We’ve all heard it before: thanking your donors is important. A thank-you will improve engagement, boost retention, and elevate the year-over-year effectiveness of your fundraising strategies.
But do you know exactly how important it is to thank your donors?
Studies have revealed that thanking a first-time donor within 48 hours will lead to an astounding 400% increase in their likelihood to give again. With this in mind, it’s clear that thanking donors is a worthy investment in the future sustainability of your organization.
Of course, a cursory automated email addressed to “Dear friend” isn’t enough to unlock all the potential that a good thank-you can bring. When you understand how to thank donors in a meaningful, intentional way, you will be able to form stronger ties with supporters and better pursue your mission over time.
Here at Eleven Fifty Seven, we help nonprofits and other organizations thank their donors with unique and meaningful recognition displays. We believe in the invaluable impact that a thoughtful donor recognition program can create, so we’ve compiled a list of tips and best practices for how to thank donors.
In this article, we’ll explore the following topics to help you construct the perfect thank-you strategy:
Make sure your donor thank-you strategies are specifically targeted to your unique audience. Use these ideas and tips to start brainstorming the perfect way to express your appreciation.
12+ Top Donor Thank-You Ideas
1. Donor Recognition Displays
If you want to thank your donors in a permanent and meaningful way, consider a donor recognition wall. With the help of creative and innovative designers, today’s recognition displays have evolved beyond traditional metal plaques. Now, you can thank your donors with a showstopping branded display that tells the story of your mission.
On a donor wall, you can recognize different tiers of donors with different visual designations, making it a versatile option for both mid-level and major contributors. To make sure your wall is a unique reflection of your organization, partner with a design firm to handle the creative process and implementation.
2. Handwritten Notes
It’s a well-known etiquette rule that you should always send a heartfelt, handwritten thank-you note after receiving a gift. This principle can be applied to gifts to your nonprofit, too.
While it may not be feasible to write a personalized letter for every $5 donation, it’s helpful to thank as many donors as possible in a personalized way. If you’re a large organization with a massive supporter base, you can save this strategy for your most committed donors.
A sweet thank-you note will show donors you care enough about their support to sit down with a pen and paper. In our fast-paced, digital world, that means a lot! However, if you’re getting writer’s block when the time comes to pick up your pen, we’ve got you covered with a foolproof template later in this article.
3. Annual Report
Each year, your nonprofit provides a roundup of all the incredible work you were able to accomplish. You may include data that recaps the year, such as the number of beneficiaries served or amount of resources provided. You’ll also share the results of any large campaigns and reveal whether you reached your annual fundraising goal. Whatever your nonprofit wants to highlight in your annual report, none of it would be possible without the support of your donors!
Therefore, be sure to express gratitude for your donors throughout your annual report. The “hero” of the story you tell about your work should be your donors, not your team. You can choose to recognize donors individually for large contributions, as a list of names, or as a general group. Either way, your donors will be able to see the impact they make as your organization reflects back on the year.
4. Email
This donor thank-you idea is one of the easiest to implement quickly. Thanks to automation tools, you can easily send thank-you emails to thousands of donors without having to lift a finger.
However, because this idea is such an accessible one, you should do whatever you can to add meaning to the process. Consider using automated personalization tools to implement one of the following strategies:
Address the donor by name in the greeting or subject line.
Reference their recent engagement, like event attendance or gifts to specific campaigns.
Mention other personal data you have on file, especially if it’s relevant to your cause (like a supporter’s pet’s name in a letter from an animal rights organization).
Studies show that personalized email subject lines lead to 50% higher open rates, so this donor thank-you idea can be really effective when implemented correctly.
5. Postcards
If you’re looking for a unique yet simple way to communicate your gratitude to supporters, a thank-you postcard is a great idea. After all, a postcard has an extremely warm quality to it, making recipients feel as if they’ve received a message from a friend.
Plus, it’s a physical reminder of your charitable mission and what they did to support you—meaning your cause will stay at the top of their minds for longer. They might even hang it up on their refrigerator or another prominent location in their home!
For the best results, you’ll want to create a visually appealing, high quality piece of mail that your supporters will want to keep. To do so, we suggest working with a dedicated mail fundraising platform like GivingMail.
6. Anniversary Cards
While it’s important to thank donors immediately after they make their gift, it can be helpful to send a note during other times too. The anniversary of the supporter’s first donation is a prime opportunity to make a personal connection. After all, you and your donor are two halves of a committed and meaningful relationship. With an anniversary card, you can thank them for standing by your side through thick and thin!
