Thank You For Your Donation Notes: Examples, Tips & Templates

When an individual makes a donation to an organization or another individual, it’s important to send a thank you for your donation note. Acknowledging the effort, regardless of how small or large, is an important part of this exchange. If you’re unsure what to say in your thank you for your donation letter, you’re not alone. It can be a little odd writing this type of thank you note, but it doesn’t have to be. Everything you need to know before getting started is here in one neat little package — including: tips, examples, and the importance of writing thank you for your donation letters.

Why thank you for your donation notes matter.

Making donations is often as much, if not more, about the emotional element as it is about receiving tax benefits. The thank you for your donation letter is part of this exchange and should be thought of as a non-negotiable step in your fundraising efforts. 

The same way a regular thank you note is an opportunity to extend the length of the connection with the recipient, sending thank you for your donation notes is a chance to deepen what starts out as a superficial relationship. The result may very well be a repeat donor or even a far more valuable partner for your organization in the long term.

Donation thank you from an organization template

If your organization has received funds or any other kind of support, we’ve got a series of thank you for your donation letter examples you can use to send your own note. 

A simple template any organization can use to acknowledge a donation:

Dear [NAME],

Thank you for donating to [YOUR ORGANIZATION]. Because of your generosity, we were able to [WHAT DID THE MONEY DO]. With your help, we will continue to [WHAT SERVICE DO YOU PROVIDE AND TO WHOM]. 

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact [PHONE OR EMAIL].

In gratitude,

[NAME]

Thank you for your donation from an organization: message examples

So you can see the template working it’s magic within the context of different types of donations, we’ve compiled this list of example thank you for your donation letters. 

Dear Jonathon,

Thank you for donating to the John Mathews Scholarship Fund. Because of your generosity, we are now able to offer scholarships to three deserving students that we would otherwise not be able to assist. With your help, we will continue to expand educational opportunities to underprivileged communities. 

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at 718-395-1023.

In gratitude,
Max Schepfield
John Mathews Scholarship Fund Operations Director

Dear Maxine, 

Thank you for your donation to the Tracy Lee Box-Theatre. Your generous donation has been allocated to this summer’s Kids Stage Production of Judy Moody & Stink! Please accept this complimentary ticket as a heartfelt thank you for helping us make our kids’ stage dreams come true. 

Sincerely,
Wendalyn Grothe 
Theatre Director

Dear Loralie and Ken,

Thank you for your generous donation to our Annual Academy of Sciences Fundraiser. Your contribution will play a large role in helping us achieve our goal of acquiring new state of the art telescopic equipment for the astronomy department. And we are thrilled to announce that we’re 98% of the way to reaching our goal, thanks to you!

Thanks again,
Leslie Triche
AOS Director

Dear Mike,

Thank you for the monthly $50 donation you generously made this April to Planned Parenthood of Greater Orlando. Your monthly contributions have been essential to our mission of making healthcare accessible to all women regardless of fiscal status. As a PP volunteer, I believe strongly in this mission and am grateful to donors like you for making it possible. 

In gratitude,
Michelle V.
PP Volunteer

Donation thank you from person to person template

Donations aren’t always directed at institutions or organizations. If you’re in the position of having been given a donation of any kind — think beyond just monetary donations — then you should consider sending a thank you for your donation letter. Even if you don’t expect to need another donation in the future, simply acknowledging a helping hand when you needed one is a practice worth developing. 

A simple template an individual can use to acknowledge a donation:

Dear [PERSON’S NAME],

Thank you for contributing to [WHATEVER YOU NEEDED THE MONEY/ITEM FOR]. Because of your generous donation I was able to [HOW DID THE MONEY/ITEM HELP]. [EXPAND FURTHER WITH A SENTENCE OR TWO.]

Thanks again, 

[YOUR NAME]

Thank you for your donation from a person: message examples

Since there is more variety among individuals than there are among organizations, these types of thank you for your donation letters can look wildly different. 

