How To Use Gratitude In Fundraising Appeals

"Your thank you letter made me cry." Not because it was beautiful. Because it was clearly fake. The same template received 3 times. Name spelled wrong. A generic "on behalf of our organization..." Your donors can tell the difference between: • Mail-merged gratitude • Copy-pasted appreciation • Checkbox recognition And real, authentic thanks. Here's what I've learned about thank you letters that matter: 👉 They're specific "Your gift helped James get his GED last week" Not "your gift helps our education programs" 👉 They're personal "I remembered our conversation about your mom..." Not "on behalf of our organization..." 👉 They're timely Within 48 hours Not when you "get around to it" 👉 They connect dots "Remember when you first gave in 2020? Look what we've built together..." Not "thank you for your continued support" The best part? Writing real thank you letters isn't just good donor relations. It reminds us why we do this work. It reconnects us to our mission. It builds genuine relationships. Because at the end of the day: Your donors aren't ATMs. They're partners in your mission. And partners deserve better than templates. -------------------------------- This is part of a week long series on developing gratitude. See the first installment here: https://lnkd.in/ec3eah-f

No one donates to get a receipt. Yet, too often, the answer to "Did you say thank you?" is "They should have gotten the automated thank you receipt." You don’t want donating to feel like paying a bill, and neither do your donors. Fundraising is about connection. It’s about aligning passion with purpose. When someone donates, they’re saying, “I believe in this mission. I want to be part of this.” If all they get is a generic receipt in return, that’s a missed opportunity—a chance to say something meaningful, to build a relationship, to make them feel like they belong. A proper "thank you" isn’t just good manners—it’s the beginning of a conversation. And that conversation is vital! Donors want to know they’re not just a source of funding, but true partners in your mission. They want to feel the impact of their gift, not just see it on a bank statement. A receipt says “transaction complete.” A thank you says “We’re in this together.” What would it look like if your gratitude was as personal as your mission? A handwritten note. A short voicemail. A call that’s not about asking for the next donation, but about saying, “You matter.” Those small acts make a huge difference. They create loyalty, deepen engagement, and make giving about more than just money—it’s about shared values, shared purpose, and shared success. So let’s be clear: fundraising is not a transaction. And an automated receipt? That’s not a thank you. Because when you properly thank your donor, giving isn’t just a financial interaction. It’s a human one. #fundraising #donor

✍️ → “But our CEO doesn’t write like that!” You know what you want to say in that fundraising appeal. You know it takes an emotional, personal, clear and simple tone of voice to get results. And yet... whether it’s your CEO or your ED or someone else signing your letter... that signatory won’t sign off. “I don’t write like that,” they tell you. “It’s too... much.”  All hope is not lost, I promise. These two baby step solutions help me. And they can help you too: 1️⃣ Make small changes over time.    When I start working with a nonprofit, edits are often double what they’ll be in a year. It takes time to get tone and voice just right.  And at many organizations, CEOs aren't comfortable using big words like "love." Your CEO or ED might be among them. But you can still add emotion. For non-negotiables, I look for workarounds.    Example: If “Thank you for the lifeline of your love,” or “Your love works miracles” is too much for your signatory, soften it. →Stronger: Thank you for the lifeline of your love. →Softer: Your generosity is a lifeline to us here. →Stronger: Your love works miracles. →Softer: Your kindness works miracles. →Miracles a no go? Even softer: Your kindness moves mountains.  2️⃣ Feature a different main signatory.    Lots of nonprofits do incredibly effective fundraising with non-CEO signatories. Grateful patients at hospital foundations. Parents of children with serious health diagnoses. Programs staff. The list goes on. At one of my clients, we feature family members as signatory. Another features grateful patients and experts in the field – surgeons, nurses, ICU director, etc. ‼️ Caveat: this can mean extra back and forth. But it's a great way to spotlight a different tone and voice, and can add another layer of authenticity. ✍️ Here's an excerpt from a non-CEO signatory letter we did. Noteworthy items are 3-fold: →It's told in the first person. Powerful. →The signatory can mention that his wife remembers praying, not always something a CEO/ED wants to include. →The signatory can use common expressions. ✍️ Like this: A heart attack can cause potentially irreversible damage in just thirty minutes. The day I arrived at the [name of org] emergency room, I had two 100% blockages. My wife remembers praying. She remembers worrying, "What if I have to go home to an empty house alone." I thank my lucky stars that didn’t happen.     It's not fancy copy. You can see that. But it can help you write in a way that touches your supporters. And that's a tool worth keeping. 💕 👉 PS. Lift notes do that for you too. They have a real immediacy to them. It's all in the original article that appeared in my newsletter, four tips total. 🔗 Here's the link → https://lnkd.in/ef9bfBju (You can subscribe to the newsletter there too. I'd love to welcome you. Forever free. 😊) 📸 Photo: Volodymyr Hryshchenko/Unsplash