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You are here: Home / Blog / How to write a thank you letter when you’re feeling stuck

How to write a thank you letter when you’re feeling stuck

Stuck?

You’ve been working hard on that last campaign. And now, you have new gifts! After the celebration, you begin to wonder. How can you write a thank you that works? Where do you start?

Here’s my quick thank you letter how-to

First, a confession: I used to write rote, boring, perfunctory thank you letters.

And I didn’t much like writing them.

Plus, with an appeal, you feel like you have a goal. Thanks are an afterthought, right?

Wrong. So. Wrong.

Then I read posts by my friends Pamela Grow and Lisa Sargent. My eyes were opened.

Saying thank you well matters. Unless you don’t care if donors stick around.

So here is my advice for your great thank you letter.

Personalize the salutation

Nothing says, “We love you for your money” like a “Dear Friend” thank you letter. Don’t do it.

First paragraph: One great line

Just like your appeal letter, the first line of your thank you does some heavy lifting. Make it sing.

“On behalf of…” is coma-inducing. Don’t do that either.

Instead, imagine your favorite person in the world.

Imagine they’ve just given you the greatest gift – the thing you’d never dare ask for. Hang on to that feeling of love and gratitude. That’s what needs to fill this line.

Make it short. And make it all about the donor, not your organization.

Stuck? Try “You’re amazing!” or “You’re my hero!”

Flatter away. Gush.

Trust me, no one hates being told they’re wonderful.

Second paragraph: Look at what you’ve done!

Tell your donor exactly what their generosity accomplishes.

Hint: this is never “meeting our annual fund goals”. Connect their generosity to the beneficiary.

Because of your generous gift, a family will have a real Thanksgiving dinner this year.

Make the connection without inserting your organization.

Nothing in this letter is about how great you are.

Third paragraph: Stay connected

Use this to suggest ways they can learn more, call for a tour, or reach you or another real person via phone or email. (And do I have to say that they’d better be able to reach that person?)

Fourth paragraph: Say it again

Restate your gratitude. Tell them again why they’re important.

Have a human sign the thank you letter

Make it someone as high up in the organization as possible. Or sometimes, the person the donor has a connection to.

Sign it for real. Add a note – even if the note is only “Thank you very much!”.

Don’t make the IRS the star of the thank you letter

Stick that boring but necessary language at the bottom of the letter. No one wants to read it – they just want it there.

More good stuff on saying thank you:
Thank you letters for you to swipe

How hopeFound says ‘Thank You’ (And how they can help you say thank you too)

Photo thanks to Ryan McGuire at Gratisography.

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Filed Under: Blog, Thanks Tagged With: donor love, donor relations, thank you 16 Comments

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Comments

  1. Richard Freedlund says

    December 27, 2016 at 12:48 pm

    Mary,

    I think you’d agree that thank you letters are the MOST important correspondence an organization can send to its supporters. A well written appeal is important but without a timely thank you, donors will not come back.

    Reply
    • Mary Cahalane says

      December 27, 2016 at 12:56 pm

      HI Richard! Yes, absolutely. A great appeal without a proper thank you just leads to churn and burn fundraising. Who wants that?
      Thanks!

      Reply
  2. David Wilkins says

    May 14, 2019 at 3:18 am

    We do exactly what you suggest above, with some additions. The TY letter should relate back to what prompted the gift, if known. So if you run an appeal for a centre for street kids, then the TY letter needs to show impact for street kids…as opposed to a livelihoods programme. We also try and get our field comms team to get additional images showing a smile or a direct impact image which we put on a TY greeting card that someone can put on their mantle or pop under a fridge magnet. It’s an ongoing reminder to the donor of the good they have done. Finally we’ve started putting reply envelopes into TY letters to encourage feedback or comments…and if they contain additional gifts…job done! Connecting with your donors, and making sure they understand just how much they’ve done it critical!

    Reply
    • Mary Cahalane says

      May 14, 2019 at 8:35 am

      Excellent! Yes!

      Reply

Trackbacks

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    August 10, 2018 at 6:03 am

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    […] should pay attention and you should fix it. […]

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    June 23, 2020 at 11:49 am

    […] So your job is to stand out. And the best way to do that is to create a thank you that she’ll remember. […]

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    January 26, 2021 at 11:48 am

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