Early in my career, I said to a colleague, "I need to send out a birthday card." She opened up a drawer to reveal a box bursting with cards—from "Happy Birthday" to "Sorry for your Loss"—for every occasion. By keeping a wide range of cards handy, she could send an appropriate message at a moment's notice to donors and key volunteers.
One of the unexpected impacts of the pandemic was the return of old-fashioned habits. The New York Times reported that letter writing had increased dramatically during COVID. Not too long ago, CanadaPost sent postcards out to invite Canadians to connect by snail mail. While that was clearly in their business interest, it was a timely reminder that letters are a high touch and relatively inexpensive way to connect with supporters.
Birthdays are the one day that is special to each person. Sending a birthday greeting is a kind, and unexpected way to thank donors for their support particularly for those who are unable to see family and friends. Birthday cards are not something people usually get from a charity, and this small showing of gratitude really stand out.
Collecting birth date information is something you can easily do as part of regular information collection. You can include it as an optional field in your snail mail, online giving, and membership forms. While there is data entry work involved on the backend, there is a great benefit to being able to offer donors this nice surprise.
Don't have birthdates? Consider sending cards on other, universal occasions. For example,
The possibilities are many.
We are all looking for connection. Why not build a stronger relationship with your donors through birthday, or other special occasion, cards?
Ann Rosenfield is a working fundraiser. Her birthday is March 7 in case you wondered.
