The Do’s and Don’ts of thank you letters

Properly thanking supporters for their generosity is a fundamental part of great donor stewardship. While regular donor communications are important, as that is how to keep all donors updated with what’s going on and how money is being spent, it is not the same as a sincere thank you letter. Nor is a long list of names in the annual report at year’s end. 

A proper thank you shows donors that their gift is noticed and appreciated. And, it is a chance to strengthen the connection your donor already feels towards your organization. 

But is there a wrong way to say thank you? Here are a few do’s and don’ts.

Do say thank you promptly. Waiting too long after a donation makes a donor think you didn’t value them enough to make the time.

Don’t stuff the thank you note with legalese, tax receipt language or other generic language. While you can use the need to send a tax receipt as a way to include a thank you, it should be a heartfelt message of thanks.

Do explain how the organization plans to use the gift. Donors will feel a greater connection to the organization if they understand how their donation will be used. Will it help fund a particular program? Will it buy much-needed supplies? Seeing their donation in action will make donors more willing to donate again.

Don’t only send a thank you letter to high value donations. Every dollar helps and those who give what they can should be valued just as much as the companies who give tens of thousands of dollars. How you say thank you to each type of donor may differ (e.g. a full letter in the mail versus a social media post), but the fact that you say thank you shouldn’t.

Do make the message as personal as possible. Use the donor’s name in the salutation, rather than ‘friend’ or ‘donor’, reference the particular campaign they supported, if relevant, and sign the letter from a specific staff member, preferably someone who is higher up in the organization. 

Don’t use predictable openings like ‘Thank you for your gift of…”.  While there is absolutely nothing wrong with it, it is bland and unoriginal. Thank-you letters are a key part of your communications strategy, so choose language that makes donors feel appreciated, included and inspired to give again.

Don’t use your thank you letter as an opportunity to ask for another donation. This moment is about expressing gratitude, not fundraising.

There are a number of different ways to say thank you — by email, by paper mail, on your social media accounts and even with a personal phone call. While certain methods are better suited to certain types of donors (i.e. traditional donors likely prefer a paper letter than a shout-out on Facebook), the most important thing to remember is to simply say THANK YOU!