Writing a Donation Thank You Letter: Free Templates
When your donations start rolling in to your fundraiser, it’s incredibly important to say thank you to those who have kindly contributed to your cause. It’s also useful to build up a relationship with those who have donated to your fundraiser – clearly, they are interested in supporting similar causes to yo.
Saying thank you doesn’t just make donors feel appreciated, either. It can lead to additional donations. Penelope Burk’s book Donor-Centred Fundraising found that 85% of participants would donate again if they received a personal thank you.
Therefore, saying thanks is an absolute must. Because GoFundMe is a custom-built crowdfunding platform, it’s really easy to send thanks to donors through the app or your account. But if you want to go a step further, a personal donation thank-you letter really gives that personal touch.
In this post, we have tips and templates to get your creative thank-yous flowing.
Five tips for writing a donation thank-you letter
1. Being prompt can lead to more donations
When someone donates to your fundraiser, think of it as the beginning of a conversation. A timely thank you demonstrates your dedication to the cause and shows gratitude for the help you’ve already received. If you can, send a thank-you letter within 48 hours of receiving each donation.
2. Be sincere and you will inspire people to give
Instead of simply saying “thank you” to donors, find ways to make your letter come to life. It could be as simple as including an inspirational quote that’s relevant to your fundraiser or offering a brief personal story.
Question you may consider include:
- What did their donation mean to you personally?
- How will their donation impact the beneficiary?
Phrases to use that aren’t just “thank you”
- “We couldn’t have done it without you”
- “Your donation has made [insert reason for fundraiser] possible”
3. Show your supporters how their donations will be used
An important part of your thank-you letter is showing exactly how the donation has contributed to your fundraiser. Show donors that their money is going to good use. Describe what each donation has helped you accomplish and keep your donors in the loop about future plans.
Phrases that show a donor’s impact at every donation level:
- “This £10 will help pay for school supplies for my new students”
- “Your £50 donation gave me just enough funds to pay for my dog’s new prescriptions”
- “Your generous donation of £250 enabled my family to get a hotel room while our daughter received emergency surgery in a neighbouring state”
- “This £1,000 will buy a water purification system to bring clean water to over 20 families”
4. Add a personalised touch
Generic thank-you letters can hurt the relationships you’ve developed with your donors. Instead use a few simple tricks to make them feel like a VIP donor. Instead of focusing on the dollar amount of their donation, highlight that the value of their support is beyond monetary.
Easy ways to personalise a donation letter:
- Use the second person “you” and the first person “I” and “we”
- Address the letter to the donor’s full name
- Include the donation amount and the date it was given
- Explain how their donation made an impact
5. Reread your letter
To make sure your thank-you letter is well received, read it out loud before you send it. Would you want to receive this message? You want your letter to sound casual and friendly, but it should also be thoughtful and free of errors. Spell-check everything you write.
Use these donation thank-you letter templates
Here are some simple templates to start with. Be sure to add a personal touch, customising each letter for its recipient.
Thank-you letter for donation template
Dear [donor name(s)],
I want to take the time to thank you sincerely for your donation to [fundraiser name]. As you know, we started this fundraiser to [insert reason for fundraiser], and your £[insert donation amount] contribution on [insert date of donation] helps us get one step closer to our goal.
Thank you again for your generosity and support,
[handwrite your name and fundraiser name]
Thank-you for friends and family
Dear [donor name],
I just wanted to take the time to say thank you for your kind donation to my fundraiser. You will be aware as to why we started the fundraiser – [insert reason for fundraiser] and why it is so close to my heart, so your contribution really means a lot. It takes us one step closer to our goal and that is really meaningful.
I will keep you aware of any updates around the fundraisng journey and thanks again for your generosity and support.
[signature and fundraiser name]
Thank-you letter template for fundraiser event attendance
Dear [attendee name(s)],
I appreciate you making the effort to come to our fundraising event for [fundraiser name]. We had an amazing turnout and we managed to bring in £[amount] more in donations! Your attendance and support have played an important role in our fundraiser’s success — thank you.
With your contribution, we’ll be able to [insert reason for fundraiser]. Your generosity and support is an encouraging reminder of why I started this fundraiser — to help [beneficiary name].
With gratitude,
[handwrite your name and fundraiser name]
Donation thank-you letter template for a business
Dear [business name],
I want to extend my sincere gratitude for [company name]’s contribution to [fundraiser name]. [company name]’s generous gift will have a major impact on helping [insert reason for fundraiser].
On behalf of [beneficiary name], I want to thank you for helping us make a positive difference. Your support encourages our continued commitment to reaching our goal.
Thanks again for your generosity and support,
[handwrite your name and fundraiser name]
Keep donors updated on your journey
Along with saying thank you to donors, there are a few more ways which you can keep those who have generously contributed in the loop about your fundraising journey, too.
- Post updates: As GoFundMe is a custom-built crowdfunding platform, there are certain features which are built in to make it easier to share your crowdfunding journey. You can post updates to your page (including pictures!) to keep everyone in the loop about how your doing. Make sure to update with any information about offline fundraising, meeting your goal or progress.
- Share on social media: A really quick way to keep people in the loop about your fundraising is to share your fundraiser on social media with an update attached. You can also thank all your donors on social media by doing this, too!
- Use pictures and video: If you couldn’t at the start, updating your fundraising page with relevant pictures and video can help to keep people engaged in your fundraising journey. You could even make your own thank-you video at the end of the process and post that, too!
- Send emails: When you’ve started your fundraiser, why not regularly email it out to your contact list? You can tailor an email for each stage in your fundraising journey and also use email to say thank you to those who have generously donated to your GoFundMe.
Showcase your gratitude to build relationships with donors
Thanks for reading these tips on writing the perfect thank-you letter. It’s never too early to start cultivating relationships with your donors and a donation thank-you letter is the first step. If you’re looking for other unique ways to show your gratitude, take a look at these 20 affordable ways to say thank you to donors.
For more crowdfunding advice, take a look at these tips and ideas. Start your fundraiser today.