Donor stewardship is more important than ever. In 2025, while nonprofits on average raised more funds, the average donor retention rate dipped to just 18.1%. That means that any increase in funds raised may be tenuous and liable to disappear at any time unless you can show donors that your organization needs, deserves, and appreciates their support.
A thoughtful donor thank-you message is the perfect way to show donors that they’ve chosen the right organization to support. However, many organizations make the same avoidable mistakes when crafting their thank-yous. In this guide, we’ll explore the dos and don’ts of writing thank-you letters that actually inspire donors to engage with your organization now and to consider giving again in the future.
Do: Personalize the Message
“Dear friend, Thank you for your generous donation. We appreciate your support for the Center for Justice.”
Does that message make you feel like there’s an actual person on the other end? For most people, the answer is no. Even well-intentioned generic messages fail to connect with donors, leaving them disillusioned with your organization.
Personalized messages, on the other hand, make donors feel appreciated and eager to lend you their support again. To personalize your message:
- Always address supporters by name. Pull names from your donor management system to individualize your greetings and subject lines. This initial personalization increases the likelihood that donors will actually open and read your message.
- Recognize each donor’s history with your organization. The thank-you message you send a new donor should be totally distinct from the message you send to a supporter who’s been with you from the beginning. Celebrating a donor’s ongoing commitment (or their newfound passion for your cause) is a great way to strengthen your connection.
- Call out the specific initiative or campaign that a donation will support. When a donor contributes to a particular program or participates in an event or campaign, your message should reflect that specific contribution.
With that in mind, let’s revisit the example from before:
“Dear Coral, We are excited to welcome you to the Center for Justice family. Your contribution to the Defense Fund will help wrongfully convicted individuals access the legal support they need.”
This message demonstrates a genuine understanding of Coral’s history with the organization and her particular investment in the defense fund. Ultimately, messages like these will build stronger connections with donors, encouraging long-term retention.
Don’t: Wait Too Long
Imagine you’re a parent-teacher organization raising money to fund tutoring for students with learning differences. You host a stellar Walk-a-thon that breaks all your fundraising goals and gets the whole community involved. You’re so relieved that you forget to send thank-you messages until the summer, by which time people have forgotten about your event, or they’ve written you off as disorganized or unappreciative.
Letting the momentum die after a supporter donates to your organization is one of the most common (and costly) mistakes a nonprofit can make. To secure new donors’ attention and reinforce existing donors’ commitment, follow this cadence:
- Within 48 hours, send an immediate receipt. Share a short personalized message that includes the donor’s tax receipt. Sending this message reassures the donor that you’ve processed their gift correctly, and it offers them the peace of mind of knowing that they’ll receive their tax deduction.
- Within one week, send a more thoughtful thank-you. Incorporate the donor’s history with your organization, the specific initiative their gift will support, and the impact it will have.
- Within 90 days, send an impact update. Letting donors know how you’ve used their gifts in a timely manner shows them that you haven’t forgotten about their generosity.
Establishing a consistent communication cadence reinforces donors’ trust in your organization and makes them feel appreciated.
Do: Emphasize Impact
When a donor gives to your organization, they’re trusting you to use their hard-earned funds for a good cause. Measuring and reporting on your impact demonstrates the proper respect and stewardship for your supporters’ contributions.
UpMetrics’s guide to impact measurement suggests the following steps to measure your impact:
- Create an impact framework. Start by considering your dimensions of impact—that is, honing in on who your organization serves and how. Reviewing your big-picture mission will help you determine specific objectives and key impact indicators that will guide the rest of your process.
- Select the data you’ll track. Determine both qualitative and quantitative metrics you can use to demonstrate your effectiveness. For example, a food bank might measure pounds of food distributed (quantitative) and interview a beneficiary who can share how the food bank has enabled them to provide nutritious meals for their family (qualitative).
- Collect your data. Use an impact measurement tool that will consolidate all of your data in one place.
- Analyze the data. Look for patterns, changes, and themes that stand out.
After measuring your impact, you’ll need to both share your findings with supporters and act on the insights you extract from your data. Your thank-you messages should highlight a few key metrics, ideally sharing how a donor’s specific gift will make a difference (e.g., “Your $25 contribution to our popcorn fundraiser will purchase two picture books for a beneficiary of our literacy program.”)
Don’t: Ask for More Donations Right Away
Immediately soliciting another financial gift can leave a sour taste in donors’ mouths; this type of ask makes it seem like your organization doesn’t truly appreciate supporters’ generosity. The ideal window to make your next appeal is within 30-90 days of their first gift.
However, that doesn’t mean you can’t follow up again with more ways to get involved before then. Here are some suggestions you can make to increase supporter engagement without overplaying your hand:
- Invite them to volunteer for your next fundraiser. Peer-to-peer campaigns like product fundraisers and “a-thon” events are particularly exciting ways for donors to contribute to your cause while forming connections with fellow supporters. ABC Fundraising suggests gamifying your campaign to make participation more fun while rewarding your supporters’ efforts.
- Ask them to advocate for your cause. For supporters who don’t have much time to spare, try asking them to reshare a visually appealing social media post that educates people about your mission or to call a local representative with a pre-written script. These actions take minutes and make donors feel that they’re making a real contribution to your cause without a monetary donation.
- Offer educational resources. Webinars, workshops, and facility tours are exciting opportunities for supporters to learn more about your cause and the ins and outs of your operations. These events also offer a sense of exclusivity that entices supporters to become more involved in your community.
By asking supporters to contribute to your organization in non-financial ways, you show them that you see them as fully fledged partners in your mission, not just revenue sources. This type of ask makes your appreciation for their contributions feel more genuine and builds the foundation for a long-term relationship.
It’s easy to write off donor thank-yous as simply another administrative to-do, but these messages play a critical role in your organization’s ability to connect with donors and retain their support. Sending prompt, personal, and impact-focused messages inspires trust in your organization and sets you up for long-term success.
About the Author
Debbie Salat
Debbie Salat is the director of fundraising activities and product development at ABC Fundraising®. Debbie joined ABC Fundraising® in 2010 and has helped launch over 6,500 fundraising campaigns for schools, churches, youth sports teams, and nonprofit organizations all across the USA. With over 20 years of fundraising experience, Debbie knows the path to success for fundraisers, which she shares with groups on a daily basis so they can achieve their fundraising goals.
