Year-end is over! Now what? First, take a deep breath and give yourself a few moments of calm. Second, start showing those donors some love with a thank you.
A basic thank you letter is a perfectly acceptable way to show a donor some gratitude. But if you want to go above and beyond and add some creative flair to wow your donors, go for it!
To help get the creative juices flowing, I collected some favorite thank yous that I’ve personally received and some submissions that our nonprofit friends have sent us. All of these thank yous share a few things in common that you should apply to your messages of gratitude:
- There is just one (or one primary) message: THANK YOU.
- Receipt information is not included. Read why Lynne Wester, one of our favorite donor relations experts, says you should never combine a receipt with a thank you.
- There is no second solicitation.
Kudos to all fundraisers who shared their thank yous!
Written Thank Yous
Collective Action for Safe Spaces (CASS)
After donating to this organization’s #GivingTuesday campaign, this email landed in my inbox the very next day. I love that CASS made this thank you very donor-centric.
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Bonus: I received this handwritten postcard from the CASS team in the mail this week:
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Honor Flight Capital Region
After the April Honor Flight visit, donors received this thank you letter that recapped the day’s events along with a keepsake photo of the veterans who visited the National World War II Memorial.
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Fridge-Worthy
Gardens for Health International
Gardens for Health asked some of its constituent communities to take photos with customized thank you signs. In a world where mass communication is the most cost-effective route, personalization at this level is often unexpected.
Here2There Ministries
Here2There Ministries sends its donors paper currency from a country in which the organization worked. Quite the souvenir!
HealthFinders Collaborative
Showing the people who are most affected by a gift hits a home run in the donor’s heart. HFC donors received a thank you in the mail with a special message from 14 of the nonprofit’s clients.
Videos
Grassroot Soccer
Grassroot Soccer put together a great Valentine’s Day thank you video featuring handmade valentines, soccer tricks, and a fantastic musical performance from the Grassroot Soccer community.
Save the Frogs
Save the Frogs produced a short and low-key holiday thank you video featuring the organization’s founder surrounded by the sounds and sights of Congaree National Park in South Carolina.
YMCA of Greater Oklahoma City
In addition to the fun and joy that students get from participating in the Y’s programs, it looks like these YMCA regulars had a great time putting together thank you video for donors.
GTECH
Although GTECH’s staff talks about physical purchases that help their organization run, their video makes it clear how these supplies have an impact on many Pittsburgh communities.