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How To Write A Killer Thank You Letter
12/3/15 1pm Eastern
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Our guest presenter »
Gail Perry, MBA, CFREGail is an international fundraising consultant, trend-spotter, speaker, trainer and thought-leader.
Her Fired-Up Fundraising approach, developed over the past 25 years as a non-profit philanthropy expert, has helped organizations raise hundreds of millions in gifts.
Her book, Fired-Up Fundraising: Turn Board Passion into Action (Wiley/AFP) has been called the “gold standard guide to building successful fundraising boards.”
Our Agenda Today Crafting a Killer Thank You Letter
• Assure your nervous donor that she made a wise investment.
• Make your donor SO VERY HAPPY that she gave to your cause.
• Make your donor feel like she did the RIGHT THING. • Acknowledge the CONNECTION between the
donor and the success of the organization • Bring joy to her heart – and to her life.
Special Resource for Today’s Attendees 61 page workbook:
Skyrocket Your Fundraising With
a Systematic Major Gifts Program!
http://www.gailperry.com/resources-bloomerang
Your thank you says to the donor:
“You Matter.”
https://ifundraiser.wordpress.com/2013/08/18/thank-you-you-matter/
The donor said:
“I give regularly to many other charities, but no one
has ever thanked me personally.”
https://ifundraiser.wordpress.com/2013/01/31/thank-you/
“Forget about thanking.
Think instead about congratulating people for the difference they are making, what they have achieved.
Don’t be grateful, be humble: our job as a charity is to help people do their good in the world.
Not the other way around.
Matthew Sheerington
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Satisfied donors give again and give more the next time they are asked.
What’s in a GREAT thank you letter?
• It is personalized in some way 51%
• It acknowledges how the gift will be used 30%
• It is handwritten 16%
• It is signed by a member of the board 13%
Penelope Burk
What donors feel makes a thank you letter superior:
Penelope Burk
A really prompt TY note impresses your donor. It indicates to her that your organization is well run.
And in this day of nervous donors, that gives you a significant leg up.
Prompt gift acknowledgement influences 44% of study donors’ future giving decisions
38% of study donors receive a thank you letter within two weeks, 54% within a month, 8% within two months
~Penelope Burk
Make it really really prompt.
Penelope Burk
• Focus attention on something that can demonstrate measurable results.
• Most donors are worried that their gifts will not be spent wisely.
• You can assure them by talking about the impact this money will make.
“Thank you for your gift to the PCC Farmland Fund. You are a part of a growing community (in all senses) of progressive businesses who understand the importance of protecting our food at its source. Your gift will go directly to help protect the Shipley Fields.”
-PCC Farmland Fund, Seattle
Talk about HOW the money will be specifically used.
Penelope Burk
“Acknowledge the long
term partnership your donor has with your
organization.” And celebrate it.
Acknowledge the donor’s previous giving.
~Penelope Burk
• It’s your opportunity to help the donor feel good about what she has done.
• Be sincere.
• Show some thoughtfulness
• Try to connect with the donor instead of staying so distant.
“ I can’t begin to thank you enough for . . .”
“We are absolutely thrilled to have your support again this year.”
“Because of your gift, a family will have . . . (or a kid will get . . . ; or our water will be cleaner.”
‘Your gift is helping to improve the lives of . . “
Be sure to communicate excitement, gratitude and warmth.
Penelope Burk
• A great letter starts with a great opening sentence.
• Try starting out with an unusual opening line.
• Don’t say “Thank you for...” and NEVER say “On behalf of…”
“Music nourishes and enriches our lives. We are proud to be the only professional orchestra in the city to offer a principal series of high caliber concerts to the public free of charge. But we would be unable to do so without…”
You’ve got to grab the reader’s attention.
Penelope Burk
• “A letter without a personal address leaves the donor feeling that the organization is conscious of the gift but not the individual behind the contribution.” (Burk)
• Do not use “Dear Donor” or “Dear Friend.”
Personally address it. Use a personal salutation.
Penelope Burk
• Viewed as a sign of respect.
• Shows the “writer was thinking about that donor in particular when she signed the letter.” (Burk)
• Is the only personalized aspect of the correspondence on a typed letter.
Personally sign the letter.
Penelope Burk
• Board of Directors • For example, an arts organization can have
the artistic director, the conductor or even the prima ballerina sign the letter.
76% of study donors said getting a personal letter from someone who has benefitted from the charity’s work is very meaningful
Someone from the highest ranks of the organization signs
the letter.
Penelope Burk
I can’t think of ANYTHING more
powerful than this, can you?
Try sending another letter from a grateful recipient.
• “I just heard this story which I want to share with you.”
• “And mean it too.
• “Authenticity counts.
Tell a story.
Richard Turner, ifundraiser /
• Make your donor feel like an insider.
• “Find a new anecdote to tell. It will make you proactive and you’ll find you use the stories in talking to people too.
• “Currently I tell a lovely two liner of a teacher called Francis from Kenya who has noticed the performance of children he teaches has improved since the introduction of solar lights and how “they now love books”.
