Thank You Calls to New Donors
Thanking new donors may be the most important Habitat interaction for our donors, who need to know that
we appreciate their gift. The personal contact they will receive through your call will help let them know that
we really needed their contributions.
Below you will find some guidelines for your conversations. Some donors will not want to talk much- that is
okay! They will be shocked that a non-profit takes the time to call their donors, so they may be hesitant
during your call. What we really want to know is what it is they like about our program that they chose to
support us; what would they like more information about? Is there any way they would like to be further
involved?
Ideally, every conversation should be a dialogue, rather than a monologue, and it should go through the
following 3 step process:
1. Listen- you are asking open ended questions, listen to the feedback they are giving you!
2. Connect with the person you are calling- in whatever way you can. Listen for your commonalities
and move on from there.
3. Acknowledge and appreciate-the basis for your call is to let them know how much we
appreciated their gift.
The following is a GUIDE to conducting the call. Try your best to get through all 4 points, listen carefully for
what they might be interested in, and please include all details in your notes for us.
1. Thank the person for their gift. You are honored that they make Habitat a priority in their
giving decisions.
2. How did they decide to give to Habitat? Let them know you are a volunteer/homeowner and
ask them how they first became involved.
3. Is there any way they might like to become more involved with the organization? (Listen
carefully here for renewed or increased interest from prior volunteers and donors.)
4. Have they been on a tour? If not, invite them! (Take note if someone would like to be
scheduled). Is there anyone else that came to mind during the event whom they would like to
invite to a tour?
After you have completed the call, please take some time to finish jotting down your notes. You can use the
Donor Call Tracking Sheet. These are critical to communicating the information our donors want to hear!
Here is a sample script you may consider using:
When the donor picks up:
“Hi, this is _____, I am a volunteer (future homeowner) with Habitat for Humanity and I wanted to thank you
for your generous gift.”
“We are honored that you make Habitat a priority in your gift giving.”
213 E. Kirkwood Avenue, Bloomington, IN 47408-3532 USA
Phone: (812) 331-4069 Fax: (812) 336-6022 www.monroecountyhabitat.org habitat@monroecountyhabitat.org
“How did you get connected to Habitat?” “Are you familiar with our programs?”
For answering machines:
“Hello, this is ____, I am a board member with Habitat for Humanity and I am calling to thank you for the gift
you made___” I wanted to let you know how much your generosity means to us—your gift will make a
difference in ____(generic: our programs this year). We would love to hear any comments you may have
about Habitat for Humanity. If you would like to, you can call us at 331-4069, but really we are just calling to
let you know we are grateful.”
Answers to some popular questions:

What if they want to volunteer? Great! Find out what they are interested in particularly:
construction site, preparing food? At the end of gathering information let them know that
our volunteer liaison, Fiona Taggart, will get back in touch within a week (please make note
of this on your sheet). (Or, if you are calling from the office and Fiona is available you can
connect them right away.).

What if they want to come on a tour? Tours are given on most Saturdays from 2:00-3:00.
Fiona can schedule them on a tour and will follow up with anyone who is interested. (Or, if
you are calling from the office and Fiona is available you can connect them right away.)
Make sure to list this on your call sheet for follow-up.

What if they ask about giving us materials/ReStore? Let them know that we would be
delighted to accept donations at the ReStore. Store hours are Tuesday, Thursday, Friday-10:30 am to 5:30 pm, Wednesday--noon to 5:30 pm and Saturday--8:30 am – 3:30 pm.
Located at 300 W. 11th Street. 331-2660. Manager is Noma Maier.

What if I don’t know the answer to their questions? Please let the donor know that you are
a volunteer, and that you do not know the answer, but you will have a staff member give
them a call to speak with them further. Do not try and guess the answer if you do not know.
Feel free to ask any of the staff while you are working.
Office Information:
Address (physical and mailing): 213 E. Kirkwood Ave., Bloomington, IN 47408
Phone number: 812.331.4069
Web address: www.monroecountyhabitat.org
Current work site: Houses #110 - 14th and College, starting Houses #111-112 in Cedar Chase neighborhood
with Women Build (May 12-21)
Habitat for Humanity Current Employees
Name
Job Title
Kerry Thomson
Executive Director
Rebecca Mankowski
Volunteer & Family Services Coordinator
2
Meagan Niese
Development Director
Tom Boudreau
Construction Manager
Sean Price
Business Manager
Laura Oberholtzer
Office Manager
Susie Kateregga
AmeriCorps Family Services Liaison
Noma Maier
ReStore Manager
Larry Pejeau
ReStore Sales and Acquisition Manager
Bruce Murray
ReStore Recruiter
Andrew Baker
Donations Intake/Warehouse Coordinator
Fiona Taggart
AmeriCorps Volunteer Liaison
Adrian Starnes
Construction Site Supervisor
Brett Fagan
Construction Assistant
3