HTML Preview Nonprofit Gift Acknowledgement Letter page number 1.
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: