Where can I find examples of gift acknowledgement letters?

Sample gift acknowledgement letters are usually difficult to find, via print or the Internet, because they are typically very specific to a particular organization and its mission. However, there are some examples that are available on the World Wide Web.

• Labyrinth, Inc. has a brief sample acknowledgement letter template (http://www.labyrinthinc.com/sharedcontent/SampleAcknowledgement.asp?Page=4&subs=7).

• The N.C. Center for Nonprofits in North Carolina has brief samples of acknowledgement letter templates on its site (http://www.ncnonprofits.org/faq/donorsublang.pdf).

• While not an example of an acknowledgment letter, the Baton Rouge Area Foundation has posted the extensive "Understanding And Drafting Nonprofit Gift Acceptance Policies" on the Planned Giving Design Center's Web site.

• You can also try a number of Internet search engines such as Google using the keywords "sample nonprofit gift acknowledgement letters".

Keep in mind that sample gift acknowledgement letters are specific to the grantseeker involved. Your situation may differ.

For more in-depth information on gift acknowledgement, the following print materials could also be of use:

• Berger, Harvey; Goller, D. Greg. "Charitable deductions: Are Donors Getting What They Need?". NonProfit Times. 19 (January 2005) p. 25, 39. Discusses the documentation that should be provided to donors for tax deductions, such as receipts and acknowledgement letters. Rules are briefly explained for gifts of cash, stocks, vehicles, and other property.

• Dove, Kent E.; Martin, Vicky L.; Wilson, Kathy K.; Bonk, Mary M.; Beggs, Sarah C. Conducting a Successful Development Services Program: A Comprehensive Guide and Resource. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass Publishers. 2002. This book analyzes the planning and implementation of development operations. Part two of the book is a resource guide with numerous forms, logs, worksheets and sample documents, including vision and mission statements, ethics codes, acknowledgement letters, gift agreement templates, and many others.

• Salopek, Jennifer J. "In Plain Sight: The Many Facets of Accountability". Currents 32 (July-August 2006) p. 26-31, 33-4. More development officers are re-examining their policies and practices to help them become more transparent and accountable. The article covers several topics including donor rights, communication, stewardship, gift acknowledgement, and donor intent.

• Watt, Charles V. "Acknowledging the Gift: The Most Important Aspect of Fund Raising". Fund Raising Management 30 (February 2000) p. 36, 40-2. Detailed discussion of the process of sending acknowledgements for contributions received by nonprofit organizations.

  For other books and articles on gift acknowledgement, try searching our Catalog of Nonprofit Literature (CNL), the Center's bibliographic database. You could start searching on the subject "Fundraising--donor relations".

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