Virginia benefit auctioneer grabs a video camera to express her gratitude to a nonprofit

Saying thank you is a life lesson.  Moms teach kids to say thank you before they can walk. Friendships develop over a thoughtful note and business relationships are made from a good thank yous.

Everyone appreciates some appreciation, so my advice to auction committees is to give it to them.  Don’t overthink the task. Grab a pen, the phone, the keyboard … or even a video camera and just say thanks.

Here’s my example of taking a moment to pause and let someone know their actions were appreciated.  I arrived home after a long (9 hours long) road trip to find a wonderful box of goodies waiting for me.

An auction client was celebrating a gala’s success and sent me a package .  A thank you was in order – my Mom would have been proud.  But I didn’t pick up a note card or send an email, I grabbed my video camera.

Watch the video.

I wanted to share my appreciation and excitement at that moment. There’s no better way to do that than a quick video.  It’s a peak behind the curtain at some behind-the-scene operations, and a genuine expression of how much I appreciated the gift. I didn’t rehearse, I just shared my thoughts for a couple of minutes – and said thanks.

Your school or non-profit could lift the curtain for the occasional short video and say thanks to donors.  Imagine staff saying thanks after they have just opened the day’s mail.  What about the excitement in the office when an auction chair shares an update on sponsorships?

Your nonprofit can create its own reality show by sharing appreciate in a video immediately when the news is delivered.  You’ll be able to capture the initial, unrehearsed thank you on video and share it with your community.

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