Thanksgiving is nearly here, and there’s no better time of year to show your gratitude for the members of your alumni association!

Showing your gratitude for those members makes them feel valued and cared about, and also makes them far more likely to stay engaged within your organization. Take the effort to showcase your appreciation this year. Here are just a few ideas for how you can do that.

• Send an email: This is, by far, the easiest way to say “thank you” to your members. It’s effective for emailing your entire membership at once and giving a quick yet effective thanks to all of your members for being involved in your organization. Give it a nice newsletter design and make sure they’re personalized!
• Send cards: If you have members who are higher donors or who are particularly engaged with your organization, you might give some extra effort into thanking them by sending them cards with handwritten signatures. The old-fashioned thank you card will never go out of style and always carries a little extra charm to it that simply does not come across in digital media.
• Send gifts: If you have swag for your organization, consider including it in thank you messages to your alumni members. It could be something as simple as stickers--just something extra to show your appreciation and that you can include your branding on.
• Phone calls: This is another method of giving thanks that is best done in small quantities and for members that go the extra mile to support your organization, whether it be with their time or money. A personal phone call saying thank you can make a big impact and will be greatly appreciated!

Happy Thanksgiving to you all! Enjoy the holiday!