5 tips for writing better donor thank you letters

A thank you letter is one of the first touch points a donor receives after making a gift to your organization. Much like the good impression you made with your fundraising asks (because it worked, right?), the words in your thank you letter matter. 

The thank you letter is the gateway to building a long-lasting relationship between you and your donor. It goes a long way toward making them feel valued — which in turn, leads them to want to donate again in the future. 

Here are five tips for writing better donor thank you letters. 

Personalize. Whether a donor gave $25, $100 or $1,000, they want to feel special and valued and not mass mailed. Even if you’re using a thank you template, personalize as much as possible by including the donor’s name and even their gift amount. These small touches go a long way.

Show impact. All too often, thank you letters state “your donation made a difference in our effort to [insert mission here]”. Your donor is likely already familiar with your mission. Instead try to be specific — share a short success story or a relevant fact (e.g., It costs $6.3 million to buy a CT scanner—your gift made a profound difference in bringing a new scanner to our community.)

Keep the focus on ‘you’ the donor, rather than ‘we’ the organization. It’s easy to talk about what ‘we’ are doing as an organization, but keep the focus on ‘you’ the donor. After all, it’s the donor who makes everything ‘we’ do possible.   

Keep it short. Short, sweet and to the point is what you’re aiming for with a thank you letter. Your donor already made a gift and doesn’t need to be convinced to do anything else. 

Paint an inspiring picture for the future. Wrap up your letter on an inspiring note by demonstrating a vision for the future. This is an important part of the relationship building process.