When’s the last time you received a great thank you?
I once volunteered to help raise some extra funds for our nonprofit. The event lasted an entire Saturday after an already busy week. On Monday, I walked into my office to see a handwritten thank you note from our CEO on my desk. This experience demonstrated just one of many donor recognition examples. It didn’t just acknowledge my time; it made me feel great!
I’d argue that nothing beats a genuine donor thank you. Yet, as fundraisers, we all too often forget to spend the time to make our thank yous count.
Yes, nonprofit employees are extremely busy. We’re balancing a huge workload and limited resources. Oftentimes, it’s hard to find the time to give donors a genuine thank you. There’s just too much to do in a day.
However, if anything, a donor thank you should be at the top of your to-do list because a gesture of gratitude goes a long way in proving to your donor how important they are to your nonprofit.
Recognizing and thanking donors is a hallmark of an excellent retention strategy. It helps strengthen the relationship you have with your donors and their commitment to your cause. When donors are thanked within 48 hours of making a gift, they’re 4x more likely to donate again.
If you’ve struggled with finding a creative way to thank your donors, you’re not alone. It’s quite easy to get stuck in the same processes year after year. So, here’s some donor recognition examples as fuel to help you find a good way to thank your donors.
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1) Immediate Email Confirmation
Let’s start with the lowest hanging fruit. Immediately after receiving a donation, be sure to send an email confirmation that includes a donor “thank you”. Email confirmations aren’t only for tax purposes, it creates space for you to build a relationship and engage with your donor in the future.
In addition to what you’d typically include in a donor acknowledgement email (i.e. your organization’s full legal name, EIN, the date the gift was received, etc.), remember to address the donor by their name (i.e. “Dear Bob”) rather than use a generic salutation (“Dear Friend”). Begin the body of the email with a warm “thank you” and include the amount donated along with the name of the campaign that the donation was earmarked for, if applicable.
These days, modern fundraising software (like CauseVox) sends an automatic thank you once a donation is processed, and you can customize the content of that email to fit your needs!
In CauseVox’s automatic donation thank you email, you can customize your text, automate the input of the donor’s name, and add images, pull quotes, and links.
A sincere, unique thank you can help establish a strong bond between you and your donors. But don’t let an automatic thank you after receiving a donation be the only time you reach out to your donors.
2) Handwritten Note
After making sure every donor is getting an automatic thank you, top of our list in terms of donor recognition examples is sitting down to write a donor thank you letter. It may seem old-fashioned, but it’s definitely a meaningful gesture that is bound to show your donor their worth. Compared to email and direct mail, which often gets discarded, handwritten notes have a significant impact on your donor retention, with 38% of people saying they are more likely to donate in the future if they receive a handwritten thank you. Yes, you read that right. Not only will something handwritten make you stand out, I guarantee that your donor will appreciate the time you took to write them a thoughtful note.
If you’re going the route of a handwritten note, avoid overly generic or formal language. Make your thank yous personal and conversational. Use your donor’s preferred name, include the impact of their gift , and acknowledge any specific initiative or project the gift was used to support (i.e. “Thanks to your generous donation of $100, we were able to provide 1:1 tutoring for 10 students for a month”).
“Would you rather get a note from a telemarketer or an old friend? If it’s the latter, then fashion your thank you notes as if you are sending a thank you to an old friend. Put some thought into it. And make sure it is signed by a recognizable figure within the organization. Hand-written is always a nice touch.” – Andy Cawston., CEO and Chairman, International Alliance of Guardian Angels NZ Charitable Trust
3) Social Media Highlight
Make a habit of thanking donors across your social media channels. You can highlight individual donors, groups of donors, or simply post a general thanks if you don’t want to name anyone specifically. In addition to traditional thank you posts, you can mix it up with popular social features such as Facebook stories or Instagram reels for higher visibility.
Well Aware posted a video of their fundraising gala thanking attendees and showcasing donors’ impact. They also tagged all of the sponsors ensuring everyone who gave received proper recognition (and ensuring good, lasting relationships with sponsors!)
Before you feature your donors on social media, be sure to get their consent first. When it comes to the content of your post, we recommend asking your donor for a photo or quote (pro tip: you can put it in a graphic that matches your organization’s branding).
4) Annual (Gratitude) Report
Many nonprofits and charities compile an annual document that reports budgeting, services, and impact. One way to thank your donors is by listing them in this widely-distributed report. There are different ways to do this – some organizations might choose to list their donors alphabetically, others might want to group donors based on donation ranges and list them alphabetically based on the amount contributed.
