Writing a Winning “Thank You” Letter

In this continuing series, we explore the results of a survey conducted among more than 50 state and local new leaders asking for any voluntary advice they might give to new or inexperienced new leaders seeking elected office.  Part 8 can be found here.

No matter how you go about fundraising, one thing should always remain constant: providing thank you letters. There is some flexibility here; most ‘Thank you” letters can be generic, which allows you to let volunteers or campaign members send the letter without your signature. Personal friends or relatives and very large donors should still get a personal note or message. There is little that will sink future funding as quickly as an ungrateful candidate, especially if you have a primary election where you could ask for a second donation later in the year.

A good “Thank you” letter should make the person know that his or her contribution is appreciated and that their funds are going to an important cause. It should also be printed on nice paper. Note that this does not mean that you need to buy specialized, embossed paper as that will do more harm than good: “I gave them a bunch of money and they are using it to buy embossed paper?” Nice paper is something heavier than standard printer paper but still won’t run you unreasonable amounts of money. You know good paper by how it feels, not necessarily how it looks.

A good ‘Thank you” letter should also be timely. Sending a “Thank you” six months after the election certainly will not win you any style points. The best way is to have your treasurer make a list every time a new donation comes in. You can then either distribute it within your campaign or, if you are short-handed, use it yourself to form your list of “Thank you” letters for that day. Take 30 minutes to an hour in the evening and respond right then and there. If someone sends you a check and four days later gets a “Thank you,” the donor knows that you are professional, up-to-speed and care about them and their contribution. Good luck!