Thank You Letters

I am continually amazed at how many nonprofit organizations do not send thank you letters.

I would estimate that perhaps 30-40% of the organizations I have donated to over the years have not responded with a personal thank you letter.

It is absolutely crucial to do so, as this article from Nonprofit About.Com notes, with all the links at the jump.

An excerpt.

“Your thank you letter to a donor concludes one transaction but, more importantly, it is a bridge to future support. Get the thank you letter right, and you are well on your way to future fundraising success. Here are 10 tips for making that thank you letter just right. For more tips, I recommend Sandy Rees' Deepen Donor Relationships With a Power-Packed Thank You Letter and Sandy's other great advice at Get Fully Funded.

“1. Respond to a donation quickly

Within 48 hours of receipt of the donation is ideal for getting that thank you letter in the mail. If that is impossible, aim for under a week. The sooner, the more impressed the donor will be, not to speak of being reassured that the donation got to you safely.

“2. Personalize your thank you

Personalize it with the donor's name, and write directly to the individual. Use personal pronouns and include information about the donor that you may know, such as how long they've been a donor, or that you enjoyed seeing them at the last annual event. Perhaps the donor has received an award or gotten a promotion. Feel free to add something about these events to your thank you letter.”