Before you collapse from the flurry of year-end activity I urge you to spend some time listing the ways you can surprise and delight your donors.

Not just around the year-end giving season, but all through 2016 and beyond.

Few activities signal how important donors are to your organization than the way you treat them. Equally, few activities will produce as substantial short and long-term dividends than the investment you make in donor care.

I recommend that the first (meaning: immediate) item on your list be an effective ‘thank you’ program. If that’s not already top of mind, then what better time to start with the year-end gifts coming in right now?

I believe that saying ‘thank you’ promptly and properly is the foremost, and in many ways easiest and least expensive step toward higher retention.

Unfortunately, it’s a step too often ignored. Many organizations take weeks, sometimes months to acknowledge gifts. Others never get around to it.

Too many nonprofits view acknowledgements (the term alone speaks volumes) with a jaundiced eye. They see them as a cost center and a production pain.

As communications specialist Erica Mills puts it, “Acknowledging isn’t thanking. An acknowledgement doesn’t make the recipient feel warm and fuzzy about what they’ve done. It makes them remember that soon they’ll have to file taxes. That’s stressful, not joyful.”

There are all kinds of way of thanking donors and you’ll find literally dozens of Agitator posts on the subject by simply typing ‘thank you’ in the Agitator’s Archive Search Engine.

What is important is that we all think beyond the ‘thank you’ letter or phone call itself to the ongoing process of showing gratitude and, frankly, delighting our donors.

So I commend a recent post by Michael Rosen titled What Can A Steakhouse Teach You About Fundraising for a tasty sampling of what he considers the 5 keys to building and maintaining a continual process of gratitude for your donors.

Michael’s thoughts were triggered by the first time in his 50+ year life that his leftovers — we call it a ‘doggie bag” here in the States — were delivered in a package accompanied by a hand-signed thank you note from the chef.

It read: “We are glad you enjoyed your meal enough to take some home with you. Thank you for dining with us, we appreciate your business.”

That note not only triggered delight in Michael and heightened his loyalty to the restaurant, but led to five takeaways  — in addition to the steak:

• Do what you do well. The restaurant delivered good value and made sure its customers understood that. Whatever your organization does, do your part to make sure it honors its mission in a quality way  — and make your supporters know about it.

• Provide great service to those who are important to your organization. The restaurant delivered great service along with great food. The equivalent in your organization is “taking care of your donors by sending out thank you letters, quickly responding to inquiries, providing updates about your organization’s progress, and much more.”

• Surprise your donors and volunteers. “I don’t mean shock them. I mean pleasantly surprise them … by sending them an unexpected handwritten thank-you note in addition to your organization’s formal acknowledgement letter. Call your donors to express appreciation, invite them to an upcoming event, or ask for their opinions.”

• Remember the personal touch. “The Capital Grille chef could simply have hung the pre-printed thank you card on my bag. Instead, he took the time to hand sign it. Small personal touches can make people feel special.”

“The alternative is to make people feel like a number, at best, or completely ignored, at worst. Think about the little things that don’t cost much that you can do to make supporter feel special.” [Emphasis mine.]

• Show your gratitude. “The Capital Grille showed its gratitude. Your organization needs to do the same. For example, if your #GivingTuesday efforts helped you attract new supporters, be sure to make them feel appreciated with a special expression of gratitude, something other than an email blast that isn’t even personalized.”

Please read Michael’s post in its entirety and think about — then implement — ways in which you can improve your process of showing gratitude to your donors.

For some additional suggestions on surprising, delighting and going beyond the usual thank you letter, you might check out the following Agitator posts:

• How blood donors in Sweden not only receive a text message thanking them when their blood is first taken, but a second thank you when the blood has been given to a recipient. Excites and motivates donor to give again and again.

• How to keep the spark alive with your donors by delighting them with novelty and emotionally relevant surprises.

• And benefit from these tips by Agitator reader Simone Joyaux:

“The job of the fundraiser is to delight the donor. Sure, a trip to Paris would be delightful — but unnecessary. Delight … extraordinary experiences … memorable moments.

Things like:Insider updates, an informal gathering at the office to tell donors how you spend their money and invite their input and welcome questions. Collect the donor’s philanthropic story and share it on your website, in your newsletter and annual report. Invite donors to tell their stories at events. Zoos invite donors to help feed the animals.”

So let’s all get busy on improving the process of thanking and delighting our donors.

Your suggestions and tips for expressing gratitude and delighting and surprising donors are greatly appreciated.

Roger