How to Thank an Online Donor

An Email Thank You Is Entirely Appropriate For a Donation Made Online

Does an email thank you for an online donation differ from a thank you letter you might mail to a donor?

Not very much. It still needs the fundamental characteristics of any other thank you letter1. But it may include some additonal information or capabilities. Most organizations that receive online donations try to say thank you with an email acknowledgment immediately. It may be the only thank you message the donor receives although some organizations go ahead and send a mailed thank you in addition. It is logical to use online means to thank a donor for an online gift, however, and I, for one, am happy with it.

Here is a sample of an actual thank you letter that I received from my favorite international aid organization, Partners in Health (PIH). I responded to an email plea for additional help to aid Haitians in weathing an upcoming hurricane and deal with a recent Cholera outbreak among the extensive camps housing earthquake victims.

I liked the simplicity of this thank you letter and the fact that it arrived within minutes of my donation. The letter is brief but is all that you would want to read by email. Clearly the organization uses a template and then personalizes it to fit each donor. That too seems appropriate for an online gift, especially one that is responding to a crisis situation.

To: My Name
From: Partners In Health
Subject: Thank you for your donation to Partners in Health

Dear MY Name,

On behalf of Partners In Health, I would like to thank you for your donation of $xx.xx. Every dollar that you contribute is deeply appreciated by the communities in which we work. Your gift will be designated to support our work in Haiti, or if you selected, to support our work worldwide.

Over twenty years ago, when Partners In Health was first founded in Haiti, we vowed to provide the very best medical care in places that had none, to accompany our patients through their care and treatment, and to address the root causes of their illness. Today, we work in twelve countries with a comprehensive approach to breaking the cycle of poverty and disease-- through direct health care delivery as well as community-based interventions in agriculture and nutrition, housing, clean water, and income generation.

Our work begins with the patient before us but extends far beyond to the transformation of communities, health systems, and global health policy. We have documented and disseminated the successes of our integrated approach in the midst of tragedies like the devastating earthquake in Haiti, in countries still scarred from war, like Rwanda, Guatemala, and Burundi, and even in inner-city Boston. Through collaboration with leading medical and academic institutions like Harvard Medical School and the Brigham & Women’s Hospital, we work to disseminate our model to others; through advocacy efforts aimed at global health funders and policymakers, we seek to raise the standard for what is possible in the delivery of health care in the poorest corners of the world.

It is your generosity and belief in our mission that enables us to perform this work, and we are deeply grateful for your partnership.

Thank you,

Ophelia Dahl
Executive Director
Partners In Health

You can login to view, download, and print your online donation history here: https://donate.pih.org/page/receipt/view/.

Partners In Health, a 501 (c)(3) not for profit organization, has not provided any goods or services, in whole or in part, to you in consideration for this voluntary cash contribution. If you wish to claim the tax deductibility of this gift in the U.S., please retain this acknowledgment letter for your files. Partners In Health's EIN number is xxxxx.

Notice that the link for viewing my donation history takes me back to the the PIH website where I can explore more information easily. Also, note the disclosures at the end of the email message.

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Joanne Fritz, About.com Guide to Nonprofits, has worked in the nonprofit world for most of her 30-year career beginning with teaching at the secondary, college, and university levels. She has also held senior management positions at two national nonprofits and two universities. Fritz has served on numerous nonprofit boards and was chosen to participate in leadership programs in two cities.