Three Retailers, Three Lessons

Originally published January 4, 2016 on LinkedIn as “How my shoe and bike guys can help your charity”

Updated September 2026

Some of the best donor care I’ve seen came from businesses that treated me well when I bought a pair of sneakers, some bike parts and a pair of cycling shorts.

Great customer service is available to every charity, whatever its size. Here are three lessons I’ve borrowed from retailers who got it right.

1. The personal touch

I love Converse Chuck Taylors. One Christmas, I couldn’t find the pairs I wanted for my kids in local stores, so I ordered online from a small shoe shop in British Columbia.

Their emails had personality. They thanked me warmly, kept me updated and shipped everything on time. When the box arrived, there was a card inside with a handwritten “Thanks Conor!” It took them seconds. It made my day, and I told people about it for months.

At your charity: Have your team or volunteers handwrite “Thank you, [name]!” on receipts and cards. Give your automated online thank-you a voice that sounds like your people. If you can, hold a regular thank-a-thon where staff and volunteers call donors just to say thanks.

2. Constant contact

One winter, I ordered pedals and studded tires from an overseas bike parts retailer. The first emails were standard. Then the updates started – shipment notices and almost daily tracking. “Your package has arrived at London Heathrow” meant nothing in practical terms, and I loved getting it. When customs fees were assessed, I knew within minutes, paid right away and was back on my bike within hours.

Information feels like care. Keep people informed, even when the news is small.

At your charity: Send regular updates from your team, especially if you fund research or grants. “Our funded researcher has assembled her team and begins testing next month” is real news, and donors rarely hear it. Your donors are investors in your mission. Give them progress reports.

3. Fix problems quickly

I once ordered cycling shorts online from a big outdoor retailer, and the package disappeared in the mail. My email didn’t get a quick answer, so I sent a direct message to their social media team. They replied fast, offered three options – ship a new pair, pick up in store or wait – and made sure I was happy with the result.

People will talk about how you handled their problem. You get to shape what they say.

At your charity: Tax receipt season brings calls. Replace “let me look into that and get back to you” with “thank you so much for giving – let’s find your receipt together.” Offer to email a replacement on the spot, or invite the donor in to pick one up and meet your team.

Choose to be great at this

Every charity can make these choices: to keep donors informed, to build care into every stream, to solve problems quickly and to treat donors as part of the work. None of it requires a big budget. It requires deciding it matters.

Try this

Order something small online from a business you admire. Save every message they send you. Then compare it, message by message, with what a new donor receives from you.

Be well.