Donor Relations

Elizabeth is right: raising money is REALLY important in non-profit work. The last time I was at NOLA Green Roots I helped draft donor letters. Thank you letters to donors, letters asking donors to give another donation, letters to businesses asking for donations of goods. It might not seem like this is rewarding like working with the client population might be, but in a weird way it is. I went to a development workshop once and the woman leading it said the main reason people support non-profits is to feel like they are part of something. Donor relations is very important therefore- you have to do a lot to make the donor feel like your non-profit is the right one, and then after they donate you have to maintain that relationship so they feel like they are a part of a good thing. The letters I wrote asking for donations were for a store NOLA Green Roots is trying to open up that will sell plants and homemade goods made by members from garden products (like herb infused olive oils yumm!). I agonized over those letters, to make just the right impression, to insure that our real message came across, and I really feel responsible for if the store can open or not. When I do see the store up and running one day, I can't imagine how proud I will feel!!!