So grateful for your support!
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RT @littlebiancakay: When your best friend tells you she turned down a horse and carriage ride on a date because it’s bad for the animals @jaderibe ??? -
RT @margaretcho: Kathryn Knott was acquitted for brutal beating of gay men in #phillyhatecrime Justice was not served. I am disgusted by our justice system. -
RT @QuickBooksCA: A4 ? While there?s always room for improvement, it?s important to look ahead to the coming year and strive to be even better #StartupChats
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At first thought, this should be so easy, right? Once you receive a donation, your organization has a legal and moral obligation to acknowledge that gift on paper or with pixels with a receipt. This is a great opportunity to not only say thank you, because your momma did bring you up right, but to foster and nurture the relationship with the donor.
All well and good until the cursor blinks on the blank page: how can you make the most of this opportunity? Every organization will have a different story to tell, and those stories can forge a bond with your donor that lasts and grows.
? Be direct and specific: ?Thank you for your recent gift of $xx.xx.? Be sure your letter lists the amount, type of transaction and date. If the gift was given in response to a specific campaign or program, be sure to mention that.
? Send as quickly as possible, within 48 hours if possible, and no later than one week after the gift is received.
? Keep to the point: how the gift allows your organization to deliver its mission. Tell a short story about a place, a person, an animal or a program that benefited from this gift.
? Keep it short: One page, or front and back at most; with at least 25% white space, and easy to read font style and size. Use bullet points for lists or sets of examples.
? Use the words ?you? and ?your? at least twice as many times as you use ?we? or ?I?.
? Don?t be afraid to add an image; if you use mail, put an image on the envelope.
? Remember that statistics are an aggregate of human stories; communicate as one human to another. Mention your results in a meaningful and personal way to your donor.
? If you can, add a personal note, and have someone hand sign it.
Donor dollars are increasingly hard to come by, offer thanks as you would like to be thanked for your support. Look at this letter as if it were mailed to you, would you enjoy it?
Need some help creating some strong thank you letter templates? Call now 310 828 6979