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4 Memorable Ways to Thank Your Auction Item Donors

Thanking your auction supporters is critical to building relationships and cultivating a reputation of gratitude that acknowledges both nonprofit staff and corporate support. 

Specifically, thanking your auction item donors is an absolute must because their generosity is key to your auction’s fundraising success. However, it can be difficult to know how and when to say thank you. 

Fortunately, in this guide, we’ll review four memorable ways you can express your gratitude so that you can be sure each item donor feels appreciated. Let’s begin. 

Auction marketing materials

Ahead of the event night, plan to ensure your auction item donors feel acknowledged and celebrated for their generosity. For example, you could utilize software features that enable you to automatically mention item sponsors on your homepage, catalog, and receipts. 

Additionally, customizable sponsorship packages can help ensure each item donor feels recognized for their contributions with dedicated tickets, a catalog mention, and/or an auction sneak peek at the items. 

Handwritten letters

Handwritten thank you letters are a powerful way to express your gratitude because they can add a personal touch to your appreciation efforts. Here is how you can craft an impactful gratitude note in just a few steps:

Personalized greeting. Address the item donor by name and consider addressing any other gifts they’ve given in the past.

Specific thank you. Thank the recipient for their item and note how your organization plans to use the funds raised. If applicable, mention the success or popularity of the auction item based on increased bidding wars. 

Closing and final thank you. Close your letter with a final sincere thank you, and consider mentioning any future opportunities the item donor can participate in. Sign your letter off with the real signature and contact information of one of your organization’s leaders, such as the fundraising director. 

Avoid asking for financial support in your thank you note. This type of request will draw the focus away from the true meaning of your letter: gratitude. Instead, you can highlight any non-monetary ways to get more involved in your organization, including upcoming volunteer opportunities or community-building events.

Email acknowledgement

360MatchPro’s fundraising statistics indicate that 55% of donors in the United States prefer to be thanked for their contributions via email. That said, here are a few best practices for emphasizing your gratitude in an email format: 

Stick to a subject line between 40 and 60 characters. This way, the entire subject line will be visible to recipients. Make it catchy and memorable like “You’re the Auction MVP: Thank You for Your Donations.” You can even add an emoji to stand out in your recipients’ inboxes. 

Use donor-centric language. First-person terms like “us” and “we” are great ways to emphasize the impact of an item donor’s contribution. Talk about their specific impact and what it means for your organization. 

Dedicated tools can give you a leg-up with email automation. For instance, auction software can automatically send confirmation messages and receipts. However, to take your appreciation to the next level, you should still send additional emails throughout the year to encourage donors to engage and express gratitude in a more personalized way. 

Phone calls

Keep your thank you phone calls casual by avoiding a predetermined “script.” Instead, go in with a loose bullet point list of talking points to ensure you’ve covered your bases in a genuine fashion. As an example, here’s a quick overview of key points to prioritize:

Introducing yourself and your organization. 
Directly thanking an auction item donor for their contribution. 
Acknowledging the specific value or impact the item (and the donor’s relationship) has had on your organization. 
Concluding the call with a final thank you and ways they can get in touch with you. 

Use these points to craft a voicemail message if the donor does not pick up. Otherwise, follow the donor’s lead—if they sound rushed, keep it quick and sincere. On the other hand, if they sound receptive, consider mentioning other opportunities they can give back to your organization.

Gratitude is key to cultivating donor relationships. Practice the above strategies to thank your donors effectively and, as you gather responses, note which communications generated the best responses.