We’ve all heard about the #Ice Bucket Challenge, but are you familiar with the “Gratitude Challenge”? This was making the rounds on Facebook a few months back. A friend would tag three of their friends to post three things they are grateful for each day for three days (apparently there were also 5 and 7 day challenges as well).
This got me thinking that during the U.S. Thanksgiving season, it might be a good time for non-profits and charities to, as Pamela Grow has suggested (in this month’s Nonprofit Blog Carnival call), develop “an attitude of gratitude”.
Up for an "organizational gratitude challenge”?
Why not challenge each department, your staff and even your board members to think of three new ways to show your gratitude to your donors, supporters and volunteers?
Here are a few questions that might kick-start your gratitude challenge:
Celebrating donors and supporters:
As Pamela Grow noted in a post a while back, “it isn’t just the feel-good aspect of donor thank you calls that make them important. ...A study by the UK firm Pell & Bales found that thank you calls reduced donor attrition by a third."
Social campaigns can be a great way of saying thanks and garnering additional awareness.
Recognizing your board and other volunteers:
Saying thank you to volunteers can be powerful. A few years back, I heard about an organization that had actually measured volunteer participation and found that when they officially thanked volunteers they volunteered more and completed more projects. There are lots of unique ways to recognize and celebrate volunteer contributions. Start a new tradition at your organization, for example:
- Recognize volunteers at events or meetings (through photos in programs; announcing names and asking them to stand)
- Offer recognition awards (these can be great for volunteers to include on their resumes, or social profiles).
- Start a volunteer hall of fame (in your office or on your website).
Amp up the show of gratitude
Perhaps your organization is already doing a fantastic job of celebrating, recognizing and thanking your donors, supporters and volunteers. If that’s the case, perhaps this holiday season your “gratitude challenge” could simply be finding ways of capturing, documenting and better promoting all of the celebrations, recognition and thank-you’s.
If you take on an "organizational gratitude challenge” this season, please share your efforts and ideas in the comments below.
Have a Happy Thanksgiving!
Image source: Group of diverse people holding sign Thank - courtesy of BigStockPhoto.com