How Was This Letter to Harold Grinspoon Different from Other Letters?!?

by Natasha Dresner, Mentor, JCamp 180

Natasha Dresner, Mentor In every JCamp 180 eNewsletter we try to share with you information that could be applicable and useful to your camp. This month, courtesy of Camp JORI, we want to share an example thank you/stewardship letter to Harold Grinspoon. Among many letters Harold receives, this one caught his attention and received special approval. How was this letter different from other letters?

 

  1. It did a great job stewarding Harold overall, starting from simply sending him this letter of appreciation to acknowledge his support over the past five years. The letter additionally shows Harold how his money has been used and leveraged, as well as its greater impact on the camp's mission and ability to recruit more Jewish children;
  2. It talked about other fundraising partners the organization was able to engage - most donors want to know that they are not the only investors in your organization;
  3. It emphasized the camp's success in tapping into non-traditional fundraising sources, which shows the entrepreneurial nature of the organization and its ability to survive and thrive even in tough economic times - such a message is very reassuring and inviting to existing and potential donors;
  4. It communicated a new audacious vision - when donors give their gifts, no matter what the size, they do not invest in your organization's needs, they invest in its vision;
  5. It addresses the concern every donor has: the letter clearly states that "100% of your donation goes directly to the children" and adds, "As a volunteer-driven organization, we are proud to inform you that JORI incurs no administrative expenses associated with its fundraising efforts."
  6. It mentions some new strategies/procedures that would help to ensure the camp's sustainability and, thus, further secure and leverage the donor's past and potential future investments with the camp;
  7. Lastly, it indicates that the camp is ACA accredited (American Camp Association), which carries a lot of weight in this field.

Here is JORI's letter for your further exploration. Even though I'm sure many of you have other wonderful examples of similar letters that I would encourage you to share with me (natasha@hgf.org), I still hope that you learned something from this one. And if it's only that you should send Harold (and your other supporters) a similar or better letter to steward them, dayenu!

Have a wonderful summer season,

Natasha Dresner