Donation Thank You Letter

There are lots of charitable work being done. Besides the selfless and enthusiastic people who work for a cause, there are the donors who with their donations make such organizations work. Thank you notes are the best way of expressing one's appreciation for gifts or timely help received. Hence, for a donor, writing a donation thank you letter is the least that an organization can do to appreciate their contribution. Besides this, donation thank you letters also serve a second purpose. These letters can be used as a proof of donation for income tax purposes.

Donation Thank You Letter - Points to Remember

Dispatch the Letter on Time
Do not take more than two days (after receiving the donation) in ensuring that the donation thank you letter reaches the donor. The maximum delay permissible within the accepted rules of courtesy is a week.

Be Personal
Address the donor by his name. Avoid generic forms of address like "Dear Friend". If you know something about the donor, mention it in the letter. For example, being as specific as mentioning their presence in previous year's annual function (even if they didn't make a speech) would let the donor know that his presence was noticed. Needless to say, such personal attention would go down well with just anyone.

State the Purpose of the Donation
The letter should let the donor know the the purpose that the donation will serve. This would not only give greater transparency to your organization but the donor would have a better idea about the purpose his donation is being put to. Also this would give him a sense of satisfaction that his contribution is being to put to good use. This might sow the seeds of more donations in future.

Be Specific about the Donation
Try to be as specific as possible about the donation received. Consider including the size or amount of the gift (if it is a financial one) and the date of its receipt. Donors are busy people and by being specific, you would help them to understand which donation you are talking about. This is specially useful for regular donors.

Encourage Further Correspondence
Encourage the donor to further contact your organization through phone, mail or letters. Include all the information required for such contact in the thank you letter for donation.

Be Subtle about Your Appreciation for More Donations
A well crafted letter that highlights how well the donation has been received as it came at a 'crucial' time and details about how the funds/gifts would be used, are enough to give a hint to the donor that donations in future are welcome. One needs to be very subtle while dealing with this part of letter writing as it can easily be mistaken to be an unabashed request/demand for more donation.

No Digital Signatures Please
One may maintain a general donation thank you letter format on the organization's letterhead. Since each letter would be for a different donor and usage of generic terms of address is against the thumb of rule, the name of the donor also has to filled in every time. This cannot be included in the printed donation thank you letter template. But the person writing such letters would usually be the same.However, this does not allow the donation thank you letter to include digital signature of the signing authority. Get the person in-charge of such correspondence to sign it personally and preferably in blue ink so that it is easily evident that the letter has been signed personally by the authority concerned.

Donation Thank You Letter Sample

Here is a sample that could be used as a general donation thank you letter template.

Dear (name of the donor),

On behalf of (name of your organization) I would like extend my gratitude at your generous donation of $ (the amount or mention the donation if it was in kind) for the cause (mention the cause for which the organization works).

Since its formation (year when the organization started) we at (name of the organization) have been constantly working (mention the general purpose of your organization). I am glad to inform you that it is through the generous support of individuals like you that we have been able to (highlight the most remarkable achievements of the organization).

The generous donation of yours would meet (specify the purpose which the donation would serve). However, this is not the end of our vision. In the coming years (be specific if possible) we plan to (mention the plans of the organization). With belief that thoughtful support from donors like you would continue to inspire us, we are sure that we will achieve all our aims.

I once again thank you for the selfless interest that you have shown in our cause and hope that this alliance continues further.

Sincerely,

(Your Name)

(Signature)

(Title)

(Organization)

(Details of Contact)

(Date)

Read more on:

• Business Writing
• Writing Thank You Notes

A donation thank you letter can be the key to a good relation between a donor and an organization. Follow the donation letter writing tips and be prompt and courteous in the letter. Express the fact that the donation is well received and let the donor have the satisfaction that his gift has served a good purpose.