eSignature Thank You Letter for Donation Made Easy

E signature thank you letter for donation

Hi, I'm Kristine Miller with Horizon Stewardship. Did you know one of the most important things you can do to encourage giving is to say thank you? Of course most people don't give in order to be noticed or thanked but expressing gratitude is an important generosity principle. Why is saying thank you important? Expressing gratitude to your givers serve several purposes. It lets them know you appreciate their support. Again most owners don't contribute in order to receive a letter of thanks, but donors agree that knowing their gift was appreciated encourages future giving. Saying thank you provides an opportunity to let givers know their gift will be used according to their wishes. Often donors will designate to a particular program or ministry. Your thank you note will enable you to assure the donor that the gift has been properly allocated. A note of thanks models gratitude. At Horizons, we believe generosity begins with expressing gratitude for God for all of life's blessings. Thanking your givers tells them you are grateful to them for sharing God's blessings with your church. Most importantly, a note of thanks let's the donor know you care about them, not their gift. That is if you take the time to write a good thank-you note. Here are ten things to remember about writing a good thank-you note. Make sure the letter is personally addressed: No dear friend or dear church family member. Your givers are in relationship with you, and they want to know that you know who they are. Using their names on thank you notes is critical to conveying that relationship. Be concise, this means a couple of paragraphs not a couple of pages. It can be more challenging to write a thank you letter that is short rather than a long one, but it makes a big difference. Your letter is much more likely to be read if it's short and to the point. Make sure your letter focuses on the donor rather than on the gift, and doesn't follow the same old format most thank you letters begin with: "thank you for your gift of X." Pretty boring, plus it puts the emphasis on the gift not on the donor. Instead begin with something powerful and unique such as, "the Jones family slept well tonight because of you" referencing a gift to a feeding or housing ministry, or "we will make a joyful noise because of you" referencing a gift to music ministry or "thanks to you, our net was cast a bit wider" referencing a gift to expand ministry. Try to avoid "your" and use "you" instead. Don't say "thank you for your gift." Tell them how they made a difference. Make sure each letter is personal and personally signed. Each giver wants to know that the person writing cares about them. Telling stories about how funds were used will inspire givers to give again. Donors want to know their contributions are making a difference. Ideally rather than tell the story yourself, ask those who've been impacted by the ministry to tell it for you. Share quotes and testimonies of how your ministry is making the difference in their lives. Your donors will be inspired to make another gift. Be sure your thank you letter is 100% gratitude and 0% ask. Even a subtle asks such as including a return addressed envelope can turn a donor off. Your letter is about gratitude and nothing else. Do not make the thank you gimmicky in any way or include a PS this distracts from the real purpose of saying thanks. Do not continue to sell, the donor's already determined you are worthy of their support. A thank you letter is not the place to continue to make your case. Make sure your thank you goes out within 48 hours of the gift. In all cases, be careful to not ask the giver for another gift until she's been thanked for the first. Over-zealous asking has been linked to donor attrition. So be sure to thank before asking again. Mix it up and make sure the letters are different every time. Do your best to make the thank you note reflect how much you appreciate your donors, and in case you're wondering, email thank yous are good too, but be sure to know your givers and what their preferences might be. It is still true than a handwritten note stands out, but especially for younger donors, an e-mailed note feels just as good. Remember that gratitude is fundamental to growing giving. It only takes a few minutes to say thank you. You'll be glad you did. For more information on how to express gratitude to your donors, visit Giving365 on the Horizons website at Horizons.net.