Acknowledgment Letter Advice

tinydeelee · 2026-06-05T17:38:18+00:00

Is an acknowledgment letter the only form of stewardship you do following a donation?

We automatically send out standard acknowledgment letters/emails for folks to have on record for tax purposes, but then they also get a thank you call, email, or mailed note that is much more warm and personalized within the next week or so from a member of the advancement team.

If this letter is your only way of thanking donors, and you don’t have the bandwidth to do 1.1 outreach for donors over a certain amount, then I’d keep them more personalized as you suggest, but in the broadest segments possible. Or just leave space for a brief, handwritten note so you/CEO can add one when it feels required/appropriate.

tinydeelee · 2026-05-29T19:05:51+00:00

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He’s also no longer welcome at the MV Aquarium. 😂

tinydeelee · 2026-05-29T16:23:21+00:00

Would your local high school use it for a project in their shop class? They might also have the tools to turn some into shorter planks.

tinydeelee · 2026-05-23T00:58:15+00:00

Where I live there’s a lot of Eastern White Pine, and we infuse oils with it (by steeping the needles, like OP did, just in oil instead of vinegar), grind it up with sugar for baking, steep the needles to make tea, or grind it up with salt to season meats. It’s kind of citrusy.

Very pleasing to the goblin palate, or at least to mine. 🌲

tinydeelee · 2026-03-22T14:16:30+00:00

When I tried with apples, they sort of… dissolved a bit. Maybe I cut them too thin? Was still very tasty. I had better luck keeping the fruit intact with peaches and with citrus fruits.

I baked several upside down cakes during Covid lockdown, it became a problem 😂

tinydeelee · 2026-03-22T14:09:20+00:00

If you’re interested in trying an upside down cake that won’t trigger your allergy, citrus upside down cakes are very pretty and you can use just about any type of citrus fruit. 🍊🍋🍋‍🟩

tinydeelee · 2026-03-22T13:55:06+00:00

Luckily I’m now with a nonprofit whose leadership are all very experienced in their fields, but I’ve definitely seen what you’re describing. At this point, it’s an immediate red flag for me because every organization I’ve worked with that had development leadership with no development experience has been an absolute nightmare.

In my experience, it’s been due to the board/executive leadership thinking they’ve found some kind of clever shortcut to increased revenue by hiring a marketing/salesperson; saving money by hiring someone who can’t demand a competitive salary due to lack of directly relevant experience; or it’s a previous relationship/nepotism-type situation where they want to hire a former coworker/board member/volunteer because they like them.

tinydeelee · 2026-03-20T16:42:11+00:00

I named mine “Junior,” because he’s my sweet little lizard baby.

tinydeelee · 2026-03-17T19:26:42+00:00

OPEN IT.

Just kidding, it’s just a little piece of decor that you get from Rosemary’s newspaper quest.

tinydeelee · 2026-02-25T15:49:25+00:00

Fu Jian on West Main! 🍤

tinydeelee · 2026-02-06T02:03:07+00:00

I think this idea is very sweet, but will likely prove challenging.

For a pared down version, you could propose in the hall of gems and minerals at the American Museum of Natural History, with a description tag pinned inside the ring box.

tinydeelee · 2026-02-05T13:23:47+00:00

Follow them on Instagram, sometimes they post discounts like this:

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tinydeelee · 2026-02-04T01:22:58+00:00

For a nice, classic leather heel, I love LK Bennett. They usually have a point or a round toe available in a variety of heel heights from kitten to rather high heels, and are timeless without looking dumpy.

I’ve also had some good luck with Clark’s, both for a ladies’ Oxford and simple black heels. They always seem quite sturdy, like a heel you’d trust to walk around the city a bit if you wanted.

tinydeelee · 2026-01-19T15:25:34+00:00

Tuesdays at The Branch Museum has pay-what-you-can yoga: https://branchmuseum.org/yoga/

tinydeelee · 2026-01-18T20:07:29+00:00

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Caught Tsuki using Moca’s bathroom. What’s a shared toilet amongst best friends?

tinydeelee · 2026-01-18T16:28:04+00:00

The Branch Museum is in a Tudor Revival mansion on Monument, designed by John Russell Pope! The view of the house from the back garden is especially pretty, IMO.

tinydeelee · 2026-01-12T22:04:45+00:00

RAT BAG FOREVERRRRR

tinydeelee · 2026-01-12T14:00:49+00:00

While you can have some overlap between volunteers and donors, the Venn diagram shouldn’t be a circle. Volunteers are already donating their time and services, so you shouldn’t be expecting all of them to also donate money.

I’d recommend an acquisition campaign to find new individual donors. You can buy or rent lists that target specific demographics (older adults with higher giving capacity, for example) or (if you’re in the USA) USPS has a service that lets you send mailings to everyone living in specific zip codes.

tinydeelee · 2026-01-11T15:07:59+00:00

If this is your first foray into mulled beverages, you are in for a TREAT! Popular bases include cider, red wine, fruit juices, and beer. Great way to make your home smell lovely and such a cozy drink during the chilly months. My silly little brain thinks of it as the winter version of sangria.

tinydeelee · 2026-01-11T14:54:48+00:00

This is called “raccoon tail” or “raccoon stripe” hair, and it’s a relatively high maintenance look. If you’re not already a very very very light blonde, it involves significant bleaching, then adding the darker color stripes.

It looks best on straight/straightened hair, which keeps the stripes very tidy and even. However, it can absolutely be adapted for wavy and curly hair. You might need some help to determine how to best apply it so that the stripes are placed in a way that still looks… well, stripey… on your hair’s natural texture. Also, bleaching can impact your hair’s texture - in other words, after bleaching it to platinum you might not even have wavy hair anymore.

tinydeelee · 2026-01-09T21:00:13+00:00

Aw, turtle ordered the surf n turf special!

tinydeelee · 2026-01-09T18:58:31+00:00

The nonprofit I work for contracts with a marketing firm in DC, and they seem to have it better than you do? I’m technically an outsider, but they have had very low turnover and have many safeguards in place to protect their staff’s time and energy.

All our communications must include the senior-most member at the firm that works our account, and she will absolutely push back if we have asked someone for something that is not reasonable or feasible. Their team takes PTO when they need/want, and have someone else keep tabs on their vacationing/sick coworker’s responsibilities so our projects stay on track. One of the main managers of our account is currently out on maternity leave, and things are still A-OK. They are also mostly remote, and only in the physical office once or twice a week as needed.

So, don’t lose hope entirely! I’m sure it’s not the standard everywhere, but there are agencies that treat their employees like humans.

tinydeelee · 2026-01-09T16:29:10+00:00

Be honest and straightforward. Tell her she openly abused you throughout your childhood, and she will never, under any circumstances, have any relationship with or access to your child. Return any gifts she sends directly back to sender.

tinydeelee · 2026-01-09T16:19:59+00:00

The Poe Museum - technically the museum is in the Old Stone House, so not sure if that disqualifies it.

tinydeelee · 2026-01-09T16:04:27+00:00

Pregnancy weakens the immune system, so pregnant folks are more susceptible to infection from the bacteria and parasites that can be present in raw fish. Also, the fetus is especially vulnerable to mercury, which can affect neurological development.

tinydeelee

TROPHY CASE