Properly thanking your donors is essential to successful higher education fundraising. In this post, learn some tips for showing genuine donor appreciation.
Cait Abernethy
Published:
April 14, 2025
Discover AI Summary
Your alumni are an essential part of your fundraising efforts—their loyalty to your school and investment in seeing future students have opportunities to succeed in their educational endeavors make alumni some of the most impactful supporters of your institution.
However, to ensure that alumni get engaged and stay engaged with your fundraising work, you need to master the art of showing genuine donor appreciation. This goes beyond a simple thank-you note—in order for you to establish and maintain long-term relationships rooted in trust, connection, and collaboration, you’ll need tried-and-true best practices on your side. Let’s dive into some of our favorites!
No matter what form your donor appreciation takes, your thank-you messages should always be personalized. After all, generic is never genuine!
Personalizing your messages effectively will require you to have a strong understanding of your alumni and their needs and interests. Ensure you’re consistently collecting data on each donor and updating their profiles so that you have access to up-to-date details. (Bonus: This will not only help you with recognition but also as you invite future engagement!)
Here are some specific details you can personalize your thank yous with:
For major donors, you will likely have a bit more information to work with when personalizing your messages, especially if you’ve had multiple face-to-face interactions with them. Take advantage of this opportunity to demonstrate that your institution truly sees and values them and recognizes the significance of their contributions.
One of the best ways to demonstrate genuine donor appreciation is to show donors how their support impacts your school.
To do this effectively, you’ll need to gather and analyze impact data that tells the story of how your organization is using donors’ contributions to get closer to achieving its goals, whether that means launching a new alumni-student mentoring program or providing scholarships to students in need.
According to UpMetrics’ nonprofit storytelling guide, one of the best ways to share impact information is to craft compelling narratives that include:
For example, you might share the story of a student at your school who was struggling to pay for their dream study abroad program and was able to be part of the program thanks to a generous scholarship from your alumni network. You could include statements from the student and photos or videos of them on their study abroad, as well as hard data about the scholarship program, to paint a full picture of your alumni’s impact.
You can share impact stories like these in several ways, but embrace your creative side to make them especially engaging. For instance, you might create a short video or an interactive web page.
According to Double the Donation’s roundup of alumni donation statistics, 72% of donors discard physical tokens of appreciation, like letters and gifts. Further, 90% of donors prefer experiential recognition instead.
Experiential recognition, like fun and exclusive alumni donor events, allows your alumni to come together and feel like they’re part of a community larger than themselves. Plus, it gives your fundraising team the opportunity to interact with donors one-on-one, which can be valuable as you steward their continued support.
Here are a few fun ideas to consider for your next donor event:
In some instances, it may be beneficial to expand your event audience to include students, faculty, and staff. This way, your alumni can interact with the community they support with their contributions, which can deepen their personal connection to your institution.
Many fundraising organizations make the mistake of asking for additional donations far too soon—sometimes within their appreciation materials! This pitfall can make you seem “all about the money,” even if you have urgent funding needs.
Resist the urge to issue donation appeals as part of your donor appreciation efforts. Instead, invite continuous involvement that has nothing to do with donating. For instance, consider inviting your alumni to volunteer at your next on-campus service project, fundraise for you during a peer-to-peer campaign, attend special events, or participate in mentoring and networking opportunities with current students.
While this isn’t necessarily a traditional way to show your donors that you appreciate them, it will help them feel more involved and connected to your institution. As a result, you’ll increase the goodwill between you and pave the way for future support when the timing is right.
Part of showing genuine donor appreciation is expressing your thanks consistently, even when a donor hasn’t just given a gift. This shows your alumni that they’re always top-of-mind and seen as valuable to your institution, and not just for their wallets.
Here are a few ideas for expressing appreciation year-round, even when donors aren’t expecting you to:
To cultivate a strong alumni community, the way forward is to focus on people first and donations second. Use the list of ideas above to get started, but remember to reach out in ways that you know your specific alumni will respond to best!
Donor appreciation, especially when it’s actually genuine, is an art form. Use the strategies explored above to improve your institution’s approach to celebrating and thanking its donors, and remember to rely on your donor data to take your efforts to the next level!
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The non-profit quarterly states that keeping a donor is five times more cost-effective than finding a new one. Loyal donors are like a circle of friends you can always rely on. However, for institutions, building that circle requires a proactive approach and genuine commitment that can sometimes prove difficult. This is why donor retention has steadily become more important over the years.
