Last week we started the discussion on Giving Thanks. We continue this week with 3 more quick tips to practice giving thanks.
Give credit
When we work with coalitions, we may be hesitant to overload a document with all of the people or groups who have contributed to the work. However, one of the most important ways to say “thank you” is to specifically acknowledge the person or organization who gave specific contributions. In most projects, there are a few people who do most of the work. Including them by name or organization in the document, resource or toolkit is a wonderful way to show thankfulness to them. You can also include them in the announcement related to the product or deliverable. Depending upon the specific resource, another wonderful way to give credit is to include their logo. In these situations, giving credit goes a long way to showing thankfulness and building the relationship. Alternatively, by not giving credit, this can damage relationships and interest working with the coalition or group in the future.
Give a gift
Although our coalitions may have limited resources to provide monetary support or even gifts, we may be able to partner with other groups who can help with providing a gift as a way to demonstrate thankfulness. The type of gift depends upon the person or group and what will demonstrate thankfulness. For some, a small gift card to a local coffee shop would be a wonderful gift. For others, providing resources for printing, covering the cost of travel or covering a registration fee would be another kind of thank you gift. Highlight their work in your next newsletter. Work with your coalition to see who you may want to thank and be creative with the types of gifts you give.
Give time
In our busy schedules, one of the best thank you gifts to our coalition members or partners is the gift of time. You can give them time to meet with you for 15-30 minutes to hear about what is important to them/their organization or you can give them time on the next meeting agenda. As you plan your calendar and your ideal week, consider blocking some time on your calendar each month that you can offer to partners as a thank you for their contribution and an opportunity to listen and learn from them.
As you think about these three ways to say thank you through giving, which one will you try in the next couple of weeks?
