6 Year-End Thank-You Message Tips + Examples

Classy from GoFundMe platform data shows that 30% of annual gross donation volume occurred between Giving Tuesday and New Year’s Eve in 2023, with conversion rates 3–4x higher on Giving Tuesday than any other day. Having a solid donor recognition program is vital for retention, and nurturing the many supporters you worked so hard to convert through year-end campaigns.

Timely, effective thank-you messages let supporters know you appreciate them, show them how you’ll use their charitable contributions, and communicate your brand and mission further. Below, we cover six tips for creating year-end thank-you emails with a personal touch, along with three inspiring examples from real nonprofits.

6 approaches to writing year-end thank-you emails

An appreciation letter is an opportunity to highlight your great work and show donors how they’re an integral part of it. Here are some ways to communicate this creatively at the end of the year.

1. Highlight the impact of small donations

Even if a donor gives $5, that could be the start of a lifelong relationship with your nonprofit. If they have a positive first-time giving experience, they may choose to: 

• Increase their gift amount next time 
• Become a recurring donor
• Volunteer at one of your events
• Encourage their network to donate via nonprofit social sharing tools

Give heartfelt thanks at the end of the year to remind donors that no matter the size of their gift, they’ll make a difference. This positive feedback may be exactly what they need to take their next step with your nonprofit.

2. Give a simple season’s greeting

A quick email thanking donors for their support and wishing them a joyous holiday season lets them know you’re thinking about them. It also demonstrates thoughtfulness, recognizing that this is a time to slow down and respect donors’ time with their loved ones while signaling that you’ll be back in touch in the new year.

This thank-you message communicates that you care about your supporters as people, not just donors. You want to wish them a happy holiday because you’re grateful they’re part of your community and inner circle, not just because you want to make an appeal. 

Think of this outreach as a handwritten note to a friend for the holidays. You can even incorporate digital signatures from your team members to give it a snail-mail feel.

3. Use data to summarize the year’s impact

Using data to demonstrate your nonprofit’s impact throughout the past year fosters a sense of transparency and trust that you allocate fundraising revenue responsibly. It showcases specific details of a job well done to meet your mission.

You can pull data from your nonprofit annual report or get help from Classy’s reporting tools to paint a clear picture of the good work your donors made possible. Incorporate these figures into your thank-you email to showcase the milestones that your donors have helped you achieve. This progress can inspire them to join you for years of service ahead.

4. Showcase the personal side of your brand

Your year-end thank-you email can also double as an employee appreciation note. Incorporate a personal tone to your message by showcasing your company culture and the hard work of various team players throughout the year. By highlighting employee recognition within your thank-you email, donors get a peek behind the curtain of your operations and feel more connected to your cause.

You can also center teamwork by involving more frontline staff in your thank-you message. For example, if your executive director usually signs donation confirmation letters, have more services and support staff sign year-end thank-you’s. Lighthearted photos and visuals of your staff also tap into a cheerful sense of year-end gratitude and show a more intimate side of your nonprofit organization.

5. Incorporate a video message

Thank-you videos allow you to spotlight emotional imagery from the field that connects your audience to your mission. They also invite your staff to speak directly to donors to express gratitude, adding a more human element to digital communications.

In addition to embedding a video into your year-end thank-you email, you can use it to reach a broader audience through your social media channels. That way, if a supporter doesn’t open your email, your appreciation can still reach them through their preferred platform.

Aim to keep a positive attitude in your year-end video and consider bringing together your entire team to say thank you at the end.

6. Communicate an opportunity to meet your year-end goal

Including an appeal isn’t the primary goal of year-end appreciation messages. In fact, they don’t need to include one at all. However, a thank-you email can be an opportunity to follow up with supporters if you’re still shy of your year-end fundraising goal. Just make sure to keep your request for continued support donor-focused. 

In your thank-you note, make a soft ask, letting supporters know you need a little more help to go the extra mile and start next year off strong. Ensure your messaging centers on how grateful you are for what you’ve already raised and what that amount will still allow you to accomplish. If you do receive additional gifts following this email, make sure to send another thank-you to those donors for adding to your fundraising effort.

3 real-world examples of nonprofit year-end thank-you’s

Now you know some of the best practices for year-end thank-you messages. But what do they look like in action? These three nonprofits provide excellent examples of how to incorporate the tips from above.

1. To Write Love on Her Arms showcases impact data creatively

To Write Love on Her Arms is a nonprofit movement dedicated to presenting hope and finding help for people struggling with depression, addiction, self-injury, and suicide. The organization took a creative approach to sharing year-end data by sending an email inspired by the popular Spotify Wrapped marketing campaign. Spotify Wrapped provides users of the music streaming platform with fun tidbits about their listening habits that year.

TWLOHA used similar design graphics to share five panels that started with the message, “Let’s talk about what you made possible.” One panel creates a stacked burger of impact, with data ranging from how many people the nonprofit reached in its online community to how many high schools received its free mental health curriculum. Another panel connects the nonprofit’s mission directly to supporters by highlighting that they, too, made it through 525,600 minutes that year despite their hardest days.

The end of the “TWLOHA Wrapped” thank-you email offers a message of hope and a brief request for donations of $1, $5, or $20 to keep the movement going. Overall, the email is fun, engaging, grateful, and easy to repurpose for sharing on social media.

2. Food Bank of Delaware gives a simple holiday greeting

The Food Bank of Delaware is a nonprofit that provides food to nourish its community while collaborating on long-term solutions to hunger and poverty. Its year-end thank-you email leveraged the power of a simple digital holiday card.

In the email, the food bank included a seasonal “Happy Holidays” graphic made of oranges, which visually connected supporters back to its food-focused mission. Then, there was a brief note at the bottom from the nonprofit’s president reminding the donor of what they made possible this year, using “you-focused” language: “We’re witnessing the impact of your generosity more than ever right now. Behind every distribution, every box of food, and every smile or sigh of relief, there’s a meal . . . a meal you made possible, Olivia.”

The nonprofit wishes the recipient a relaxing, joyous season, with a final thanks for their compassion and support throughout the year. While there is a Give Now donation button in the email footer for potential conversions, the message solely focuses on thanks.

3. Feed My Starving Children gives thanks for a recurring giving push

Feed My Starving Children is a nonprofit that works with food distribution partners worldwide to bring nutritious meals to hungry children. Its year-end thank-you message included a photo of some of its beneficiaries at the top holding a sign that says, “Thanks!” Beneath, is a short message of gratitude highlighting one key data point from the year donors made possible: 1,181,826 kids received a daily meal.

By keeping the message short and sweet, the nonprofit keeps donors focused on the meaningful impact they’ve had. The thank-you email also includes three call-to-action buttons at the bottom for inspired donors to give a one-time donation, volunteer, or join the monthly giving program. The option to become a recurring donor is centered and larger than the other two, drawing attention to the impactful opportunity.

Strengthen donor relationships with year-end thank-you emails

Year-end thank-you letters are critical for showing supporters what they’ve helped you accomplish. In expressing your gratitude, you jump-start crucial year-end nurture tactics that aid donor retention come January. Plus, you ensure donors feel appreciated and inspired to give again to your work next year. 

If you’re looking for additional tips on how to connect meaningfully with donors this holiday season, check out our email templates for Giving Tuesday through year-end. Thoughtful messaging at year-end can build the bridge from a first-time donor on Giving Tuesday to a lifelong champion of your cause. 

Copy Editor: Ayanna Julien