In this blog, we’ll take a fresh approach to defining donor retention and engagement that goes beyond the traditional ask. We’ll dive into creative strategies that truly integrates donors into your goals to make a permanent part of your journey.
Basically, donor retention is the ability of an institution to keep its donors coming back to contribute over the years. It is not just the numbers but also the genuine long-term donor relationships with people who appreciate your mission and enjoy being a part of that mission. It involves understanding their motivations, doubts, and the personal connection they feel as a giver and as an individual.
Making a habit of measuring your donor retention rate allows you to spot trends early and find new ways to keep supporters engaged. The data from the most recent Fundraising Effectiveness Project report shows that the first-time donor retention rate is 26%. In comparison, the average donor retention rate is around 46%, meaning most donors stop after contributing for the first time. Considering the unpredictable nature of the world today, keeping donors on board will be even more essential for the long-term success of K-12 and higher education institutions.
Several factors can influence donor retention. Let’s take a look at some of them to understand what motivates long-time donors—big or small—to stay:
Engagement is one of the key pillars for long-term donor retention. Your emails, newsletters, blogs, in-person events, and reports all play a key part in making returning and new donors alike feel connected to your institution. For past donors especially, continuous and meaningful interaction can reinforce their dedication to supporting your mission.
Trust and loyalty drive any fundraising effort. Your donors come with their own expectations This can be achieved by a transparent demonstration of the impact of their contributions.
💡Check out how Thomas Aquinas College holds one of the highest alumni donor participation rates across the country
For retaining donors, donor management matters even more as it involves how you collect and analyze their data, as well as what you provide through communication, recurring gift enrollment, etc., to keep them interested and in the loop.
To retain donors, you’ll want to be proactive in collecting and acting on feedback to show your commitment to how donors feel as well as what they can expect by sticking around. It will also help returning or past donors develop a sense of community and progress, making them feel like a vital par of your overall fundraising efforts.
Understanding the components of a well-rounded donor retention strategy is necessary to create a pathway for first-time donors to walk on and become repeat donors. These can include:
Your efforts to reach out to the donors should go beyond fundraising needs. Send them timely thank-you emails, curate programs to identify and honor long-term donors for their valuable contributions, and conduct community meet-and-greet events that strengthen your bond and forge a trustworthy relationship.
💡Check out these 6 ways to take your donor relationships to the next level
Try to get the most out of your donor management software for real-time engagement metrics, deep integrations, live dashboards, automated communication tools, etc., to create an environment where donor interactions are recorded and analyzed to power future outreach and fundraising efforts.
💡If you’re looking for a new donor management tool, give Almabase a try
Tailor your communication to each donor to make sure you communicate your goals, acknowledge their impact, and make them feel appreciated. Emails, phone calls, handwritten notes, gifts, and event invitations are all viable communication channels to show how you can personalize your outreach to each donor.
Keep your donor informed and engaged by providing updates on where their donated funds are being spent, any achievements arising out of them, and acknowledging their generosity whenever possible. Depending on how your donors use social media platforms, you can consider forming groups of similar donor segments to form giving communities.
Annual reports are a time-tested way to communicate the impacts the beneficiaries achieve. These longer reports and real-life success stories inspire donor loyalty to the institution and the cause as they allow your donors to zoom out and view your overall fundraising mission as you do.
You can also provide subscription and recurring donation options or welcome different kinds of donor engagement through volunteering, referrals, and advocacy. At the end of the day, there are countless ways to retain donors, and what works for one institution may not work for you. Always consider your donors and how they they prefer to contribute to your cause.
You can take a quick look at your overall donor retention rate using the formula below.
Donor retention rate = (Number of Donors who gave again / Total number of donors in previous period) × 100
With the wide array of tools available today, however, tracking your donor retention rate is a lot more extensive than it used to be. Making detailed segments of various levels of donor retention, however, will require more effort.
At its core, donor retention will take more time and investment from your team to get started and you’ll want to make sure you get a good ROI from your efforts. For this, you’ll first want to consider all donor retention expenses such as:
It may be a bit difficult to narrow down your exact expenses for retaining donors but once you have a somewhat reliable estimate, you can use the following formula:
ROI = (net gain from retained donors / cost of retention efforts) x 100
where Net Gain = Total donations from retained donors - Costs of retention efforts
Keep in mind that these are rudimentary calculations meant to give you a simplistic idea of your donor retention efforts. No two donors are exactly the same, and one retained donor might just be the right person who can snowball your efforts into a large giving community later down the line.