Since this card is a reflection of the donor’s relationship with your organization, incorporate as much information as possible. You might choose to include the number of hours they volunteered this year or reference the impact that all of their donations have had on your mission. The anniversary card should be a celebration of everything you’ve accomplished together in the last year.
7. Digital Donor Recognition Displays
If you’re considering a donor wall but want a greater opportunity for interactivity and flexibility, a digital recognition display is a stellar option. With a digital display, spectators are invited to stop and engage with the content. In it, you could include an explanation of your mission, multimedia content depicting your work, and of course, a list of your loyal donors.
A digital panel can hold its own as the main element of a display in your facility, or it can exist alongside a physical installation (like in the example above) for a hybrid recognition display.
8. Texting
It’s no secret that most of your donors (and your team) are constantly glued to their smartphones. When considering how to thank donors, you may as well meet them where they are! A thank-you text message feels casual, unobtrusive, and intimate.
Typically, a text message feels more personal than a mass email, since it’s a communication method we usually reserve for friends and family. Because of that, make sure not to go overboard. While it’s hard to be too grateful for your donors, you should avoid bombarding them with text messages full of thanks. And of course, make sure it’s easy for recipients to opt-out.
9. Host a Tour (or Virtual Tour)
Consider hosting a behind-the-scenes tour of your nonprofit’s facility as a way to thank donors. During a tour, supporters will be better able to visualize the work your nonprofit is doing day in and day out. While some facilities (like animal shelters and food banks) may have more exciting areas to show off than others, a tour can still help to forge a stronger connection between the donor and your organization.
This practice is especially meaningful to thank donors to a capital campaign where you raised funds for a new area or renovation of your facility. When you unveil the project, you should host an exclusive thank-you tour for the donors who made it possible.
If it’s not safe or feasible to gather in person, you can host a virtual tour through video conferencing or livestreaming tools. This also opens up the opportunity to supporters who may not reside in the same geographic area as your facility,
10. Phone Calls
Here’s another tried-and-true donor thank-you idea that you’ve definitely used before. However, you shouldn’t discount it simply because it’s old school—it works! To make the calls, you can recruit volunteers, enlist board members, or add it to the responsibilities of a dedicated staff member.
As a twist on this idea, you can hold a thank-a-thon where a whole day is dedicated to calling donors.
Studies have shown that one or more phone calls in the first 90 days after a first-time donation can improve donor retention rate up to 58.21%.
11. Donation Confirmation Page
After a donor uses your donation form to make a gift, they are usually greeted with a donation confirmation page. This is the very first touchpoint you have after a contribution is made, and it’s therefore your first opportunity to say thank you. Don’t waste it!
If you haven’t customized the default “thank you!” text from your online fundraising tool, you’re missing the chance to maximize valuable real estate. Add specific information about your organization, your mission, and the work that the donation can power. If the form allows for it, you may even include some photos of your work or a short video expressing your gratitude.
12. Donor Spotlights
Consider highlighting a specific supporter on social media. This strategy is best used to thank your major donors, biggest advocates, and most dedicated volunteers.
In the spotlight, give a quick overview of their history with your organization, share a relevant photo, and discuss their other interests. Be sure to tag each donor in the post so they can enjoy their moment in the spotlight! And of course, be sure to get explicit consent from each donor before publicizing their efforts on social media.
The benefits of these spotlights are twofold: it will give this handful of loyal supporters the recognition they deserve, and it will inspire other donors to double-down on their commitment to your mission.
13. Virtual Donor Recognition
A virtual recognition display offers some of the advantages of a standard donor wall without requiring a physical location. This donor thank-you idea aims to recreate a public recognition experience by embedding dynamic content on your nonprofit’s website. You can either display this content prominently in a sidebar or header or create a dedicated donor appreciation page. This is also an efficient way to re-use existing content from a digital recognition display, if you already have one.
No matter what content you use or where you choose to display it, supporters will be able to find their name on your virtual “wall” and understand how grateful you are for their generosity.
Donor Thank-You Letter Template
While there are countless ways to thank your donors, the written word is at the heart of many of these strategies.
Human connection rests on a foundation of communication and storytelling. When you write to a donor with a heartfelt note of appreciation, you’re tapping into something deep and powerful.
