What a Thank You!

My favorite Israeli blogger Jameel shared a letter and certificate that his young daughter received after cutting off her long hair and donating it to an organization called Zichron Menachem - The Israeli Association for the Support and Assistance of Children with Cancer and their Families. The organization provides wigs to children undergoing chemotherapy who have lost their hair (similar to Locks of Love here in the US). Soon after she sent in her donation, she received this letter back (translated from the Hebrew):

What kid (or adult, for that matter) wouldn't be beaming after reading that letter? Who wouldn't be pulling out the ruler to see how long it might be until her hair grew enough to send in another donation?

The letter is so effective for several reasons. It lets donors emotionally experience the impact of their donation with vivid details and a compelling story. It shows that the organization understands the sacrifice the donor made with their investment of time and effort in growing the hair, and then the potentially traumatic step of cutting it off. And a little flattery will get you pretty far, when it is sincere and well-deserved.

Kudos to Zichron Menachem for its marketing savvy, and yasher koach (loosely translated as "more power to you" or "way to go!") to Jameel's daughter for deciding on her own to participate in this worthy program.

Technorati Tags: nonprofit, marketing, fundraising, hair, israel