Keeping the donors around throughout is not an easy task. Some of these challenges include but are not limited to:
Consider these key questions to improve donor retention strategies:
Almabase offers digital engagement tools with features such as dynamic event management systems, personalized donor portals, and automated communication workflows to foster stronger donor relationships. Institutions such as the Merchant Taylors’ School and the Alumni Association of the School of Medicine at Loma Linda University have not just increased their donor base but have formed active online communities to power future fundraisers.
Finding the right tools to balance technology with a personal touch is crucial. That’s where Almabase’s engagement solutions come in—helping organizations offer both a personal and digital experience that makes donors feel valued, keeps them engaged, and drives sustainable long-term giving.
If you’re interested in learning more on how we can help, we’d love to not just tell you about us but also hear your problems and show you how we can help! Request a personalized demo and we’d love to get in touch with you ⬇️
What is Donor Retention? Top Donor Retention Strategies
Learn what donor retention means and explore top strategies to build lasting donor relationships, improve engagement, and boost fundraising success.
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April 11, 2025
12 minutes
The pandemic posed a formidable challenge to alumni volunteer program coordinators, complicating the ways in which they were able to engage, communicate, and connect with their alumni. Luckily, constraints for physical gatherings have eased as the crisis has progressed, and we seem to have entered a new and exciting era of hybrid engagement where program coordinators have more agency over their volunteer offerings than ever.
In fact, with in-person events having opened up again and new digital engagement strategies cropping up every day, now is the best time to level up your alumni program in and beyond 2022.
Volunteering is an essential element of any robust alumni program because it can form long-lasting relationships between alumni and your institution and boost donation revenue through volunteer grant funds. Read on to maximize these benefits and increase the success of your alumni volunteer program.
With each new generation of alumni more frequently engaging online through using their phones, interacting with social media, and discovering new virtual platforms, your alumni program must adapt to these changes to secure their attention. Add an insightful social media strategy to your current marketing initiatives to create a more effective, multichannel campaign for your volunteer program.
Virtual marketing mediums not only allow you to directly connect with alumni where they live, chat, and play, but they also offer unique opportunities to engage with your audience. You simply need to know how to leverage these platforms to their fullest potential.
Be mindful of these social media best practices to engage alumni and increase interest in your volunteer opportunities:
While email, direct mail, and other, more traditional channels are essential to your alumni communications, new mediums like social media will allow you to take your marketing materials to new heights.
Get Connected by Galaxy Digital’s guide to starting a volunteer program cites opportunity matching as one of the most effective methods to recruit and engage volunteers. This strategy allows you to fine-tune your communications by sharing volunteer positions and events with alumni based on their skills, experience, and interests.
The following data metrics can help you tailor your event invitations to the right alumni:
Keep your alumni involved and encourage their participation in volunteering by sharing opportunities that they would be most likely to participate in. Rather than sending out general email blasts describing all of your volunteer experiences, opportunity matching will enable you to personalize all of your alumni communications and thereby increase engagement.
The number of event registrations, total volunteer hours, and similar key performance indicators (KPIs) should all be automatically logged into your alumni and volunteer databases. However, there’s another important piece of information that too many alumni programs neglect: alumni feedback.
Regular volunteer surveys and polls allow you to gauge opinions, experiences, and reactions that would have been difficult to measure with raw data alone.
Many volunteer or alumni management solutions already exist that can help you create, send, and create reports based on these surveys. But if you’re still struggling to think of how you could make the most of these forms, here are a few of the different kinds of alumni volunteer surveys you should send out:
By spacing out these surveys during opportune times in each volunteer’s involvement with your program, you will be able to gather valuable information while it is still fresh in their minds. This information can then be used to directly address the issues raised by volunteers, improve your program, and further personalize your messaging to maximize engagement.
Whether your alumni are longtime volunteer program members or they have yet to participate, the promise of being a part of a community is an enticing prospect for any alumni.
The lockdown era of the COVID-19 pandemic left many people feeling more distant than ever, and it’s essential to combat these lingering effects by coming up with opportunities for alumni to connect with one another.
Whether you conduct virtual and hybrid alumni events or in-person gatherings, these engaging initiatives will encourage community-building between your alumni volunteers:
While alumni may be motivated to participate in your volunteer opportunities to support their alma mater or help the less fortunate, it will take more than an altruistic impulse to keep them involved in your program. Offering the opportunity to form a community with like-minded people will ensure that alumni stick with your volunteer program for far more than a single event.
