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Communicating with Donors:
Donor Recognition
 Always send a letter of thanks to all of your contributors. It is good practice to send the thank you before you actually cash the check—that way you have acknowledged the gift before you spend it. Donors will appreciate the prompt response, and it will remind them how important they are to your organization.
You can go beyond a simple thank you letter like the sample available in the Templates section. Find creative ways to personally and publicly acknowledge contributors, and encourage the children in the program to get involved. Here are some examples of other types of recognition:
- Send a hand-written, personalized thank-you letter as soon as you receive a contribution. We know of one coordinator who sends a copy to the superintendent of schools, who also writes his own thank-you note, and to the Board of Education.
- The very best kind of thank-you notes are a sampling of unedited letters and artwork by the children your RIF program serves. You can forward these to donors anytime during the year.
- At book distributions, paste a bookplate inside each child’s book that reads, for example, “Clark Enterprises, Inc. and RIF want you to have fun reading!” Or have a stamp made that thanks the sponsoring organization by name for their gift of books and reading. (Be sure to work with the sponsoring organization, so that this is something that they approve of doing.)
- Honor a contributor with a certificate of appreciation presented at a distribution or other RIF event. If at all possible, have a state, local government, or school official make the presentation.
- Forward copies of any endorsements you receive to contributors. Also encourage parents to write directly to contributors, expressing their thanks. Listen carefully to the reactions parents and community leaders have to your program. Even if they don’t feel comfortable writing a letter, they may allow you to quote them in your letter.
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