
Does writing a thank you letter make you feel sort of squeamish?
Do you put it off, because… all those feelings?
Or maybe just because you don’t know where to start?
I got you. Read on…
Your opening paragraph
As you would with any letter, keep the first paragraph short. And make it all about the person you’re writing to.
Because the most important thing is not that you received a gift. It’s that this lovely person sent a gift.
You wouldn’t want to be appreciated for your money rather than your kind self, would you?
I like to keep that first paragraph (or sentence) about the mission and how the donor helped someone.
Example:
Hannah found her forever home. And that’s because of you.
(100% warmer than “On behalf of the board of directors” right?)
The next paragraph or two
Here’s where you can mention the gift amount and date. Donors often save these letters to use later for their taxes or other accounting. So including the information is helpful.
But… be sure you tie it to the mission again. Tell them what their gift accomplished. You can keep it feeling personal by having the person signing the letter also react to the gift. Not “We received your gift” but “When I saw your lovely gift, I felt so moved. Thank you.”
If you’re thinking you can’t say something that warm for a “small” gift, please, oh please, change your mind. There’s internal donor talk (major, mid-level, etc.) and there’s how you talk to donors. Showing people you think their gift isn’t worthy of appreciation won’t help them want to give more!
Closing paragraphs
This might be my favorite part of the thank you letter.
Here’s where you can offer an example of their gift at work. Tell them what changes because they gave. If your appeal left readers hanging without a resolution to the problem (and it should!), here’s a chance to tell the donor what changed because of them.
Remember, that’s singular (or a couple or family), not all our donors. This is a very personal letter, to thank one person.
Your thank you letter sign-off and signature
Who should sign the letter?
Ideally, the most senior person in your organization. But… do not wait for a CEO with a pile of letters on her desk. Better this arrives quickly – so the donor can feel the connection between their gift and your appreciation.
And the truth is unless the donor knows people inside the organization, the warmth (and useful information) will mean more than who signs it.
I hesitate to say this, but in a pinch, and if you have the skills and permission, you can sign for your CEO. I used to be pretty good at imitating a signature. 😊
Your thank you letter P.S.
You weren’t going to skip this, were you?
As you already know, this piece of letter real estate is critical… because it’s often the part people will read. So reiterate the main points – thank you, because of you, we appreciate you.
Bonus points if you can use handwriting here. Again… it’s a signal to that donor that they matter, personally.
Some questions you might have:
Do we have to send a letter? Isn’t the email receipt good enough?
Only if you don’t care about keeping your donors. Or possibly, even offending them. (I recently got a receipt, only a receipt, from an organization I’ve had ties to for decades. I have to be honest: it hurt.)
Postage is expensive. Can we email?
Yes, you can, especially if the donation was made online.
But… (there’s always a but, right?) Just like your appeals and newsletters, a real piece of paper still has more weight. Your donor will physically interact with it in a way that’s more involved than another email. So unless your donor has requested an email receipt or you’re broke, I’d lean toward mail.
Can I use AI to write my thank you letter?
If you want a canned, cold, and ineffective one you could.
Sorry. AI is amazing and improving at lightning speed. But it can only spit out what it’s taken in. And it hasn’t been taught what a good thank you looks like enough times to make one for you.
Giving is personal. Keep it as warm and personal as possible. You’ll keep those donors around a lot longer!
P.S. You can find more priceless learning about thank you letters from Lisa Sargent here and here. And from Pamela Grow here. They both taught me so much!
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