How to thank donors: Ideas for every occasion

Find out when and how to thank donors who have given to your fundraising campaign — ideas for letters, social media posts, videos, and more!

We know that fundraising is a year-round activity, and your nonprofit work really begins when you start putting those donations to good use. You’ve got more than enough to keep you busy! But you need to make room for one more top priority: creating a meaningful donation experience for those who have chosen to support you.

Donor retention is the magic that powers your entire fundraising strategy, and it starts with donor appreciation. Including a thank-you message with the donation receipt is not enough, even for small gifts from one-time donors.

When you express gratitude in creative ways through multiple channels, you’re planting seeds with your supporters that can grow into great donor relationships. In this article, we’ll cover how to thank donors in different situations and how to stay organised to manage this essential task without taking up too much time.

Let’s get this thank-a-thon started!

How to thank donors for the first time

The first thank-you messages you send after a donation go a long way toward nurturing new supporters and kicking off a great donor experience. The relationship-building efforts that you should begin after a new supporter makes their first donation are called donor stewardship. In addition to showing good manners, the objective here is to set the stage for donor retention.

The first month or so after a first-time donor’s initial gift is a critical time to boost your retention rate with donor communication. Your retention rate measures what percentage of supporters come back to give a second time. Show appreciation early on to get more new donors to stick around. Create positive feelings by sending thoughtful thank-yous across multiple channels.

This isn’t the time to worry about overwhelming them with too many emails! The important thing is to figure out how to thank donors in a way that aligns with the marketing content they’ve already interacted with.

Write a letter

We’ve all written and received thank-you notes for gifts on all kinds of occasions: birthdays, weddings, graduations, anniversaries, and more. The classic thank-you letter is a staple in the nonprofit world too, and it will never go out of style!

Include each of these elements to hit all the right notes in your thank-you:

• Address the donor by name.
• Be specific about the impact their donation is making.
• Express personal gratitude and what their support means to your leaders.
• Sign with a person’s name, specifically your executive director or the program director in charge of the campaign.

Thank you letter template

Wondering how to thank donors with the age-old thank-you letter? Here’s an example you can customise quickly for any giving campaign (including a subject line for emailed messages):

Subject: You’re a lifesaver! GivingTuesday was a success

Dear [Name],

We did it!

Community Water Project reached our goal to provide clean drinking water to over 10,000 people for the next year. We needed to raise $25,000 on GivingTuesday, and your gift was instrumental in helping us reach that goal. Thank you!

[Name], your online donation helped provide water to 40 people for the next year. We are so grateful for your support and the action you’re taking to provide the basic human right of clean water to communities around the world. We couldn’t do it without you!

Thanks again for being a dear friend of our organisation.

Sincerely,

Karen James

Community Water Project Executive Director

Send a welcome kit

Another great way to thank new donors and familiarise them with your organisation is by sending a welcome kit. You can send links to digital files along with your thank-you email or send marketing materials by snail mail. Don’t underestimate what a nice surprise it is to get an envelope full of physical goodies in real life!

Here are some things you might include in your welcome kit:

• A personal letter from your executive director
• Brochures and pamphlets that explain your mission
• Information about volunteering, membership, or becoming a recurring donor
• Flyers for any upcoming events

Send a gift

Express gratitude by sending a gift in return. You just might prompt a few of your donors to respond with another gift! Include something small or some fun merch as a token of your thanks — and a reminder to stay involved with your organisation.

Start with low-cost items that are easy to pop into an envelope, such as:

• Bookmarks
• Stickers
• Keychain
• Pins
• Patches

Campaign-specific thank yous

There are several different opportunities to thank donors for their support during and after each fundraising campaign you run. Focus on visuals and show donors how their gifts are being put to use. If possible, take photos or videos of the outcomes from a specific campaign.

If you run a peer-to-peer fundraising campaign, express gratitude to volunteer fundraisers early and often on the supporter journey. Be sure to follow up with thank-yous when they sign up, when they activate by collecting their first donation, when they reach their goal, and when the campaign wraps up.

Get social

If most of your campaign takes place on social media, like a GivingTuesday or peer-to-peer campaign, then it makes sense to say thanks using the same channels. Post thank-you messages on social media as gifts come in, at the end of your campaign, and when you start putting those funds to use. Don’t forget to tag any major donors who have given their consent to be recognised!

Record a video

Add a personal touch by creating a thank-you video after an online fundraising campaign. This is a great way to literally show first-time donors who you are and what you do. Seeing the impact they are making with their support along with your nonprofit’s branding will make new supporters feel like they know you personally. You can embed the video in an email, and it’s a good idea to share it on social media, too. For large donations, you can even record personalised thank-you videos using the donors’ names.

Getting creative with major donors

There are no hard and fast rules about how to thank donors who have given larger amounts, except to always give them the option to remain anonymous. The largest gifts merit a highly personalised response, like a handwritten note. Send regular donors a special thank-you when they sign up to make recurring gifts, on their giving anniversary, and even on their birthday.

Send extra updates on how large gifts are being used, and give special supporters more opportunities to engage with your organisation such as by sending an invitation to your annual gala. Find more opportunities to recognise them in marketing materials like your annual report or at events.

Pick up the phone

Making a quick phone call is really about creating a few minutes of quality time with a donor to show appreciation. Sending a quick text is another surprising and unexpected way to say thanks, and you can send texts without leaving the Raisely platform. Take a glance at your customer relationship management (CRM) platform and gather information about how gifts are being used before you make the call.

Send your best swag

Everyone loves branded swag! Just be careful with gifts that might seem expensive — donors want to know you’re using their money as they intended.

Give them more perks

Consider inviting your most generous donors for a tour behind the scenes or a special appreciation event. Show them they are dear friends of your organisation, and most importantly, show them a good time!

Plan ahead for timely thank yous

You don’t want to miss an opportunity to offer gratitude: Thank individual donors immediately when they give, send a mass thank-you when you wrap up a campaign, and mention your thanks in the next monthly newsletter or other communication.

Here’s how to thank donors early and often without overwhelming your staff or taking up too much time: Use your CRM platform to store important details about your supporters and track their giving history. (Your free Raisely account has a built-in CRM platform!) Set up custom emails, journeys, and triggers with Raisely based on the giving dates in your donor profiles, and you’ll be ahead of the game.

Details to track for personalised thanks

Use your CRM platform to keep track of these details:

• Donor’s name, contact information, and birthday
• Donor’s gifts — donation amounts, dates, and the giving method
• Attendance at fundraising events
• Notes about your relationship with major donors and other personal details

Get in the habit of gratitude with Raisely

The most important takeaway here is to make each donor feel rewarded and appreciated for their gift, no matter how large or small. If you still need ideas on how to thank donors, your marketing materials and supporter journey should be good sources of inspiration.

Thanking donors takes some organisation and a bit of planning, but with the right approach, you can get it all done! Use Raisely's built-in CRM platform and automation features to send targeted thank-yous at the right times throughout your supporter journey.

Ready to say thanks? Get your free Raisely account today.