Dear Carey, 

Thank you so much for donating your time to help Christopher grasp the nuances of physics this last semester. Because of your generosity, he has gained confidence as well as an A in the class. His physics project has even been accepted into the science fair. These accomplishments would not be possible without the donation of your time.

In gratitude, 
A very thankful dad. 

Dear Jack, 

Thank you for your donation to my surgery fund. I am expected to have a full recovery, thanks to your generosity. I’ve been in recovery mode for a few weeks and am looking forward to returning to school in the fall. This whole process would have been so much more difficult and stressful without your help; thank you.

In gratitude,
Megan

Dear Carole, 

I wanted to personally thank you for your generous donation to my campaign for Pawnee City Council Member. With your help, we were able to reach brand new voters and raise awareness of our progressive platform. Thank you for supporting my bid for city council and your engagement in this entire movement. 

Sincerely, 
Leanne Roger
City Council Candidate District 7

Tips for your donation note or letter

As you get ready to write your thank you for your donation note or letter, there are a few things we’d suggest you keep in mind. This list of tips, like any other, is meant to help guide you so feel free to take what works and leave what doesn’t. Every organization, individual, and situation is different and the donation appreciation will likewise vary. 

• Use the donor’s name!
• Personalize it
• Share the impact the donation made
• Be sincere
• It’s all about the donor
• Send it in a timely manner
• Send the note from an individual
• Provide contact information
• Don’t ask for more

Use the donor’s name!

For the love of all thank you notes, do not start your message with ‘Dear Friend’ –– your recipient will immediately know this is a template without a lick of real meaning. Make sure to include each individual donor’s name. If the donation was made in a family name, then the family name should be addressed (ex. ‘Dear Johnsons’).

Pro tip: Postable’s Carbon Copy tool allows you to create a master message and apply it to as many recipients as needed while automatically customizing each person’s name in the salutation. You can also go in and customize each note further to include specific details about the donation. 

Personalize your donation note

Donors will often receive a thank you for your donation note that sounds like it was written by a robot. Don’t let that be you. 

Keep track of their involvement. If the donor has made previous contributions, make sure you take note of that by denoting the number of years they’ve supported you. Any such personal details will help make your thank you note personable and meaningful so that it has an actual impact. 

Share the impact the donation made

Let your donor know how their donation made a difference. As you saw in the examples above, each note addressed how the donation was used and what that meant to the organization or individual. There’s no need to exaggerate or stretch the truth, but letting the donor in on the nuts and bolts of their contribution allows them to have a better connection with your organization and their good deed. 

You can simply mention the impact within your message or you can show them by using an image as a photo on the front of the card.

Be sincere

As with all good thank you notes, make sure your message is sincere and honest. Don’t go overboard profusely thanking your donors as if they ended world hunger. Unless of course… They ended world hunger. Be sincere in your gratitude and your message will read authentic, helping you to create a connection with your recipient. 

It’s all about the donor

Speaking of the donor… Focus more on them rather than what you or your organization does by using ‘you’ more than we/us. 

• “Because of you”
• “Your contribution”
• “Thanks to your generosity”
• “You made it happen.”
• “We couldn’t do it without you.”

Send it in a timely manner

Be sure to mail the card within 42-78 hours of receiving the donation. The last thing you want is to have your donor accidentally get hit up again for another donation without at least receiving gratitude for their first donation.

When the donation was made, the donor likely experienced all the good warm fuzzy feelings that are associated with giving. The thank you for your donation note will help make this warm fuzzy feeling last longer. 

Send the note from an individual

If you’re an organization, you should still consider writing the thank you message from an individual at the organization. Typically this will come from a director or someone at the top, but it may also be valuable to have the card come from someone like a volunteer or staff member. It’s easy to forget that organizations are made up full of passionate people trying to make a difference.

Provide contact information

End your thank you for your donation note with some form of contact information. You’ll want this info to be specific –– like a phone number or an email–– and not just the general website. 

Don’t ask for more in your thank you for your donation note

Remember, this note is all about gratitude so don’t ruin it by asking for more donations. You’ll have plenty of other opportunities for this, but these won’t matter if your thank you notes feel inauthentic and under-appreciative.