Episode 248: How to Automate Donor Thank-Yous That Still Feel Personal (Without Losing the Human Touch)

How many donor thank-yous are sitting on your to-do list right now? Five? Twelve? A hundred? Donor gratitude is one of the most important parts of fundraising — and one of the easiest things to fall behind on. Not because you don’t care, but because you’re busy.

In this episode of The Million Dollar Nonprofit, Tom Kelly shows nonprofit leaders how to automate up to 90% of donor thank-yous without losing the human touch. Using the framework Segment. Spark. Send., you’ll learn how to build a scalable gratitude system that feels warm, personal, and heartfelt — even when it’s automated.

Tom walks through how to segment donors properly, create AI-powered thank-you message banks, and add personalization layers that make donors feel truly seen. You’ll learn how to use donor data like gift amount, program supported, location, and past involvement to spark genuine gratitude inside automated emails, texts, videos, and handwritten notes.

This episode breaks down how to deliver thank-yous automatically across multiple channels — including email, SMS, personalized video, and handwritten cards — all triggered instantly through your CRM. The result is faster follow-up, stronger donor relationships, and higher retention, without overwhelming your team.