Thistle Farms Annual Report lists major donors in categories based on gift size in their annual report.
Pro Tip: Some organizations such as Pride Foundation and Planned Parenthood of Mar Monte have gone above and beyond by reframing their annual report to be an annual gratitude report. Unlike an annual report which generally contains activities that happened during the year and hard stats, a gratitude report shares wins for the year, relays appreciation, and sets the groundwork for what’s coming down the pike. When done correctly, it makes for an excellent donor retention tool.
5) Donor Impact Stories
In terms of donor recognition examples, a key question that donors always ask is “How will my gift be used?”. To address this question, send your donors a special email or letter outlining when, how, and who the donation impacted. Make sure to include a sincere thank you, client stories, photos, or colorful infographics in your communication. By appealing to emotion and logic, and being able to explain where donations went, you’ll increase your chances of them supporting your cause in the future.
“Make sure the donor knows how his/her donation was used. Donors like to know that the money they give actually supports programming, and not organizational excess. Give number breakdowns where applicable, be specific, give examples, or tell stories. The thank you note should be as thorough as the initial plea for support.” – Brendan Curley, Business Development/Technical Sales
HOPE Worldwide used a beneficiary testimonial on their fundraising site to exemplify to donors how their gift has a real impact on real people.
6) Video Thank You
If a picture is worth a thousand words, a video must be worth at least a million. A heartfelt thank you video featuring your CEO or service recipients is a unique, personal way of expressing gratitude. There’s power in visual storytelling and crafting a thank you video can relay your appreciation in ways that written words can’t.
Video thank yous don’t have to be super fancy. You can make a solid video with a smartphone, decent lighting, and by speaking directly to the camera. When you’re recording your video, we recommend keeping your thank you video short, sweet, and to the point.
If you’re creating personalized videos, be sure to address your donor by name so they know that the video was created with them in mind. If you have a large donor base, making individual videos for every donor isn’t very practical and will likely be cumbersome. If you find yourself deciding whether or not to make a special thank you video for every donor, consider making a general thank you video for all and reserving personalized videos for your major donors or those who’ve donated past a certain threshold.
“Video is a great medium for expressing your gratitude. Maybe you can include clips of your non-profit work in the video.” – Brian Barela, Director of Social Media-Campus Crusade for Christ
7) Personal Visit
If you have the time, try personally visiting your donors. Schedule a time to grab coffee or lunch outside of an office setting. This a great opportunity to not only thank them and share what the impact of their donation was, but also to further engage them (i.e. ask for their feedback), or introduce them to other key personnel in your organization.
Because time or resources may not allow for this on an annual basis, you may want to segment your donor population each year. Try visits to major donors one year, recurring donors the next, etc.
8) Tier-System of Recognition
Give your donors the gift of new connections by setting up donation tiers and assigning titles to donors at different levels. Think of these tiers as a social status, of sorts. For example, if your organization is focused on the environment, you may want to set up donation tiers where $20= Friend of the Forest, $50= Tree Hugger, etc.
Then, take it a step farther by considering planning recognition events or exclusive volunteer opportunities for donors at a certain level. In a way, you’ll be bringing your most passionate, philanthropic donors together to forge new relationships. It’s a great and unique way to thank them for their support. If you’re looking at donor gifts, segmenting can also help you choose different gifts for different donor tiers.
The Charlie Ward Champions Ranch used donor recognition levels in their capital campaign.
9) Donor Appreciation Party
Make it a reason to celebrate and host an annual donor appreciation party. It doesn’t have to be big or fancy. Consider a simple barbecue, wine tasting event, or happy hour. To keep your event budget-friendly, link up with local businesses or major donors and see if they would be willing to sponsor.
Donor appreciation party event hosted by a nonprofit
10) Thank-a-Thon (Follow-Up Phone Call)
Ask volunteers (don’t forget to include board members!) to make a handful of phone calls to donors to say “thanks.” This is a great way to express gratitude and engage your volunteers at the same time.
While 10-20 phone calls is a reasonable amount for the average person, your volunteers may feel overwhelmed if they’re handed a list of 50 people. Draft a short call script for your volunteers to refer to;n the script, be sure to mention the donor’s name and the amount they contributed. When done correctly, a 3-minute phone call can increase first-time donor retention by 30%.
Pro Tip: If you know your donors’ communication preferences, a text or personal email from the person doing the thanking might be a more organic way to connect. It’s a small and simple gesture that’ll go a long way in building a lasting relationship.
