Ahhh, the post-donation thank you letter. Some say donors are lucky to receive one, but I say something different. Really, receiving a thank you letter is only half of the battle. Remember, I wear multiple hats, so I’m both a fundraiser and a donor. I’ve got 360 degree vision, which means I’ve seen it all. Or most. When it comes to thank you letters, I’ve encountered a lot. I’ve witnessed the good, the bad, and the ugly.
Some thank you letters are so lacking that some of the faith I’ve placed in humanity almost trickles out of me. Other thank you letters radiate genuine gratitude and joy and make me happy to be a donor. In a lot of cases, though, the letter just plain sucks. They often follow a familiar pattern that parallels the tale I told here, several years ago.
During my recent Power of Thank You Basics & More™ course, I held a contest and invited students to submit copies of their thank you letter by way of their before and after drafts. The call for submissions was met with enthusiasm, and I enjoyed reading the different entries. There were some serious contenders, and in some cases, letters had undergone extreme makeovers between the “before” and “after.”
So, after sifting through the stack, which winner did I pick? Drum roll, please…
And the winner is…
Amy Palmer, Director of Development at Adrian Dominican Sisters! Amy’s letter underwent an extreme makeover, and she injected it with warmth, life, and gratitude along the way. And seeing the two sisters giving thanks to the donors for their support had me beaming from ear to ear. Check it out!
BEFORE
AFTER
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I can’t wait to meet with you personally.
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