How, When and Why to Thank Donors

But Tim Burgess, president of the Domain Group, disagrees: “Absolutely. Giving donors the opportunity to give again is a great service to the donor. The donor made a well-founded decision to give because they wanted to give. They are emotionally bound to your organization.”

Terpstra takes the middle ground: “Recognize their generosity, but also let them know the need is still great and an additional gift would be helpful. The gift ask in the acknowledgement should be softer. Add a reply envelope or a wallet-flap envelope with some standard gift asks on the flap if you are not comfortable including an extra-gift reply form in your acknowledgement.”