A thank you letter is an important part of a sound direct mail program. In addition to routinely and quickly acknowledging gifts, we also recommend a special thank you early in the year to new donors, thanking them for becoming part of the family in the previous year, with a different version to renewing donors reminding them of the good they did last year.
In our most recent mailing for one organization, we included a photo of a client and her story. We also included a soft ask in the letter to renewing donors, along with a reply envelope. We expressed hope that they would remain active this year, followed by this ask: “To that end, I have enclosed an envelope for you to use the next time you want to share your blessings with those we serve.”
Many immediately shared their blessings! The nonprofit received a 4.22% rate of return from 2,396 donors with gifts totaling $18,612. Not a bad response for a thank you letter.
A similar soft ask in a thank you could be an idea worth trying for your organization.
