Two things. First, are you in possession of an old school memo requiring you to make your thank you letters lifeless + boring? If so, shred it. (I’m told this is why shredders were originally created. Not so true story.) And second, pretty please, never start a thank you letter with the words “thank you.”
Because, duh. Of course, you’re happy donors gave you money. Elated actually. So how about you tell them something they don’t already know? Something that makes them smile, adds more happy, and puts a little pep in their step instead.
That first line is everything, especially if you want any chance of your donor actually reading the rest of the letter. And it’s why I start every thank you letter with a compliment.
Case in point:
Dear Donor,
You have a heart of gold. (Solid gold.)
Or:
Dear Donor,
You are the reason this world spins in the right direction.
Because truly, what human being doesn’t like compliments? (Accepting one on the other hand, that’s an entirely different blog post). There’s a reason it’s called a warm fuzzy.
So do me a favor, open up your current thank you letter and add a compliment. Then tell me in the comment section what you wrote.
Happy writing!
