How to Write a Letter of Thanks to a Donor
The Importance of Thanking Your Donor
Scholarship donors believe in the value of an education. They are generous, caring, and thoughtful people who want to see you succeed in your educational goals. While they ask for nothing in return for their donation, the receipt of a personalized, heartfelt letter of appreciation will let them know that you too are generous, thoughtful, and caring. Your letter will remind them of why they gave in the first place and, perhaps, inspire them to help students following in your footsteps.
A Well-Written Letter
There are a few pointers to keep in mind when you are composing your letter. Your letter will reflect Jefferson College’s commitment to academic excellence. To begin, think about:
- The purpose of the letter
- Yourself
- Why the scholarship is important to you
- Your commitment to succeed with the donor’s help
Paragraph 1: Opening. Your first paragraph should state the purpose of your letter and the scholarship you received. Try using these sentence starters to help compose your letter:
- I am writing to thank you for…
- I am writing to express my sincere gratitude for…
- I am honored to be one of the recipients of…
- I am overjoyed…
- I am so grateful for...
- I wish to thank you for…
- I want to express my thanks to you for…
- When I received this gift, I felt…
Paragraph 2: Body. Share a little about yourself and why the scholarship is important to you and your commitment to succeed with the donor’s help.
- I have just begun my college career and can already report…
- My plans at this time are to…
- I am thankful for this gift because it will allow me to…
- The reason I appreciate this gift is…
- I am delighted to inform you…
- My lifelong dream is to…
- Thanks to you, I can…
- Since receiving this scholarship, I…
- Your scholarship helped me…
Other things to consider sharing with your donor in this paragraph:
- Your hometown
- Family background
- Why you chose Jefferson College
- Educational goals
- What you enjoy about Jefferson College
- Organizations you belong to
- Future plans
- Post-graduation plans
- Career plans
Paragraph 3: Closing. Thank the donor again and commit to doing the best you can while at Jefferson College
- What I like best about this gift is…
- I am thankful for this gift because…
- I am forever grateful that you…
- Again, thank you for…
- Thank you again for…
- I really appreciate…
- Again, thank you for your generosity. I promise I will…
Final Thoughts
- Write clearly and concisely.
- Double-check for typos and grammatical errors.
- Express enthusiasm.
- Be sincere.