11) Behind-the-Scenes Look
Allow donors to get to know your organization on a more personal, intimate level by offering a behind-the-scenes look at your nonprofit operations with a tour, lunch and learn program, etc.
With site visits, it’s the perfect opportunity to showcase the impact of your donor’s gift because they get to see your programs (and their dollars) in action. It’s a great way to thank your donors, help them learn more about your organization, and introduce them to the clients you serve, along with new initiatives you think they might be interested in.
“Invite them to a membership dinner, or a classroom, or a board meeting.” – Andy Cawston, CEO and Chairman, International Alliance of Guardian Angels NZ Charitable Trust
12) Discount Or Perks
A good way to show donor appreciation is to ask local businesses such as stores or restaurants for a discount that can be given to donors. Once you’ve nailed down the details, mail the coupon or voucher to your donors with a simple note expressing your thanks for their continued support (i.e. “Please enjoy a 20% off your next entree, courtesy of [restaurant]!”)
It’s a win-win-win for the business, your nonprofit, and your donor!
13) Service Recipients
Ask those receiving the services of your nonprofit to help with donor thank yous by making homemade cards. You can also see if your clients would be interested in being featured in a “thank you” video or sharing their story through a letter. When the “thank you” comes from your donors’ beneficiaries, it’s just so much more meaningful.
Just make sure to do this thoughtfully—always ask if beneficiaries want to participate, and get their permission before sharing anything. When needed, protect their privacy by changing names or details, especially if they’re part of a vulnerable community.
“If it’s children, let them express how your service helps them through writing or artwork”. – Lindy Davis, Director of Splash into Learning, Director of Children’s Ministries
14) Song And Dance
Have fun with your thank you! If you’re on Instagram or TikTok, you’re already familiar with how popular short-form videos are along with the dance and song trends that are making their rounds. Break out the musical instruments or the dance moves or even write a song to thank your donors. Get everyone involved and record your staff, volunteers, or service recipients singing and dancing to it.
If you’re uploading it to social media, be sure to tag your content (i.e. #donorappreciation, #thankyou, etc). It’s cute and fun and you never know, you might even go viral!
15) Opportunities For Engagement
Include opportunities for engagement within your thank you. By inviting your donors to get more involved in other non-financial ways, it shows that the relationship with your donor is more than just a transactional one. For example, you can ask your donors whether they’d be interested in volunteering or advocating for your cause at a later date.
Spur Local offers an easy page for volunteers to find how they can get involved in a cause they care about.
“Your main goal in all of your thank you notes should be to keep your donors engaged and interested in donating again.” –Courtney Drake, Updates and Data Entry at DMI
16) Milestones (Weddings, Engagements, Births)
Collect birthdays and other special dates directly from your donors through your donation form, email follow-ups, or a quick survey. Knowing these milestones allows you to send a card or make a phone call when it matters most, showing your donors they’re top of mind.
Birthdays are also a great opportunity to encourage supporters to create their own DIY peer-to-peer fundraising campaign. Plus, tracking birthdays can help you better segment your donors by age for more personalized outreach down the line.
In addition, try contacting donors at various times throughout the year, such as Thanksgiving, Mother’s Day, mid-summer, or on a day of significance for your organization. Your donors will appreciate the thought!
17) Donor Anniversary
Let your donor know that you’re aware of how long they’ve been a part of your organization’s support system by acknowledging their anniversary. To do this, you’ll need a few key pieces of information—your donor’s name, their contact info, and the date of their first gift. Use your CRM to track this data and set reminders so you never miss a milestone. If possible, consider sending them a physical card to celebrate their commitment. Otherwise, an email or a phone call works too!
18) Donor Spotlight
Highlight a donor on your website or with your newsletter. Include why they are such an important part of your organization.
You can highlight donors on your campaign page and with their permission share why they chose to support your organization. It also makes them feel like an important part of the mission!
This serves two key purposes: first, it’s a meaningful way to recognize and thank your loyal supporters, making them feel seen and appreciated. Second, it helps inspire others by showing what donor commitment looks like in action, whether it’s their personal motivation for giving or the tangible difference they’ve helped make. These stories can encourage new supporters to step forward and existing donors to deepen their involvement.
19) Donor Appreciation Gifts
As a token of your appreciation, consider sending your donors a small gift along with a personalized thank you card. Some ideas that work include framed photos, custom printed coffee mugs, totes, books, or educational materials.
When you give branded merchandise with your org’s logo on it, it promotes brand awareness and visibility. Not only are you thanking your donor but you’re also spreading the word about your cause without any additional effort. Every time your donor uses the branded mug or tote you gave them, not only are they thinking of you but they’re helping promote you!
Pro Tip: Virtual gifts like an e-gift card accompanied by a short, heartfelt message also lets donors know you care. They’re a convenient alternative to physical gifts because you won’t have to worry about shipping them.
20) Plaque
Honor major donors, capital campaign sponsors, and other donors that stand out with a personalized commemorative plaque. If you have an event coming up, you can use this opportunity (and the captive audience) to present it to your donor in-person. Otherwise, you can always mail their plaque to them along with a sincere thank you card.
21) Donor Appreciation Wall
Also on our list of donor recognition examples is honoring your donors in a public way, such as a donor appreciation wall. With our brains wired to respond to our own names, seeing our names publicly can bring about a sense of pride. To visually showcase your donors publicly, look no further than a donor appreciation wall.
St. Clair Hospital Foundation donor appreciation wall
As a fundraiser, you’re probably familiar with donor appreciation walls. If you’ve ever taken a tour of a museum, university, or nonprofit space, donor appreciation walls are generally situated in a central location and traditionally consist of small plaques featuring the names of donors and sponsors.
These days, with the many variations to a traditional donor appreciation wall, you can inject creativity into these displays and make it a work of art. Consider playing around with colors, textures, materials, and themes for an awesome donor appreciation wall.
Depending on your budget, you may consider a digital donor wall. Not only are they more cost-efficient but if you anticipate making lots of changes, they’re flexible and easy to update. Unlike a traditional donor wall, you also have the option to change up the style or make it immersive!
With CauseVox’s fundraising pages, you can create a digital donor wall on your campaigns showcasing your supporters (if they choose!).
“Appreciation and recognition compliment each other well – and don’t cost a lot. Maybe you have a building or a scholarship fund that could use a name.” – Dan Lucarelli and Andy Cawston, CEO and Chairman, International Alliance of Guardian Angels NZ Charitable Trust
Best Practices for Donor Recognition
Now that we’ve covered 21 creative ways to thank your donors, let’s look at some best practices to keep in mind. These tips apply across all types of donor recognition and will help ensure your gratitude feels genuine, thoughtful, and impactful.
1. Change messaging for new donors vs. recurring donors
If you send a recurring donor an email with generic messaging asking whether they would consider opting into recurring gifts, it shows that you’re not really paying attention to how they give. Instead, segment the two audiences and have your communications with recurring donors be about updates to your work or appreciating them for giving on a consistent basis.
2. Donor recognition should be in proportion to the generosity
Donor recognition should be proportional to the size and type of the gift. For example, if someone donates through your donation form, a thoughtful thank-you email is a great way to show appreciation. For recurring donors, consider featuring them in your organization’s newsletter or spotlighting them on social media. Major donors may warrant a more personalized gesture, such as a handwritten note, a small gift, or a custom thank-you video. Matching the recognition to the level of support helps donors feel genuinely valued.
3. Tie their donation into the impact it will create for your organization
Be specific with how your donor’s gift impacts your work. This isn’t a new concept but tying dollars back to tangible outcomes (“Your gift of $50 provides a week’s worth of groceries for Lisa and her two kids”) illustrates the true impact of your donor’s dollars at work.
4. Get permission before thanking donors publicly
Before you thank your donors publicly, be sure to get their permission first. Let them know that you’d love to feature them publicly. You can use this time to ask for their social media handles, a photo, or a sweet quote.
5. Personalize your interactions with donors
At the end of the day, the most meaningful thank yous are the ones that feel personal and come from the heart. That’s where your CRM really shines. By tracking every touchpoint through donations, emails, event attendance, birthdays, and anniversaries, you can make sure no interaction slips through the cracks; and every donor gets the recognition they deserve. Whether it’s a quick thank-you email or a handwritten note for a major gift, your CRM helps you show up for your donors in ways that matter.
Creating a System for Donor Engagement
Thanking your donors should always be a priority, not an afterthought. Donors are the lifeblood of your organization and regularly expressing your appreciation and showing how their contributions impact your work increases the chances that they’ll want to support your organization again.
Ready to get organized and ensure every donor gets the recognition they deserve? A nonprofit CRM can help you build a thoughtful, consistent approach to donor engagement. With a CRM designed for nonprofits, you can track donor details all in one place, segment your supporters, assign tasks and contacts, and even send personalized thank-you emails directly through the platform. It’s a powerful way to stay on top of donor recognition and make each supporter feel valued.
Want to learn how to set this up and make the most of it? We cover all of that and more in the Complete Guide to Nonprofit CRMs.
