This question actually comes up quite a bit. The quick and easy answer? Because for-profit and non-profit organizations are different. For-profit organizations often need to engage their employees and clients around their products, whereas non-profits have employees, clients, volunteers and donors that are typically very passionate about their goal.

So what is so hard about this? If they are already passionate about the non-profit’s cause, aren’t they already engaged? Yes and no. Yes, they are passionate about the cause, but are they working together as a team to achieve the same objectives? Do they feel appreciated for what they are giving back? They may not want to admit it, but they secretly want that recognition for their contributions of time and money towards the cause. In fact thanks and recognition are very important keys to a non-profit organization’s success.

Communication is also crucial – whether it’s with volunteers, donors, politicians or even celebrity endorsements – to make sure each person knows their role to achieve success. By knowing what is expected of them, they can all work towards that common goal. It also makes measuring recognition easier. Once you’ve determined when you want to say thank you, think about whether you’re going to use a service or a product. Is the service a universal gift everyone can use? Are you going to tailor it to different people? Where is the product produced? How will it be packaged and presented? Often times the presentation itself can mean as much, if not more, than the recognition itself.

It can be difficult maneuvering that delicate line between showing your sincere appreciation for someone’s contribution in a cost-effective way and appearing to spend too much. That’s where we come in. Lipic’s works with non-profits every day. We tread that line quite well.