Does your nonprofit organization regularly send thank you letters? Thanking donors is an important part of the donation process and can help donors feel appreciated, which results in continued giving.
Whether you send automated thank you notes after each contribution or plan specific times of year for handwritten notes, these letters are the perfect opportunity to express your appreciation to donors. They also help build stronger relationships and support the last stage of the donor cycle, stewardship.
Sometimes, the most challenging part of the thank you is getting started. Here, we’ll provide nine tips for writing thank you letters with ease.
1. Personalize It
Personalized letters are an easy way to show donors you care. When you personalize, make sure to include the donor’s name at the beginning of the letter.
Then, you can also add other bits of information, such as the amount of their donation. For example, you can say something like, “We greatly appreciate your donation of $100.”
Close by acknowledging your appreciation for the donor’s continued support. Thank them for additional activities, such as attending an event or volunteering.
2. Make It Authentic
No matter how you send thank you letters, they should feel authentic. The easiest way to do this is to have letters come from someone in your organization. This person can be a community manager, leader, or someone else who donors may know.
Here’s the trick: Use friendly and conversational language that sounds like it’s from a real person or how the sender would say it. Remember, a thank you letter is not a report or receipt; it is a personal note of gratitude. A casual tone will feel more heartfelt, even if it’s prewritten or automated.
You can take your letters to the next level with a handwritten note. Depending on the number of donations you receive, this might seem daunting. If so, reserve handwritten letters for your biggest or recurring donors or send them only a few times a year.
3. Tell a Story
Storytelling should be a key part of your strategy. It’s impactful for nonprofits, so finding additional opportunities to tell your story is important. Fortunately, thank you letters are perfect for the task.
In addition to your words of appreciation, show the impact of the donor’s gift. You can do this by explaining how the funds helped your organization and community. Include supporting data, quotes, photos, and other information to tell your story.
By including storytelling in your thank you letter, donors will feel valued because they can see the work they helped support.
4. Keep It Brief
A thank you letter does not have to be long to be impactful. Even with personalization and a touch of storytelling, these letters should be short and to the point.
Remember, the goal is to say thank you. If the letter is too long, it could feel overwhelming, and the point would be missed. So, remove unnecessary information and make sure the emphasis is on saying thanks.
5. Include Branded Elements
The donor needs to know who the letter is from. If you buy unbranded thank you cards or send automatic thank you emails, ensure you include your organization’s name and logo.
For digital communications, include branded elements that reflect your nonprofit’s unique brand identity, such as buttons in your brand color, a header image or graphic, and relevant fonts.
6. Provide Ways to Stay in Touch
Make sure donors know this isn’t the end of their relationship with your organization. While you don’t need to ask for another contribution in the thank you letter, it is important to provide other ways for donors to stay connected. Here’s how:
- Provide contact information, like your address, phone number, email, and social media channels.
- Send information about upcoming events or activities.
- Invite donors to subscribe to your email (and make it easy).
7. Consider the Timing
A thank you letter should come within a week of a donation. However, you should aim to send it within two days. It’s important to ensure that the donor is acknowledged in a timely manner. Otherwise, they could feel unappreciated.
Automation can make this a lot easier. Use automated thank yous that trigger shortly after the donation and add handwritten notes a few times a year for a donor thank you bonus.
Remember thank you letters for recurring donations. You should send one after each donation and consider a special thank you every so often.
8. Build a Routine
When you develop a plan and routine for thank you letters, the process becomes almost carefree for your team.
Use your CRM or other software to track donations and when thank-you letters must be sent manually. Your annual marketing and development calendar should include time to write and mail letters. You can also develop a handful of templates for different types of donors (major gifts, one-time, recurring, corporate, etc.). When you have sample letters prewritten, the entire process is quick and easy.
You can also purchase branded thank you cards to send with your letters. Cards are great, and if you plan to send extra storytelling elements, such as photos, the card will keep these from getting damaged during mailing.
9. Focus on the Donor
Finally, remember the thank you is about the donor and their impact. Your letter should be all about them.
Focus on the thank you, follow that with what the contribution means, and finish with another thank you. Use donor-first language with words like “you” and “your.”
A simple thank you letter might read something like this:
Dear [First Name],
Thank you for your recent $250 contribution to [Your Nonprofit Name]. Your gift has allowed us to [describe cause and impact here].
Your continued generosity is greatly appreciated.
Sincerely,
[Sender name and title]
[Organization name, contact information, and communication channels]
Build Stronger Donor Relationships with Thank You Letters
Thank you letters help maintain strong relationships with donors and can lead to increased and continued giving. Donors want acknowledgement of their contributions and to know how the dollars are being used, and a thank you is a good way to do that in a regular and timely fashion.
Your thank you letters will stand out if they are personal and authentic. Go beyond the default donation receipt and personalize these communications with a letter of gratitude.
GiveWP allows you to manage donors through an insightful donor database, with access to their information when you need it. You can send receipts to immediately thank donors and then follow up with a letter. Plus, donor information is stored in a database every time a donation is made through a donation form, so you can track and follow up with more communications as necessary.
Learn more or try it free today!
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