Our tips for the perfect thank you letter

For many donors, one of the most important motives for giving is to make yourself feel good. The thank you letter is therefore one of the most important parts of your fundraising strategy

1. Send your thank you letter quickly

Have you received a donation? The sooner you say thank you, the better. Send your thank you letter preferably within 48 hours. Donors not only want to feel that their donation is appreciated, they also want to make sure that their donation has arrived safely.

2. Be friendly

Write the thank you letter as if you were communicating with a friend. You don’t have to write perfect sentences or think too long about what to say. Write what comes to mind. The last thing you want is for your letter to come across as if it came out of the printer in large numbers

3. Be personal

”Dear donor” is the wrong salutation for a Thank you mailing. Use the donor’s name and repeat the amount they gave. This gives the donor the feeling that the letter is intended for them personally and not any random donor.

4. Provide continuity

Make sure your thank you letter is about the same topic the donor gave for. And confirm how much the donation means to that specific goal. So if you asked for money for malaria nets, show in your thank you letter what the purchase of the nets means.

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5. Be grateful

This sounds obvious, but make sure your donor knows that their donation plays an essential role in doing your work. And that your work can only exist thanks to generous givers like your donors.

6. Tell your donors what you are doing with their money

Tell your donors what you do with their money. Make it clear that it is being used for the purpose they donated to. Sending a photo showing what the donation is being used for can make your donor give again.

7. Make it authentic

Make sure your thank you letter is signed (with a real signature) by someone from your organisation that your donors know. Use real stamps on your envelope. Adding a handwritten note will further enhance the effect of your thank you letter.

8. Invite your donor

The thank you letter is an excellent way to bind the donor to you. Invite them to follow your organisation on social media (Twitter, Facebook) or ask them to sign up for your digital newsletter (if they haven’t already done so). Invite them to call or visit you.

Based on our 30 years of experience, we have written a practical guide for fundraisers: ’99 Tips for more Donations’. We explain clearly which techniques positively influence the response.

Download our 99 tips and read more about:

• Tips for a successful newsletter
• Tips for creating a good story
• Tips for testing your fundraising program
• Tips for an envelope

And much more…

99 tips for more donations

This book is a practical guide for all fundraisers. Download the book and apply the tips today!

Download the book