Non-ProfitFree tool
Thank-You Letter Writer for Donors
A one-page thank-you letter that names the donor's gift and what it makes possible, plus the receipt wording a US donor needs.
Free to start · Opens in your River workspace, ready to edit and share
How to write a donor thank-you letter
A donor thank-you letter is the note a nonprofit sends after a gift to say it arrived, was noticed and is already at work. A good one goes out within days, thanks the donor by name for the exact gift, gives one true picture of what it makes possible, and asks for nothing more. In the US, it can double as the donor's tax receipt if it carries the details the IRS lists.
The letter matters because most new donors don't come back the next year. In data from the Fundraising Effectiveness Project, a joint effort of the AFP Foundation for Philanthropy and GivingTuesday, only 18.9% of 2024's first-time donors gave again in 20251. Among repeat donors, 59.3% did.
Gather the gift details first
Pull up the gift record before you write. Most of a good letter, and all of the receipt, comes from facts you already have.
- The donor's name, as they like to be addressed
- The amount or items given, and the date they arrived
- Anything they received in return, and what it was worth
- Their history: first gift, third year, monthly or upgraded
- A purpose they chose, a person they honored, or a wish to stay anonymous
- One recent moment from the program, shared with permission
Ask program staff for a fresh moment each month, so one is ready.
What to say in a donor thank-you letter
Penelope Burk is president of Cygnus Applied Research, a firm that surveys donors and advises charities. She sums up what donors want: prompt, meaningful thanks, each gift put to work on a specific program, and a report on what it achieved before they're asked again2. Your letter covers the first two and sets up the third.
Thank them for this gift
Open with their name and the exact amount or items, not "On behalf of our board."
Show one result
Describe one concrete thing the gift makes possible, such as a month of tutoring.
Make it about them
Use "you" more than "we," and thank renewing donors for coming back.
Invite, don't ask
Offer a visit or a short update, and name someone they can contact.
Sign it as a person
Have someone the donor knows sign it, with a handwritten line on first and major gifts.
Dear Maria and Tom,
Thank you for your gift of $500, which reached us on October 3. It's your third year standing with our young readers.
This fall, gifts like yours paid for a month of tutoring for four second graders. One of them, Jaylen, has moved up two reading levels and now reads to his little sister.
Our tutors meet on Tuesday afternoons. Call me at 555-0142 if you'd like to sit in.
With thanks, Ana Ortiz, Executive Director
Handwritten P.S.: Maria, the kids still talk about your book drive.
Bright Pages Literacy received your cash contribution of $500 on October 3, 2026. No goods or services were provided in exchange for your contribution.
- Honest about the money. It says "gifts like yours," since an unrestricted gift isn't spent on one child.
- Shared with consent. Jaylen's family agreed to share his story. Without that, leave out his name.
- The receipt stands apart. The IRS wording sits in its own paragraph, easy to find at tax time.
Add the receipt wording US donors need
In the US, a donor can't deduct any single gift of $250 or more without a written acknowledgment from you. You face no penalty for leaving it out, but the donor loses the deduction.
IRS Publication 1771 lists what the acknowledgment must say3: your organization's name, the amount of a cash gift, and a description, but not the value, of donated property. It must also say whether you gave anything in return and, if you did, describe it with a good faith estimate of its value.
Date every letter. To deduct any cash gift, a donor needs a bank record or a note from you showing your organization's name, the date and the amount. Beginning with tax year 2026, people who don't itemize can also deduct up to $1,000 of cash gifts to eligible charities, or $2,000 for married couples filing jointly4. That note now matters to more of your donors.
- Email counts: the IRS accepts electronic acknowledgments.
- One annual summary can cover several gifts of $250 or more.
- Gifts under $250 aren't added together, so $40 a month never triggers the rule.
- The donor needs it by the time they file, so charities typically send receipts by January 31.
For a large batch, the donation acknowledgment letter template sorts gifts by the wording each one needs.
When to ask an accountant
This covers US federal rules for everyday gifts and isn't tax advice. Ask an accountant before you receipt stock, real estate or a donated vehicle, which carry extra rules. Beyond the required wording, don't tell donors what they can deduct.
When the donor got something back
A gala ticket or an auction win changes the receipt. When a donor pays more than $75, partly as a gift and partly for goods or services, the IRS requires a written disclosure statement5. It must say that only the amount above the value received is deductible, and estimate that value in good faith.
In the IRS's own example, a donor pays $100 for a concert ticket worth $40, so the deduction can't exceed $60. The disclosure is required because the payment topped $75, even though the $60 doesn't.
Make it easy to see: Publication 1771 warns that small print within a larger document might not count. The penalty for skipping it: $10 per contribution, up to $5,000 per event or mailing.
Logo mugs and tote bags
A logo item like a mug can be left off the receipt. For 2026, it must cost you $13.90 or less, for a gift of at least $69.506. Both figures change with inflation each year.
Fit the letter to the gift
What changes by type of gift
| Gift | What to say | What to add or leave out |
|---|---|---|
| First gift | Welcome them and say what their gift starts | Say when they'll hear how it was used |
| Monthly gift | Thank them for support you can plan around | Thank them at sign-up, then send a yearly summary |
| Major gift | Have the leader who knows them sign it | Add a handwritten line and follow up in person |
| Tribute or memorial | Name the person being honored | Send the honoree or family a note without the amount |
| Event ticket or auction | Thank them for coming or bidding | State the value received and the deductible amount |
| Donated goods | Describe exactly what they gave | Leave out any value; the donor works that out |
Send it fast, then report back
Aim to send the letter within two days of the gift arriving. Speed is part of the message: it shows that someone noticed.
