In an effort to keep my bookworm status up, I've been reading The Boss of You, by Lauren Bacon and Emira Mears. In their own words, it's "Everything a woman needs to know to start, run, and maintain her business."

Yes, well, that's very nice, you say, but this is supposed to be a blog about nonprofit marketing and fundraising, not about women who rock the world.

Ok. I hear you. But stay with me here. I'm going somewhere with this.

In one of our recent posts, we talked about the benefits of photo books for building stronger relationships with your donors. Here at Turnbull Marketing Group, we recently created a photo book for one of our clients, and, we're happy to report, it turned out beautifully.

In the spirit of the sharing, we wanted to spread the joy and share a few tips for creating a successful book.

Yesterday was a very long day here at Turnbull Marketing Group. We stayed late to finish a client's photo book for an upcoming event. This Ohio-based aid agency wanted a special photo book to give to their large donors to say "thanks."

What a terrific idea! This agency is making huge improvements in its donor relations strategies. They know almost every single donor by name -- they even know their donors' kids' names. It helps that their list is fairly small, but still... I was impressed.

That's what I asked my daughter after her birthday party before she could spend the gift cards generous friends, aunts and uncles had given her. And that's what I'm going to ask you before you spend the money generous donors have given you.

No, a generic form letter doesn't count. Your donors didn't write a check to "worthy organization" and send it in the mail, hoping it arrived at the right place. They took the time to make a donation, be it online, by check, or with a credit card, to support your cause and your organization. You need to thank them, by name, personally.