In the book What Would Jackie Do? An Inspired Guide to Distinctive Living, authors Shelly Branch and Sue Callaway touch on Jackie O’s preferred method of thanking people.
“After receiving a gift for instance, Jackie would send out a thank you note within 24 hours.” It would be handwritten on a notecard. Email did not yet exist but I am willing to bet that digital means would not have supplanted Jackie’s handwritten notes.
With all the time we spend staring into screens and typing with our thumbs, anything you send that feels real like handmade paper will stand out. And, it’s deeply appreciated. Slow-communication like slow-food says “I took the time because I care.”
Why have I been on this thank-you tangent? Because it cannot be overstated in today’s world. Make it a habit to send personalized, handwritten notes. This one simple and very human act has the potential to shift your donor relationships in a powerful way.
Stock your correspondence corner
Have your resources at the ready: notecards, cards for every occasion, stationery, pens, colored pencils and stamps. Order a return address stamp. Get creative.
Stationery boutiques like Oblation in Portland, OR and Folio in Larkspur, CA are among my favorite places to browse and stock up on letterpress notecards, fine writing pens and journals.
Written correspondence is classy. It conveys something no algorithm or software-generated acknowledgement letter can do. Go forth with pen in hand.
That’s what Jackie would do.
1 Comment
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really nice, every one be able to without difficulty be aware of it, Thanks a lot.