“I take my donors very personally because I take the kids in Africa very personally. So if someone's gonna come alongside me and help me accomplish the goal of building up this child and the community so they can thrive, then that's personal to me. It's not about a number. It's about someone cares enough about what I'm doing to join me in that work.”
— Candi Summers, Bestwā

Welcoming New Donors With Gratitude with Candi Summers

Session 131

When you give a donation to an organization that actually works in another continent, how can you be sure you’re even making a difference? Candi Summers is here to tell you you are making a difference. She’s seen it and she can show you, too. Through her work with Bestwā, donors are able to help feed children in Liberia and Candi has found ways to show donors that they really are making a difference — especially new donors. With new donors, especially, Candi has made it a point to go out of her way to thank them for getting involved. Through personalized, handwritten thank-you notes to shout outs on her Facebook page, she makes it a point to truly welcome new donors into the Bestwā family.

She and Beth discuss:

  • How to use micro stories to tell a larger story
  • Using Facebook to create a connection with new donors
  • Why handwriting a personalized thank you note is worth the effort and how soon you should send it
  • Why Candi compares someone giving a gift to “falling in love”
  • How finding a mentor or a “model” can inspire you and give you ideas you can use in your own organizations
  • Learning to tell the difference between a tactic and a strategy
  • How handwritten notes make your donors feel more connected and more like a partner in the work
Resources:

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