Let’s kick off the week with an innovative and energizing example of the power of ‘thank you’ to enhance both acquisition and retention.

A virtual symphony combining the creative use of mobile and a first-rate understanding of the importance of donor experience.

This magnificent example is reported in the UK’s Independent.

If you donate blood in Sweden you’ll not only receive a text message thanking you when your blood is first taken, you’ll also receive a second thank you when your blood has been used (see image below).

Now that’s what I call a truly relevant and timely ‘thank you’ process.

And clearly donors are excited, impressed and motivated by the process. Not only do these timely thank you’s give donors positive feedback on their generous effort, it’s also proved a hit on social media where donors are talking up their blood donations to friends.

The result? More donors give again. And, the program’s organizers believe that the peer-to-peer social media will help attract new donors, particularly among millenials. This in turn, it’s hoped, will strengthen and enlarge the donor base for the future.

With blood supplies in decline throughout the developed nations, other inventive NGOs in the blood bank business are also moving toward providing current and potential donors with the sort of information designed to translate interest into action.

Also in Sweden, authorities have decided the best way to make sure shortfalls don’t happen is to be as open as possible about the exact levels of blood in stock.

In Stockholm, for example, residents can go to the local blood service’s website and see a live chart of how much blood is left.

The thinking is that when stocks run low, people will respond if they know there is a problem and will raise the alarm with social media.

And once someone has volunteered and signed up to give blood, the process remains pro-active to ensure the gift is given. Some areas include letting donors sign a contract agreeing that blood banks are allowed to aggressively pursue them by text message, Facebook, and email until they donate blood.

But rather than the usual bureaucratic language of medical appointments, Health Care Communication News reports, the messages include light-hearted threats, such as: “We won’t give up until you bleed.”

There’s no doubt in my mind that these folks get it. They understand the importance of informing current and potential donors on the importance of their contribution and then effectively thanking them for their generosity.

How are you using new — or old — technologies to ramp up your donor acquisition and retention campaigns through the power of ‘thank you’?

Roger

P.S. Thanks both to Pamela Grow of the Grow Report and Charlie Hulme of DonorVoice UK for calling this story to our attention. They were right, The Agitator never turns down a great story on innovation in action.

P.P.S. As you probably surmise from the heading of this post, Tom and I’ve decided to begin serializing and highlighting powerful examples of the ‘thank you’ process for both acquisition and the retention. So, send in your suggestions, please.