shout out \ -n. a greeting or acknowledgment of a person, group, or organization of significance, often done as a sign of respect, synonymous with ‘giving props’.

“People stop giving because they are fed up by how they were treated by the charities they support. Running out of money is far down the list of reasons people stop giving.“

—Katya Andresen, VP Marketing, Network for Good, Author and Blogger

Katya is so right. We hear stories of receipts and thank you’s going out weeks after gifts were given. How would this make a donor feel? Let’s imagine a donor…we’ll call her “Betty.” Let’s say you wrote Betty a compelling letter describing how you needed a gift from her or your ministry would suffer. She carefully read your letter and decided that even though times are tough, she trusts you and because you said you needed her help, she wrote you a check.

Then weeks go by. You never said thank you or reported back about what a difference Betty’s gift made. OR you sent her a generic thank you that wasn’t tied to her gift in any way.

Is this any way to treat a friend?