However, with so much at stake, it can be challenging to know exactly what to say. When in doubt, keep the content focused on the donor and your gratitude.
Reference the following template to see all the essential thank-you letter elements in action:
Dear [Name],
Thank you so much for your support of [organization’s name]. Because people like you care so deeply about [issue], our organization can continue to pursue our mission of [describe your nonprofit’s mission here]. With your generosity, you have provided [explain the specific service, resource, or assistance] to [beneficiary or audience your nonprofit serves]. We wouldn’t be able to do any of this without your help!
If you have specific questions about how your gift is being used or want to know how to get involved, feel free to reach out at [contact email or phone number] or through visiting our website at [URL]. We look forward to staying in touch—be sure to connect with us on social media and subscribe to our newsletter for updates on our work.
Thanks again,
[Name]
[Organization’s name]
This donor thank-you letter is a great starting point for any organization, but you’ll still need to specifically target it to your particular donors and the campaigns they’ve supported. Check out these templates from Fundraising Letters for a range of templates based on your nonprofit’s size, cause, donor level, or gift type.
Whether you’re working from a template or writing your own donor thank-you letter, take every opportunity you can to tailor it to your organization and your donors.
One easy way to better tailor your letters to your donors is by including multimedia content. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, so why not include one in your letter? You can include pictures of your nonprofit’s recent work so that supporters can see the impact they’re creating. Additionally, if you’ve recently constructed a donor recognition display, this letter is a great place to show off the finished wall. If you’re sending your donor thank-you as an email, you can even include a video.
As we’ll discuss further in the next section, it’s also important to customize each letter to the donor and the gift size. As an example, you could create a variety of thank-you templates for each donation tier, simplifying the follow-up process for your team and conveying the specific impact that each level has made.
How to Thank Donors: Pro Tips
Personalize Each Thank-You
While we’ve already referenced this concept, it’s worth repeating. A personalized thank-you proves that you care about your donor as a person, not as a piggy bank. Even by including a detail as simple as the supporter’s name, you show that you’re willing to go the extra mile show your appreciation. In turn, hopefully, your donors will be willing to go the extra mile for you in the future.
Send It In A Timely Manner.
Don’t delay in thanking your donors. While some thank-you ideas like a recognition wall will take longer to execute, there’s no excuse for procrastinating tasks like handwritten notes or phone calls. Ideally, some kind of thank-you should go out within 48 hours of the donor’s gift. If you know your chosen recognition strategy will take longer, consider pairing it with a more time-efficient solution like email. This way, your donors will know you haven’t forgotten about them!
Ensure The Thank-You Is Proportionate.
The size of the gift should directly correspond with the magnitude of the thank-you. A mismatch in the proportion of the recognition could lead to a donor feeling underappreciated or uncomfortable. For example, consider how a $10 donor may feel being displayed prominently on your recognition wall, or how a major donor would respond to only an automated email. Understanding your donor personas (as we discuss in our guide to donor recognition) will help you determine the appropriate level of thanks for each donor type.
Make It Meaningful.
Convey the specific work your organization has been able to do as a result of the donor, but frame it as an action made by the donor rather than your organization. While “With your help, we’ve been able to provide 20 books to kids in need” is powerful, “You provided 20 books to kids in need” makes the connection even deeper.
Stay Grateful, Not Greedy.
This should go without saying, but we’ll mention it anyway: the point of a thank-you note is to express your sincere gratitude. Keep the focus on the thank-you and emphasize the impact that the donor has already made. While it’s smart to invite donors to engage further (through volunteering, subscribing to your newsletter, or following you on social media), you should save the next fundraising ask for another occasion.
The generosity of your supporters is what drives your organization forward. Your donors make your work possible every day. While a simple “thank you” will never fully convey the depth of your nonprofit’s gratitude, these ideas are a good place to start.
To learn more, check out the following additional resources:
Donor Recognition: Complete Strategy Guide & 13 Ideas. Donor thank-you letters and calls should be just one component of a larger donor recognition strategy. Learn how to develop an effective recognition plan with this guide.
Top 11 Ways to Say ‘Thank You!’ to Donors. Looking for even more creative ways to thank donors? Explore this list for additional useful ideas.
Donor Recognition Walls: 8 Examples & Complete Design Guide. A recognition display is a permanent and meaningful way to thank donors. Explore how to create your own donor wall in this article.
