For Nonprofit Leaders
Build lasting relationships, one note at a time
You lead a small nonprofit, often as a staff of one or a few. Every donor, volunteer, and board member matters to your mission, and a handwritten note is one of the most personal ways to tell them so.
Here you’ll find practical answers to the questions nonprofit leaders ask most, a monthly calendar of note-writing occasions, and ideas you can put to work this week.
Answers to your most common questions
Jump to a question:
- What can I write to a donor when I’m not asking for money?
- How often should I contact donors without bothering them?
- How can I build donor relationships if I’m shy about talking to donors?
- How can I keep up with donor notes when I have no extra time?
- How can I thank volunteers so they stay committed?
- How do I cultivate board members and turn them into ambassadors?
What can I write to a donor when I’m not asking for money?
Write about one specific thing their past gift made possible, described in a sentence only you could write, and close without any request at all. A few honest lines naming a real moment from your work tell a donor you were thinking of them at a time when you needed nothing from them.
How often should I contact donors without bothering them?
Plan on at least one personal, no-ask contact each season, plus a prompt thank-you after every gift, so that your thank-yous and updates outnumber your requests. Donors rarely feel bothered by a personal note that names something real and specific. The messages that wear on them are generic or repeat a request.
How can I build donor relationships if I’m shy about talking to donors?
Start with notes. Writing lets you choose your words at your own pace, and a few warm notes give you and the donor something to talk about when you do meet. Your later conversations then begin inside a relationship that already exists.
How can I keep up with donor notes when I have no extra time?
Set aside fifteen minutes a week, keep everything you need in one place, and write three to five short notes in a single sitting. That steady habit produces about twenty personal notes a month, enough to reach every active donor several times a year without adding hours to your week.
Have a different obstacle? Try the Donor Note Obstacle Solver.
How can I thank volunteers so they stay committed?
Thank each volunteer for the specific thing they did, soon after they did it, and tell them what difference it made. Recognition that names their own contribution shows them their time matters, and that is what keeps people coming back.
How do I cultivate board members and turn them into ambassadors?
Most board members want to help and are unsure where to start. A personal note thanking them for their service builds loyalty, and a note sharing a specific story from your work gives them something to retell in their own circles. Invite them to write a few thank-you notes to donors they know; a note from a board member shows donors that the organization’s leaders value them personally.
Try this tool
Donor Note Obstacle Solver
Choose what keeps you from writing to donors and get one simple step you can take this week.
Updated every month
Nonprofit Action Calendars
Holidays, awareness days, and seasonal moments that give you a natural reason to write to donors, volunteers, and board members, with suggested notes for each.
Go deeper
Join the Professional Circle
The Heartspoken Professional Circle is for small nonprofit leaders and relationship-driven professionals who know that people stay engaged when they feel seen, appreciated, and remembered—but don’t always have the time, words, or system to make that happen consistently.
Stay connected
Get new ideas for relationship-building.
The Heartspoken Connection
My LinkedIn newsletter for nonprofit and business professionals.
The Heartspoken Note
My Substack newsletter on the art of writing notes and letters that connect, comfort, encourage, and inspire.