Preview Nonprofit Gift Acknowledgement Letter

Best Practices: Gift Acknowledgement

Acknowledging donors

Designing and implementing a system to provide donors with timely and meaningful ―thank yous,‖

or acknowledgments.

ADRP Recommendations (considerations and pitfalls): Timely and meaningful

acknowledgments are essential to donor satisfaction and retention. They demonstrate that a donor’s

generosity is appreciated and that his or her gift will advance the mission of your organization.

Good acknowledgments affirm to the donor that s/he has made a worthwhile investment. They set

the stage for ongoing strategic communication about a donor’s gift that will deepen his/her

connection with your organization.

Following is a summary of best practices, recommendations and considerations to inform the

creation of an acknowledgment program:

Issue Addressed:

1. Tax Receipts vs. Acknowledgments

2. Acknowledgment Policies

3. Acknowledgment Processes

4. Acknowledgment Timing

5. Acknowledgment Signatories

6. Acknowledgment Salutations

7. Tailoring Acknowledgments

8. ―The Zen of Acknowledgments‖ or Highly Personalized Acknowledgments

9. Memorial and Honorific Gifts

10. ―Beyond the Page‖ or Supplementing ―Thank You‖ Letters

Issue One: Tax Receipts vs. Acknowledgments

Issue Addressed: Understanding the difference between a tax receipt and an acknowledgment and

the role of each of these pieces of correspondence.

ADRP Recommendations (considerations and pitfalls):

Organizations must comply with IRS regulations for providing donors with documentation of

receipt of their charitable donations (tax receipts). This compliance is just a baseline.

Acknowledgments present an opportunity to thank donors in a meaningful way in order to engage

them further in your organization’s mission. Recommendation details:

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