing to our newsletter to hear when we release the next date. Or check out previous Breakfast Clubs on our YouTube.