Following is another example of a letter received from a real nonprofit. This one was for a donation at the time of a disaster. The gift was made online, and the donor received an email thank you, followed six weeks later by this mailed letter. Six weeks is really too long. This letter would be stronger with reference to a specific person or family who was helped. Why is mentioning a specific person so important? Read about the identifiable victim.
[Date]
[Name and Address]
Dear [Name],
Thank you for your recent gift of $____ to support the ________ Disaster Relief Fund. We are grateful you have responded to our need for help with such compassion and generosity.
Families across the south are struggling to recover from the aftermath of hundreds of deadly tornadoes and storms that swept across their communities in late April, and now must deal with the consequences of severe flooding. ________ responded immediately with numerous disaster relief shipments of medicines, water and emergency supplies to support health care providers, shelters and food banks serving people in crisis. We continue to stay in contact with our local partners throughout the country and are ready to supply any additional aid that may be needed during this acdtive storm season, or in response to other natural disaters that may occur.
We can do our work only because of the ongoing support we receive from people like you. Offering a simple "Thank You" for your gift never quite feels like it's enough to me, because what you've done is help us save lives. The best I can do is tell you how much we appreciate your continued support for AmeriCares. We hope we can continue to demonstrate to you that we value your support and that we use it wisely to provide the help that people in crisis need.
To find out about our most recent work here in America and around the world, please visit our web site at ________.
I hope you remain involved with _______ and that you continue to be a partner in our life saving work. You have my deepest thanks for helping us bring help and hope to so many.
With sincere appreciation,
_____________
President and CEO
As required by the Internal Revenue Service, this letter shall confirm that _______ provided no goods or services in exchange for your contribution, making it tax deductible to the extent allowed by law.
