At this time of year, you’re working hard to get those holiday donations.

Everyone talks about Black Friday putting many retailers “in the black,” but the truth is this time of year does much the same for nonprofits. Being in this space, you know of people that get 25%, 50%, and maybe even 75% of their total annual donations in the weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas.

At the same time, many relationship marketing, social marketing, and inbound marketing basics get left aside.

• We can’t update the website because all of our people are busy.
• We don’t have time for thank you calls because we’ve got all of our people opening white mail.
• We’re too busy fielding questions from staff and partners to field them from $10 donors.

You’ve heard the oft-repeated statistic that it costs 90% less for a company to get a previously non-purchasing visitor to return to its website and buy than it does to get a new visitor to buy.

This rings true for nonprofits as well. During the holiday season, when people are filled with the spirit of charity and giving, it’s even more important to post to your website what donations go toward, tell stories of work being done, make the ask for donations, and put up a personal message. Additionally, consider your own experiences. If you donated money to a charity during the holidays and they contacted you with a personal thank you just days later, would you not be more inclined to give again in the near future?

Now, what if they wait until January? That thank you packs a lot less of a punch, doesn’t it?

Please subscribe to our blog, tweet us, or simply say hi on Facebook and give us your thoughts. And, please share this with your friends.

Tags: black friday for nonprofits, holiday season thank yous, relationship marketing for nonprofits, social marketing for nonprofits, will donors wait