By Terri Fassio, Public Relations Co-Director

In the Grange world, you can never say “thank you” enough. Not sending a token of appreciation sends the message that your Grange isn’t organized, aren’t grateful, and, worst of all, maybe didn’t even need the support!

Thank  you  notes  put  your Grange at the forefront of your members’ and supporters’ minds. But don’t stress about the timing of your Thank You notes. You want to seek timeliness, but sometimes that is not always possible. Most are probably not worried about the timing of their “Thank Yous”, and would forego getting one quickly versus waiting a bit to receive a more genuine, heartfelt, (even funny), and personalized thank you. Your thank you should not sound like it’s coming from a faceless corporation. Focus instead on the important work your Grange is doing in the community and tell a quick story for engagement. Personalization is the key to your members and supporters hearts.

And remember not to ask for anything in your Thank You note. Its only role is to say thank you and make them feel good. It’s tempting to try to promote an event or ask for volunteers seeing as you might actually have their attention. But, don’t do it.

Asking for something in your thank you letter negates the good will of the appreciation and will leave the person feeling unappreciated.

Other Creative Ways To Say Thank You

• Pass around cards at your next meeting and have your members write individual thank you messages to your volunteers and supporters. This helps ensure that you reach everyone who supports your Grange.
• Get creative with your table centerpieces at refreshments. For example, place beautiful flowers at each table, complete with a handwritten thank you note or sign.
• Create a honor wall at your Grange. Try to design it keeping in theme with your Grange’s mission and projects. Recognition displays can be beautiful, Grange-branded experiences that transform your space and delight visitors. For example: Paws painted on the wall if your Grange donates to animal related projects, hand prints if your Grange undertakes projects that involve children, a bookshelf with books in it with names written on the spines if your Grange undertakes literacy or educational projects. Develop concepts that can tell the Grange story and honor members, volunteers and supporters at the same time. The ideas are endless!
• Honor your members and volunteers by hosting a special lunch or dinner as a thank you. Celebrate everything you’ve been able to accomplish together.
• You can always search resources like Pinterest for Creative Thank You ideas.

Remember that people like to feel that their thank you message is coming from people, and is not some stale message. Make sure you mention your Grange as much as you can; after all, your Grange’s mission is the central piece to garnering support.