|
How to Write a Fundraising Thank-you Letter for Example
(Includes a Free Sample)
|
By Alan Sharpe
[Hits: 1373]
|
|
Thank-you letters are one of the most important letters thatyour non-profit mails to donors. They remind donors that theymade the right decision in supporting your organization. Theyshow that you are grateful for the donors gift.
As a bonus, thank-you letters increase donor loyalty, strengthenrelationships with your donors and increase your chances ofreceiving more gifts in the future. So here are some pointersfor writing effective thank-you letters.
Be personal.
Address your thank-youletter to your donor by name. Don't say "Dear Friend."
Say thank you, thank you, thank you.
Showyour gratitude by repeating, in a few different ways, that youare thankful for your donor's gift.
Be specific if possible.
Mention the sizeof the gift, or the date that you received the gift, or at leastsay "Thank you for your recent gift." Donors are busy people whoneed to be reminded that they responded to your appeal.
Show how the donor's gift is beingsuccessful.
Reinforce in your donor's mind thatsending a gift was a wise investment in the work of yourorganization. Describe a recent success that was made possibleby the donor's generosity. Or show in other specific, tangibleways, how or where the donors gift is making a difference in thelives of the people that your non-profit serves.
Thank the supporter, not the donor.
Somewhere in your letter, acknowledge that you value your readeras someone who supports your organization and believes in yourmission. No one likes being treated like an automated bankingmachine.
Encourage dialogue.
Show a genuineinterest in your donor by inviting them to write you, or phoneyou, or visit your website, or drop by your mission, or in someother way strengthen your relationship.
Be soft in asking for more funds.
Yourthank-you letter should say thanks. If you follow your thankswith an immediate and aggressive appeal for more funds, you maycheapen your thanks and offend your supporter. So be gentle, andsoft-sell the request for another gift.
Strive for originality.
Be fresh. Makeyour letter unique. Avoid language that sounds like it waschurned out by a bureaucracy.
An example of a successful thank-you letter.
Below is a thank-you letter that Doctors Without Borders(MSF) mailed to donors who responded to their appeal letter fortheir work in Afghanistan.
--sample thank-you letter starts--
Dear Alan:
In response to your recent gift to MSF, I join with the peopleof Afghanistan in saying sh¨˛ker, thank you, for yourgenerosity.
As I write, the security situation in Afghanistan is changing bythe day, improving in some areas of the country whiledeteriorating in others. At MSF, we are particularly alarmed atthe number of civilians who are being killed or injured in thebombing campaigns.
On one day alone, we transported 72 dead and 15 wounded to thehospital. Many of them were women and children. Among thecasualties was a family whose father was killed, mothercritically injured, and four children wounded. A six-year-oldboy lost one eye and had to undergo partial amputation of onearm and a full amputation of his other arm and one of his legs.
We are seeing increasing evidence of an unacceptably high tollon civilians due to the military operations in Afghanistan. Weare calling upon the parties involved to minimize theconsequences of the ongoing conflict on the civilian population.
The good news is that, thanks to your generosity, our 60international staff and over 400 Afghan staff are back to workin the country again, offering medical help withoutdiscrimination and regardless of race, religion, creed orpolitical affiliation.
I join with all of them and the staff here at MSF Canada inwishing you a prosperous and safe N¨˘wey Kaal, or NewYear.
Yours sincerely,
[signature]
Leslie Shanks, MD, CCFP President - M¨¦decins Sans Fronti¨¨resCanada / Doctors Without Borders-Canada
--sample thank-you letter ends--
© 2005 Sharpe Copy Inc. You may reprint thisarticle online and in print provided the links remain live andthe content remains unaltered (including the "About the author"message).
|
|
|
|