Re-do Your Thank You’s Each Month With Fresh Content.
Richard Turner, ifundraiser /
• Don’t say. “Your gift will help us do XYZ.”
• Instead say:
• Your gift will help make XYZ happen.
• This is true donor-centered thanking!
Give the Donor Credit for YOUR Work
• Pre-printed cards are impersonal and mass-produced.
• They tell the donor that her gift is not significant enough to warrant a personal letter.
51% of study respondents said that the thing that makes than a letter superior is that it is personalized in some way.
~Penelope Burk
Send a real letter, not a pre-printed card.
Penelope Burk
• It’s a thank you letter, not a veiled solicitation!
“According to charities, only 7% ask for another gift within the body of thank you letters, but 21% include a pledge form and/or return envelope with the thank you letter (hint, hint)!
Do NOT ask for another gift.
~Penelope Burk
• “Thank you letters with enclosures requiring action are interpreted as letters with ulterior motives.”
• It’s not a time to gather data about your donor.
“86% of charities include some kind of enclosure in thank you letters, such as surveys, newsletters, invitations or gifts.”
Don’t ask the donor to do anything at all!
~Penelope Burk
“Poorly constructed correspondence makes donors
wonder whether they have supported the right organization.
No spelling or grammatical errors!
~Penelope Burk
• Use a warm tone toward the donor (vs. a lofty formal, distant tone).
• Use casual writing.
Write in a “can-do” positive tone.
~Penelope Burk
• Don’t say “without the generous support of people like you” or similar or generalizations.
• Use first and second person; “I,” “we,” “you.”
It’s important to speak directly to the donor – not to a group of
people.
Penelope Burk
• You DON’T need lengthy explanations of programs or services.
• A simple acknowledgement is better.
Do NOT continue to “sell.”
Penelope Burk
Brevity is a decided
advantage!
“You must have heard the cheers from Donna Karfunkle this morning when we told her that you are funding “Music, Art and Math.”
Her excitement was matched by our own deep appreciation for your belief in and support of our work.
Donna, an extraordinary Woodmere docent who works with children, will be coordinating the project with A.M.Y.6 and is, indeed, the mastermind behind the entire concept.
We look forward to being able to share the program’s success with you next year. In the meantime, our regards and sincere thanks.
Sincerely yours,
Be concise and to the point.
Penelope Burk
Take 5 minutes to write a quick handwritten note – IN ADDITION to a formal printed letter.
Handwrite if: • You know the donor • She has been giving a long time • She is a leadership donor. • She is well known in the community. • The gift is of exceptional value.
Sometimes handwrite your letters.
• Get an alert report of incoming donors who give a significant amount
• Arrange a handwritten thank you from a senior member of staff (what that donation level is depends on your organisation).
• Give someone responsibility to allocate thank you’s to senior staff.
Have a senior program staffer write a handwritten letter.
Richard Turner, ifundraiser /
Dear Mrs. Hamilton,
We needed you and you were there.
We are so grateful for your donation which has been allocated to our new literacy program for street youth. A report on the growth and impact of this program will be sent to you in January, but if you want to speak with us anytime before then, please contact our Development Director, Joyce Bird, at (555) 455-9825.
Thank you for your generosity and your confidence in our work.
Sincerely, Robert Sable Board of Directors
A wonderful thank you letter:
Penelope Burk
A wonderful thank you letter:
Gail’s Checklist: Thank you letter DO’s
• Be really, really prompt • Get the donor’s name right • Have a high-ranking person personally sign the letter • Show some emotion • Convey gratitude • Wear your heart on your sleeve • Refer to how the gift will be used • Acknowledge past gifts • Personalize the salutation: Dear Mr. Smith • Send several TY notes from different people • Send additional thank you letters from board members • Send a TY letter from someone helped by your organization • Sign it with a real signature • Be positive and upbeat • Be concise • Include a contact name and number if the donor has
questions • Handwrite it if you know the donor well • Begin with an innovative or creative sentence that charms the
donor
Gail’s Checklist: Thank you letter DON’Ts • Start out with “on behalf of” • Ask for another gift • Use thank you letter jargon: “we are deeply grateful for your
continued support” • Start out with Dear Friend • Ask anything else from your donor right now • Misspell their name • Have errors in grammar, punctuation or misspellings • Go on and on. Ditch the verbosity. Do be concise • Don’t keep “selling” • Don’t ask the donor to do anything (like complete an enclosed
survey, for example) • Don’t be formal or lofty • Don’t be vague about how the money will be used • Don’t sign it yourself if you can get a higher-ranking person to sign
it
Resources and Free Fundraising Tools
• How to Craft a Killer Thank You Letter (Gail’s blog) • The 10 vital rules of thanking, pleasing and keeping donors –
Katya Andreson
• The art of saying thank you – Richard Turner
• Why asking and thanking is all wrong – Matthew Sherrington
• Don’t Ask. Don’t Thank. The Agitator, Roger Craver • Fired-Up Fundraising NEWSLETTER
Gail Perry MBA CFRE @gailperrync FiredUpFundraising.com
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