Thanking Givers? Do This, Not That

We’ve written before about the importance of thanking givers well, but we’ve never had a show-and-tell of problematic thank-you’s until now.

Poor thank-you’s can be a result of…
1) Taking gifts for granted
2) Not knowing how to write a good thank-you message
3) Not having control of the thank-you’s your givers get from your online giving vendor

All three of these have an EASY FIX (go here and here).

But today’s post is about #3, or WHAT NOT TO DO in your gift acknowledgements.

How A Gift Acknowledgement Can Help Online Giving Feel More Like Worship

Giving is a form of worship. That’s why some givers want the physical experience of writing out a check each week. And churches should honor this valid perspective.

But online giving is worship, too. How can you make it feel like that?

By choosing an online giving vendor that offers…

• A streamlined giving experience without technical hassles (like mandatory account creation)
• A gallery of media-rich ministry opportunities to inspire generosity and connection AND…
• Personalized acknowledgments from the church that close the loop on the feeling of connection (not a third-party vendor’s bill-pay-like transactional receipt).

In other “words”:

THIS:

(This Vision2 email takes advantage of the opportunity to bless, provide resources and leave givers’ with a warm feeling. It comes from the church with a customizable subject line. We recommend: “Thank you for your generous gift.”)

Not THIS:

Or THIS:

And especially not THIS:

Even if these actual church gift confirmation emails don’t offend your givers the way they do us (with the exception of that last one, which ultimately led to a lawsuit), they certainly don’t leave givers with a sense of worship, connection or inspiration.

Which gift acknowledgments would you rather your givers receive?

Ready to learn more about the Vision2 difference? Reach out with your questions.