I’m republishing one of the most popular posts ever on this blog. Read to the bottom for the 2019 update!
I have seen the ideal appeal letter. I haven’t yet seen the ideal thank-you letter. But it went out today. Did you send it?
If you wrote the ideal thank-you letter, you:
- Called me by name.
- Confirmed how much I gave you.
- Told me how my gift would make a difference.
- Illustrated my impact with a story.
- Included a photo or image to make my impact real.
- Told me about how else I can help: by volunteering, or liking you on Facebook, or spreading the word to my friends.
- Signed it by hand, and wrote something just for me.
Most important: it’s the ideal thank-you letter because it went out today.
The sooner you acknowledge my gift, the more likely I am to remember it, and give again. Within 24 hours of your receiving my check is ideal. Within a week is acceptable. But no matter how long it’s been, don’t put it off any longer. Send that letter today.
2019 update:
Nearly every nonprofit sends an automatic acknowledgment for online gifts. That’s a step in the right direction–but a) if your message sounds more like a tax receipt than a thank-you, you may lose the donor right there, and b) auto-thanking is not enough. There are so many other ways to say thank you!
Raise a glass to…your donor
Aside from sending the ideal thank-you letter, you could thank your donors online, make and send a thank-you video, send a card or a gift, write a poem, make a toast, or remember the donor when they are going through a hard time and do something to help.
See my Thank-You Thursday posts for more ideas! (Type TYThursday into the Search box at the bottom of this page.)
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