Why You Should Consider Writing Thank You Letter To Your Donors

Strange as it may sound, some fundraisers receive donations and do not bother to thank their donors. More often than not, this (in)action is nothing but an oversight. It could, however, be detrimental to the progress of a fundraising campaign – especially in the future.

You should not toe this path if you wish to garner good results from your campaign. And we have put this article together to help you further see the importance of writing a ‘thank you to your donors. After reading it, you will certainly not leave out sending your donors thank you letter.

Expression Of Gratitude

The most apparent reason for sending out the letter is to express gratitude. Non-profits are never the ones to feel any sense of entitlement to the point of thinking people should naturally give. Yes, you may be leading the cause to provide relief, but it takes more than that to see through a project for which funds are being raised successfully.

To have people join the move is something every fundraiser hopes for. As such, you can’t but appreciate those in your circle for their commitment. And while at it, you should not make the letter generic or boring.

You don’t have to stick with the traditional line of “Thank You for your donation” – you will get to understand more about this as you read on.

Makes Donors Feel Valued

Another reason you need to send a “Thank You” letter to donors hovers around value. Ordinarily, following up with the letter will make your donors see that you value them – and that you did not take them for granted. More notably, through the “Thank You” letter, you can help the donors realize how impactful their donations have been.

In view of the foregoing, you can have something like: “We have been able to complete xx% of project XXXX because of your generous donation. We wouldn’t have been able to do this without you. We appreciate you for being a part of the mission to bring relief to those who need it”. By this, one would have been able to express gratitude and communicate value.

Fosters And Strengthens The Relationship With Donors

In some ways, writing a “Thank You” letter to donors could also be the catalyst that ensures a stronger bond between you and them. This may be unconnected to the creation of value, as earlier emphasized. As a result, the donor may be more willing to commit recurrently to your fundraising cause.

It may not always be in terms of monetary donations – but it may be as a volunteer or one that refers others to the project. Consequently, a solid loyal donor or volunteer base for future projects can be formed.

You can always look forward to their support to get things done as quickly as possible. This privilege should, however, not be abused or taken advantage of unnecessarily.

Helps To Keep The Fundraising Project In Donors’ Mind

Writing a ‘Thank You to donors could yet be a means of further impressing the project in their minds. Now, this doesn’t mean you have to make another ask for fundraising – that’s far from it. But updating them about the project’s progress without directly focusing on it is more like mentioning something in passing.

This is where the ‘xx%’ of the project completed, as highlighted in the example above, may do some tricks. You can subtly raise the curiosity of the reader – that is, the donor – to want to know more about the progress you have recorded.

This, in turn, could make them drop valuable suggestions to aid your cause even if you have not achieved 100% completion.

Best Practices For Writing Donation “Thank You” Letters

Having read about the significance of a donation “Thank You” letter, you must have realized that it is one piece that has to be thoughtfully prepared. The ‘Thank You’ letter that leaves a good impression on your donors is not usually written in a hurry.

Moreover, best practices must be observed while writing such, which will be the focus of this section.

Use your donors’ list: You should use your donors’ list as you prepare to write a donation “Thank You” letter. This is important for proper segmentation and ensuring that the letters are promptly sent to the right individuals.

More so, an adequately segmented donors list will enable you to write the letter while referring to the capacity or frequency of giving from a particular donor. To put it more clearly, there should be some distinction between a “Thank You” letter for loyal donors and one for new donors.

Give the letter a personalized touch: Your donation “Thank You” letter should also reflect some personalized touch. You should use a conversational or friendly tone when writing. You don’t have to be rigid about it – just be expressive.

Ensure that it is easy to read: It’s essential that your donation “Thank You” letter be devoid of any complexity. You must make it easy for the donors to read and understand. Avoid using technical terms or long-winding sentences. This is why it is usually recommended that fundraisers make their letters donor-centered.
Keep it brief: Your donation Thank You’ letter must be concise and straight to the point. It is about expressing gratitude, and there should be nothing more. You should also spare loading the message body with stats – these are for your use, not the donors’. Consider that your audience may include those who might have a busy schedule to deal with.
Send it on time: It is not advisable to send a “Thank You” letter several weeks after the donation. You should consider doing it within the first week of donation.

Conclusion

From all you have read, you must have grasped that a fundraising campaign does not end with the receipt of a donation. There has to be some follow-up, especially concerning thanking your donors for their support. You should never leave this out, and also follow the best practices as you work on writing and sending out the letter.