How often do you really read a thank you letter you receive?
Do you open it gladly, looking forward to the good feeling that comes when you’re thanked? Or is it just a tax receipt to go in your files?
That thank you letter really ought to be more than a tax receipt. But while the receipt is needed, it ought to be wrapped in the kind of gratitude and affirmation that makes the reader stop and smile.
So, how can your thank you letter keep donors around?
Your thank you letter is every bit as important as the appeal that inspired the gift. You sent a warm request; you need to answer with the same warmth.
First, put the formal, “here’s your receipt” language aside.
It’s necessary, but can be a simple footer, or added to a grateful sentence. It’s absolutely secondary to the thanks.
Second, write like a human.
One person to one person. With the kind of language you’d use in person. Think about it: if someone walked up to you and handed you $100, would you say, “Oh my! Thank you very much!” or would you say, “Thank you for your recent gift of $100.”
Also, keep in mind that when someone is reading what you’ve written, they’re hearing it in their head. So when you write to donors your language should feel conversational. Use contractions, ellipses, sentence fragments… Then read it aloud – does it feel like one friend speaking to another?
Go all out with gratitude, regardless of the gift amount.
There are no small gifts. And a large gift may need more than a letter anyway. You shouldn’t hold back here. Get emotional. Effusive even.
So, explain exactly what the donor accomplished by giving. And again, every gift counts. This isn’t accounting here… you don’t have to hold back because their $25 didn’t really do much to feed hungry kids. They helped. They contributed to the mission.
Donors deserve sincere thanks – and the good feelings that go with knowing what their generosity made happen. Giving them the opportunity to feel good is key to keeping them around. There’s no reason to hold back here.
No organizational puffery.
This isn’t your opportunity to brag about what the organization does, though. Credit goes to the donor. You need funding, not credit.
(And one note: if your CEO or executive director says, “But I don’t sound like that!” Tell them they do now. You’re doing some PR work on their image. )
So, you’ve written a personal, warm, emotional thank you letter. You’ve included some feel-good information on what they’ve helped to accomplish. What else can you do?
How your thank you can go off the tracks
When you write your appeal, you don’t start the letter with business. (Or I hope you don’t!) You spend thought on how to open the letter… how to write a sentence that encourages the donor to read the next sentence. And the next.
Boring at the beginning means the letter gets put aside and forgotten.
It’s the same with your thank you letter. Sure, they may glance at it, then file it for their taxes. But if you intrigue them at the start, they may keep reading. And that means you have a chance to keep cementing their relationship with your organization.
Every touch point with your donors is cultivation and gratitude. This is one of the most important letters you’ll send.
Judging from my inbox and mailbox, what I most often see goes something like this:
Salutation
(occasionally wrong… get your data straight and don’t make assumptions!)
Opening sentence
(Boring. Along the lines of “Thank you for you recent gift.” Does that make your heart sing? Yeah, mine neither.)
A paragraph or two about all the good work your organization does. (Remember, happy donors who feel they’re making a difference give again. Organizational bragging is boring.)
Another emotion free thank you
(I get it; it can be hard to find new ways to add gratitude. And here’s the tough part – it needs to come from your heart, not head. Work at it. Think about what would make you feel good.)
A formal sign-off like “Sincerely”
(This is one of the places where you can easily add some humanity and feeling. Get a little creative. Surprise the donor. Or mirror the ask – “All my thanks for feeding out kids,” Let the donor feel like a superhero!)
No P.S.
(That’s a lost opportunity. People often skim, and the P.S. gets some serious attention because it’s at the end. Use it! Tell a short little anecdote. Or mention an upcoming even they might be interested in – especially if it’s free. An opportunity to connect personally with the person who signs the letter.)
A thank you letter isn’t the end of a transaction. Done right, it’s the next step forward in the donor’s relationship with your organization. Pour lots of love into it and make it personal. Leave the donor feeling great about giving… you’ll find they’re more willing to give again.
P.S. Dear reader, thank you for visiting. And I’d be remiss if I didn’t turn your attention to the best resource you could have for thank you letters. It’s called “Thankology.” My friend, Lisa Sargent, wrote it and it’s a treasure.
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