Thank You Letter – Checklist
CHECKLIST FOR A GREAT THANK YOU LETTER
- The letter is a real letter, not a pre-printed card
- It is personally addressed
- It has a personal salutation (not “dear donor” or dear “friend”)
- It is personally signed
- It is personally signed by someone from the highest ranks of the organization
- It makes specific reference to intended use of funds
- It indicates when the donor will receive an update on the use of funds
- It includes the name and phone number of a staff who the donor can contact or an invitation to contact the writer directly
- It does not ask for another gift
- It does not ask for the donor to do anything (like complete a survey, etc)
- It acknowledges any applicable past giving
- It contains no spelling or grammatical errors
- It has a positive “can do” tone, as opposed to a hand wringing one
- It communicates the excitement, gratitude and inner warmth of the writer
- It grabs the readers attention in the opening sentence
- It speaks directly to the donor
- It does not continue to “sell”
- It is concise- no more than two short paragraphs
- It is received promptly (best practice is within 3 days)
- In some circumstances, the letter is handwritten
CEO at Tracc Development, Inc.
Paul Bergman runs a business strategy and cybersecurity consulting company in San Diego. He is also CEO of a mentoring non-profit in San Diego, Lamp of Learning. He writes on cybersecurity and board management for both corporate and nonprofit boards.
Latest posts by Paul Bergman (see all)
- Drive-By URLs: What are they? - July 26, 2024
- Beware of Fake CrowdStrike Fixes: A New Malware and Wiper Threat - July 25, 2024
- Ransomware targets Small and Medium-Sized Businesses - July 25, 2024
