In the last year, I have donated money to four developers via PayPal. Their code was of benefit to me and they had established a relationship with PayPal. Putting a few bucks in their tin was easy for me to do. Of the four developers, one did something that I deeply appreciated. He thanked me.
When we are out in public and we give money to tip jars or the open guitar case of a street musician, we get thanked either verbally or a smiling nod. This is polite behavior. If developers wish to increase their PayPal donations, I highly recommend thanking the people who voluntarily give you money. A simple thank you email takes no more than 30 seconds, but it lets that person know your appreciation.
thank you note for every language by woodleywonderworks
Earlier this year, I added a PayPal donation setup on my coding site. Of all my sites it is one where a donation system seems the most appropriate. Developers can cut-and-paste my code into their projects and bill their clients or employer. If they deem the code helpful, I wanted a way for them to tip me.
I’ve received 4 donations and I’ve sent each one a quick thank you email.
My email thank yous probably won’t increase the number of donations I get, but it may make that person feel better about donating to another developer. And you might be that developer. So I encourage all developers that accept PayPal donations to say thank you.
thomas
Oct 9, 2010 — 4:22 pm
I rarely get thank yous when I tip. l let it go but it still gets to me. Maybe it is the amount (15% to 20%). I don’t think people remember average tippers in general. Only the large and small tips gets service commensurate with the tip.
btw: try expresso with steamed unsweetened almond milk. brings out the flavor of each.
MAS
Oct 10, 2010 — 9:15 am
@thomas – thanks for the almond milk tip.
Matt Combs
Nov 6, 2010 — 9:32 am
Good post. I always send an email thanking the user for their donation. It’s a good practice to get in to. Here’s the basics:
John,
Thank you very much for your Surname Suggestion List donation. It is very much appreciated. Let me know if you have any questions or concerns about the program. I’ll do my best to answer any questions or problems you have.
[Steps to unlock the features available only to donors go here]
Matt
MAS
Nov 6, 2010 — 9:41 am
@Matt – I like your thank you note, especially the part about being available to answer questions. I’m going to add that to my future notes.
gal
Nov 13, 2011 — 3:11 am
i like this post, saying thx is polite. good Karma all the way