A thank-you call is a kind extra, not a retention plan. In experiments with public television stations and a national nonprofit, researchers Anya Samek and Chuck Longfield randomly gave 500,000 new donors a thank-you call or none7. Fundraising professionals predicted the calls would raise retention by 80%. The calls made no measurable difference to retention.
Put the time into the last item on Burk's list: a short report on what their gift achieved, a few months later and before any new request. Save that request for your year-end appeal letter, and gather results all year for your annual impact report.
Before you send it
- It goes out within two days of the gift
- The donor's name and exact gift are in the first lines
- It shows one true, specific result
- It asks for nothing
- Someone the donor knows signs it, with a way to reach them
- The receipt shows your organization's name, the date, the amount and anything the donor got back
Thanking a stack of gifts? The tool at the top of this page drafts the letters from your notes, adds any receipt wording a gift needs and marks gaps rather than guessing.
How it works
Start with who gave, what they gave and when, plus anything they received in return, such as a gala dinner. Add what the gift will help you do, if you know. River writes a one-page letter in your workspace that thanks the donor for this gift, shows one concrete result and invites them to see the work instead of asking again. When the gift calls for it, River adds the receipt paragraph, matched to the amount and to anything the donor received.
River works only from your facts. It never invents a beneficiary, a statistic or the value of a dinner, and it marks anything missing as a gap for you to fill. Paste several donors and it writes the first letter in full, then a short tailored version for each of the others.
Describe the gift
Type who gave, the amount or items, the date, and anything they got back, like an event ticket.
River writes the letter
It thanks the donor for this gift, shows what it makes possible and adds any receipt wording needed.
Get your letter
A one-page letter opens in your workspace, with any missing detail marked as a gap to fill.
Edit and send
Change anything, ask for a handwritten note version, or give River the next donor to thank.
What you get
- A one-page letter thanking the donor by name for this gift, closing with an invitation, not an ask
- One concrete picture of what the gift makes possible, drawn only from the details you give
- Wording fitted to the gift: a first gift, a renewal, monthly support, a memorial or a major gift
- The IRS receipt paragraph for gifts of $250 or more, with the right goods-or-services statement
- For event tickets and auction wins, the value you report and the deductible amount, with the math shown
- For tribute gifts, a separate note to the honoree or family that leaves out the amount
Common questions
What should a donor thank-you letter include?
The donor's name, the exact gift and its date, one specific result the gift makes possible, an invitation to see the work, and the signature of someone the donor knows. Keep it to one page. In the US, a gift of $250 or more also needs your organization's name and whether the donor got anything in return, with a good faith estimate of its value.
Is a thank-you letter the same as a donation receipt?
It can be. One letter can thank the donor and also serve as the written acknowledgment they need to deduct a gift of $250 or more. It must name your organization, state the amount or describe donated items, and say whether the donor got anything in return. It can go by email, and one annual summary can cover several gifts.
Do donations under $250 need a receipt?
Not the formal acknowledgment, which applies to single gifts of $250 or more. But a donor who deducts a cash gift of any size needs a bank record or a written note from the charity showing its name, the date and the amount. A thank-you letter that states all three gives every donor the record they need.
How soon should you send a thank-you letter for a donation?
Within two days is a good standard, and a week at most. Speed tells the donor their gift was noticed. The tax paperwork can wait longer: the donor needs it before filing their return, so charities typically send receipts or annual summaries by January 31 of the following year.
Should a thank-you letter ask for another gift?
No. A thank-you that turns into a request reads like a transaction. In Penelope Burk's donor research, people say they want to hear what their last gift achieved before they're asked again. So invite them to see the work, and save the next request for a separate appeal a few months later.
How do I write a donor thank-you letter with River?
Type who gave, what they gave and when in the box at the top of this page. Add anything they received in return and what the gift will help you do. River writes a one-page letter, with any receipt wording the gift needs, into your free River workspace, where you can edit it before you sign and send it.
Is the donor thank-you letter writer free?
Yes, it is free to start. Your thank-you letter opens in a River workspace, where you can edit it, share it or ask River to change it. Paid plans add more AI use and access to the most advanced models.
Sources
Fundraising Effectiveness Project. “Retention by Donor Type.” publications.fepreports.org (opens in a new tab)
Cygnus Applied Research. “What Is Donor-Centered Fundraising?” cygresearch.com (opens in a new tab)
IRS. “Publication 1771 (Rev. 11-2023).” irs.gov (opens in a new tab)
IRS. “Working Families Tax Cuts.” irs.gov (opens in a new tab)
IRS. “Charitable contributions: Quid pro quo contributions.” irs.gov (opens in a new tab)
IRS. “Rev. Proc. 2025-32.” irs.gov (opens in a new tab)
American Economic Journal: Applied Economics. “Do Thank-You Calls Increase Charitable Giving? Expert Forecasts and Field Experimental Evidence.” aeaweb.org (opens in a new tab)
Built by
Chandler Supple
Co-founder & CEO, River
Chandler has spent the last six years working in AI, building tools for millions of users and Fortune 100 companies. In 2025, he co-founded River to build a new kind of operating system for AI agents.