We recently had a question from a community member on how to say thanks to companies or individuals who donate items for auctions. Based on the responses, it is clear that doing a proper thank-you (not just an email) is really important for long-term auction success. In short, if a donor feels appreciated, he is more likely to participate again.

In fact, we had one community member share that her group members pay a post-auction visit to donors and present them with a school spiritwear item. Then they take a photo with the donor and post it on Facebook.

 

Here are some other ideas from our community for saying thanks:

• Send a handwritten note. In our fast-paced world, an old-fashioned note sent through the mail will get attention.

• Make it professional. Use your group’s letterhead and include a detailed mention of the donation.

• Make it personal. If possible, add a note about how much your group appreciated the donation and why.

• Do a shout-out to donors at your event.

• Consider other public salutes as well. If the donor is on Facebook or Twitter, mention them on those channels.

• Publish a thank-you in your newsletter with a list of donor names. Ask your principal if this can also be published on the school website.


• Consider publishing a thank-you to your donors in the local newspaper. Some newspapers may do this for free (or you could pen it as a letter to the editor).

If you need help getting started on thank-yous, download this auction thank-you template from our File Exchange. You can customize and personalize it.

Also, check out these articles for more auction tips and ideas:

9 Keys to Auction Success

Auction Planning FAQs

Auction Action Plan