Our culture has gotten used to it. Get a letter, write a check, and receive a sterile thank you letter that goes into your tax file, usually unread.

Sadly, many donors don’t even recognize how disrespectful the nonprofit has just behaved. But you can be sure that they are influenced, and 81% of them won’t make a second gift.

According to the Fundraising Effectiveness Project, first-time donors make a second gift 19% of the time. While repeat donor retention is much better at 63%, that still means 1 in 3 current donors don’t give again. Overall, the median donor retention rate is just 43%.

Think about it

The nonprofit spends a boatload of time and energy writing the solicitation letter and thinking through how they’re going to raise as much money as possible from their donors.

Then, they send a check and boom, some templated letter tweaked from last year goes out, sometimes weeks later.

When you get a thank you letter like that, do you:

1. Get a warm and fuzzy feeling about the gift you just made?
2. Feel excited about your gift and revved up about the possibilities for the coming year?
3. Throw it in your tax folder?

You get my point. It’s not rocket science as to why. Donors want something simple: a prompt, meaningful thank you letter. That’s it. Eighty percent of donors say that would convince them to make the second gift, according to Penelope Burk’s research.

That’s their test for the nonprofit sector, and we are largely failing it.

A big part of the problem is bad thank yous. Many nonprofits send something more like a transaction receipt that speaks to a

Here are 5 creative approaches to thank yous.

1.   Send a Card, Not a Business Letter

The best nonprofit thank yous feel friendly, warm, and personal.

These are easy and quick to create (and customize) online and they’ll be delivered to you in days.

(You still need to send them a letter with the date received and amount.)

This is a card that I received recently from My New Red Shoes. These guys know what they’re doing.

Even if your thank you appears on stationery, think of a good Hallmark card as you write (not the ones with four paragraphs of flowery script, but the shorter ones that lay it all out there in under 30 words).

You could even send it out with an envelope enclosed as a reminder for your year-end campaign. This would NOT be your thank you letter.

If it’s too expensive of a venture, send it to your 25 lapsed donors. And your first-time donors and boost your retention rate for next year.

2.  Share Recent and Specific Progress

Your supporters want to know that they matter. So give them your best bits of progress that show that with their support — and directly because of that support — you are bringing about some kind of change, or making life easier for someone, or advancing the cause.

Maybe it’s a short anecdote, or a telling testimonial, or even an impressive statistic.

Not, your mission – “you’re gift is helping children throughout the county to…”

Warm and personal demonstrates to your donors that you put as much time and care into thanking them as you did asking.

In the last paragraph, offer them a behind the scenes tour or a coffee date to get their advice about how they can make the organization stronger.

“ I welcome and value your feedback and ideas…Give me a call and we can schedule a time to…”

Ask them to follow you on Facebook or Twitter.

3.  Use a More Creative, Personal Opening

Forget “On behalf of” or “Thank you for” and start your letters with a more creative and personal opening.

Try something like, “You made my day” on one line by itself.

Then jump into a story: “Your donation crossed my desk today and . . .” Explain how the money will be used. Or start with,“I have a great story to share with you.” Launch right into a success story and then talk about how the donation will create even more happy stories.

4.  Include an Image

Including photos, either in the body of the letter or in the envelope, will make an instant connection between your donor and your work.

A photo of a client or smiling people making a difference out there in the world will light up your donor’s day.

Get a group of people who your organization helps together and take a photo of them holding a big banner that says “Thank You.”

5.  Get it Done! Ask a Volunteer to Help

They’ll be honored.

Are you convinced?