Here’s the email I’d expect to receive if a reader test drives today’s 90-second habit (Fictional sender; real stats.)
Hi Avraham,
“You handed me Penelope Burk’s Donor-Centered Fundraising, tapped Chapter 6, and said, ‘Read this line—twice.’”
'Call every donor within 48 hours of a gift—person to person—and offer only specific, heartfelt thanks.'
Burk didn’t guess; she ran a large A/B test—thousands of donors inside one nonprofit—and tracked what changed when people actually got that call.
My first reaction: Beautiful idea. Where does it fit in my already packed ED work load?
Curiosity won. We ran a small pilot, followed Burk’s rules exactly, and the numbers spoke.
The pushback—sound familiar?
- “We’re drowning already.”
Two 15-minute gratitude sprints—12 pm and 4:45 pm—clear every gift. ≈30 minutes a day, total. - “Staff hate phoning.”
One 20-minute role-play melted the jitters. Now people race to grab the phone. - “Donors will feel intruded upon.”
Zero complaints. One donor asked for email; everyone else appreciated the call. - “Campaign time will swamp us—hundreds of gifts in 24 hours!”
We run a thank-a-thon: major gifts within 48 hours; the rest over the next few days. Busy, but we keep the promise.
What the 48-Hour Call Looks Like in Real Life
- Trigger – Gift hits the CRM → name drops into our shared WhatsApp/Inbox.
- Sprint – Whoever owns the next slot dials. No “I’ll do it later.”
- Thirty-Second Rhythm – “Hi Sam, thank you for your $3,600 gift. It funds a full term of tutoring for three students. We’re so grateful.”
Hang up. Done. - Rotating Voices – ED today, program head tomorrow, sometimes a student—always sincere.
12-month scorecard (eerily close to Burk’s test)
- Thanked within 48 hrs: 5 % → 95 %
- Average next gift: $2,200 → $3,150 (+43 %)
- Donor retention: 43 % → 60 % (+40 %)
Bonus win: a mid-tier donor doubled her pledge, calling our voicemail “the nicest thank-you I’ve ever received.”
Replies now open with, “I feel part of the team.” That shift—from patron to partner—is priceless.
Staff time still: ≈30 minutes a day. Hard to beat that return.
Try it and tell me what happens
Block two gratitude sprints, keep the call pure (no ask!), and see for yourself. If a chronically over-booked ED can hit 95 % and bump retention 40%, so can you.
Feel free to clip or forward this. Sometimes the biggest mountain moves with one 30-second call.
Warm regards,
Your Name
Executive Director, Your Organization
Have a great week,
Avraham
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