Thank you is the most important thing you can say to your donor or supporter. The power of thank you is long established yet many of us in the nonprofit world have dropped the ball once or twice when it comes to telling our donors and supporters "thank you, thank you, thank you!"

Your nonprofit New Year's resolution should be to develop your online thank you strategy. You accept donations online and you have a community online. Now it's time to start thanking people in your online world.

Think about your online donors and supporters for 2011.  How did you acknowledge those people last year? How did you communicate with your online community?

Here are some ways to thank your community online:

1. Send an email

Maybe a no-brainer but it's still worth mentioning. If all you have from your donor is an email address, put it to work! You can take this opportunity to add him or her to your e-newsletter and send a digital version of your thank you package or other documents like annual reports.

2. Social media connections

Direct your online donors to your Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Google+, and Flicker accounts. People give because they care. Show your donors what they are supporting. They'll probably tell their friends.

Did you say nice things to the people who already follow you on your social media accounts?  You need to say thank you to your online community year round. Tell your Twitter followers how grateful you are for their follow, retweets, and direct messages.  Let your Facebook friends know you like their likes. Tell your YouTube subscribers that you are thrilled they tune in to your videos. 

3. Make a video

Create a 30 second video to say thanks.  Mention donors by name if you have the resources.  If thanking every donor personally by video sounds like crazy talk, have your President or Executive Director record a thirty second to one minute video to distribute to all your donors along with a personal email.  Let your donors and supporters know if you met your 2011 fundraising goals.  This is an excellent opportunity to tell your donors and supporters what's coming up for 2012 and how money was spent in 2011.  Make sure your spokesperson says thank you in this video more than three times.  

4. Access to online extras

Does your organization offer online resources that aren't always available to the general public for free?  Why not give your online donors a complimentary webinar or e-book as a special thank you?  Give your donors and supporters an online thank you package so they can spread the word. A badge for their website or blog (I LOVE NONPROFIT), digital copy of your annual report, and digital calendar of upcoming events can really go the extra mile for someone who cares about your cause. 

Regardless of what your nonprofit does for online donors and supporters in 2012, make sure you say thanks.  Say it often.  Say it many times in the same piece of communication.  Be creative. Ask for feedback. Make 2012 the year of online thank yous and watch your retention of online donors and supporters improve.

By Allie Kosela
@AllieKosela