Thank You Letters

Writing Thank You Letters

by Sandra Sims, Fundraising Coach

Sending thank you letters or notes to people who make a donation shows your appreciation and reinforces their goodwill about making a financial gift to charity. It is best to acknowledge the gift soon after it is received.

Thank you letters which are on the charity letterhead serve as tax receipts. This type of letter would also need to include the amount donated. If you are a volunteer participating in a walk/run event, the charity handles this. This way, your donors will get a personal thank you from you, and a formal thank you from the charity.

Charity run/walk participants may want to send two thank you notes, one soon after the donation is received, and a second letter after the event to report how the race went. If you are wanting to save on postage you may want to email a thank you initially, and then send a letter or postcard after the event to inform supporters of how the race went. (or vice versa)

Fundraising thank you letters can be handwritten thank you notes, or typed letters as long as you sign them.

Fundraising donation thank you notes can be a generic thank you note card. These are sold in quantity packs in retail stores. Just add your personal message inside.

Creative ways to say thank you after the event:

• My first season of Team in Training, I sent a pictures of me wearing my marathon medal to some of my supporters. You could use photo paper, or a heavy regular paper to do this.
• Create a thank you letter and event report, and print photos directly on the paper.
• If your event is out of town, send a postcard from your travel destination with a brief note about how the race went, and of course a kind word of thanks for the donor's support
• Send an email to say "thank you for your donation" and include photo files, or links to where your photos are posted on the web
• Host a celebration party when you return from the event.