To effectively carry out these volunteer program best practices, you might also consider investing in an alumni or volunteer management solution. From locating qualified nonprofits for partnership opportunities to facilitating social media outreach strategies, the right management software will streamline volunteer recruitment, engagement, and retention.
However, regardless of whatever software solutions you may choose, these strategies should set you up to ensure the future success of your own alumni volunteer program.
4 Ideas to Boost Alumni Engagement in Volunteering
Encouraging alumni volunteerism can be a challenge for any alumni coordinator. Follow these simple tips to raise volunteer recruitment for your own program!
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As a higher education fundraising professional or alumni volunteer coordinator, you know how important your alumni are to the success of your fundraising and volunteer efforts. Your alumni support your institution by contributing donations as well as volunteering to support your charitable events. They deserve recognition for the hard work they put in to support your institution.
Showing appreciation to alumni volunteers helps boost their engagement in your programs and initiatives, making them feel like their efforts are valued. If you’re looking for guidance when deciding how to show gratitude to your alumni volunteers, these five ideas can help get you started:
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These ideas just scrape the surface of the volunteer appreciation strategies you might choose to adopt. But they offer a great starting point if you’re creating your volunteer appreciation approach from scratch.
Your volunteers donate many hours of their time and skills to support your institution, and in return, you can send them a personalized thank-you note as a form of appreciation. You can send a letter straight from your volunteer coordinator or even handwritten cards from current students. As a volunteer, nothing feels better than words of gratitude coming from those they served or the program leaders.
Your volunteer management system can help you keep track of volunteers’ personal information to reference in your communications with them. Use your software platform to keep track of volunteers’ preferred names, volunteer history, graduation year, and donation history. You can use all of these details to personalize your thank-you messages. You can also personalize your thank-you note by highlighting one of their major accomplishments and how much of an impact it brought to your institution!
For instance, perhaps a certain volunteer won a state championship as a student-athlete while attending your institution. In your volunteer appreciation letter, you can include a shout-out to that amazing accomplishment while thanking the alum for their continued support and involvement.
Consider planning an appreciation event as a fun way to get together and show appreciation to your alumni. This can be a great opportunity to allow all your alumni volunteers to connect and get to know one another outside of their volunteer hours! Invite them to events such as:
These ideas help create a good experience for your volunteers, encouraging them to stay involved with your future volunteering or fundraising opportunities.
You don’t want your volunteers to miss out on any new upcoming opportunities! Keep your alumni involved by highlighting upcoming events and opportunities on your calendar. These opportunities might include:
Be sure to highlight these opportunities on your alumni website so volunteers can view them at any time.
Think of a thank-you gift that will remind your volunteers of their time spent attending your university. For example, you can offer merchandise that’s branded to your university, such as a t-shirt, coffee mug, or framed wall art. These can be branded with your university’s colors and logo. You can also offer tickets to a university sporting event, such as a basketball or soccer game.
Make things exciting by asking your alumni to participate in t-shirt designing contests and send out a poll to decide on the winning design! This is a fun way to get your volunteers engaged, and whenever they wear their t-shirts, they will be reminded of their fun experience.
These volunteer gifts will surely make your volunteers feel special and will strengthen their bonds with your institution. Remember to get creative and make your gift stand out from any other generic gift.
One of the most important aspects of volunteer engagement is making volunteers feel like their opinions are valued. Ask what they enjoyed most and least about the volunteer opportunity and any suggestions they have to improve the volunteer experience in the future.
Volunteer surveys are one of the best ways to determine how effective your volunteer program was and whether or not your volunteers were satisfied with their experience. Ensure you ask the right questions to receive the best feedback possible. This includes questions about whether they felt the volunteer experience truly made a difference or whether they would recommend your program to fellow alumni.
Remember to leave a section at the end of your survey to allow your alumni to leave any additional comments to help you understand what to improve for next time.
Since your volunteers are dedicated and passionate about volunteering with you, ensuring they have a positive experience is crucial! This shows your volunteers that you care about their experience and also helps you enhance your future volunteers’ experience.
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Now that you’ve learned several ways to show appreciation to alumni volunteers, it’s time to start planning accordingly and put your ideas into action! Showing gratitude to your volunteers comes with many benefits, helping you increase your university’s volunteer program retention. Remember to personalize your appreciation gifts to make them special and stand out, and choose your gifts according to the preferences of your volunteers. Good luck!
5 Ways to Show Appreciation to Alumni Volunteers
Your alumni volunteers put in plenty of work to help your programs thrive. Here are five ways to show your appreciation for their hard work and dedication.
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