How to write a thank you letter to the donor?

A thank you letter is the most important form of gratitude from the charity organisation to the donor for the contribution received from them. Key elements of such a letter include:

1. Mandatory information like date, donor’s address
2. Subject- This is the most important section of the letter. The subject should be short, mentioning thank you and the purpose or impact of the donation. For example- Thank You for your kind support towards sending a girl child to school.
3. The body of the letter could include:
4. Make it personalized- use the first name
5. Focus on thank you and make them feel special.
6. State, what good things their donation has done/would do, such as the impact/s their donation will make and what difference it will further make in the life of the beneficiary group
7. Keep thank-you notes short. Avoid writing long letters. It should be short, crisp and to the point
8. In this letter, refrain from asking for the next donation. The letter should talk about the impact their donation will make. This is an opportunity to show gratification. 
9. Specially recognize if this is a recurring donation. If this is a repeat donation, must mention this. For example- Thank You for your continuous contribution towards <project>
10. If not possible to send a handwritten letter to all, add a signature physically. It should not look like computer-generated auto letter. So, a a signature is a must and preferably in blue ink if the letters are printed in normal black ink.
11. Send the thank you letter as soon as possible. Sending a thank you letter after a very long time, may even result in donor forgetting about the donation. One should send a thank you letter, say, within 48 hours of confirmation of donation in the bank account. 

Here is a sample thank you letter: 

Dear (donor name), 

Greetings from (organisation name)!

Thank you for your generous contribution to our programme, <name of the programme>. We are delighted to receive your kind support. Your contribution will help support <impact of donation>. This will help make a big difference in the lives of <beneficiary group>, who are adversely affected by <the problem>. 

Thanks again for your kind support. If you have any query, need additional information, please do feel free to write to <ngo contact person name>, <contact information>.

We look forward to hearing from you,

Yours Sincerely,

<Name> 

<Designation>