After someone passes away, their family members and friends might be motivated to donate to a nonprofit organization in their honor. Memorial donations are a beautiful way to honor someone’s life and carry on a positive legacy.
In-memory fundraisers are growing faster than any other type of peer-to-peer fundraising. That means your nonprofit must create a dedicated strategy for managing and acknowledging memorial donations.
Sending memorial donation notification letters helps build positive relationships with families and strengthen your memorial giving program. This guide reviews best practices for sending these memorial notification letters. Here’s what we’ll cover:
Keeping families in the loop is essential to respectful memorial donation management. Let’s start by taking a closer look at what a memorial donation acknowledgement letter is.
What is an acknowledgement letter for donations made in memory of someone?
A memorial donation acknowledgement or notification letter is a message that your nonprofit sends to the family of someone who has passed away to acknowledge that your organization has received donations in memory of the individual.
Your organization might receive these gifts because the deceased person had a special connection to your cause or if their cause of death relates to your nonprofit’s mission. For example, if your organization funds Alzheimer’s research, people might be motivated to donate if their loved one passed from Alzheimer’s disease.
Why sending sympathy donation messages makes an impact
Memorial donation notification letters improve your supporter stewardship efforts by informing families about the impact of memorial gifts. Here are a few reasons why your nonprofit should send memorial donation notifications:
You can let families know who is giving on behalf of their loved one. Families may wish to know who is giving in memory of their loved one if they want to send their own thank-you messages to these individuals.
You can show the impact of memorial gifts. Summarizing the number of gifts your organization has received in honor of someone can be very powerful for family members. When you describe the positive change resulting from these donations, families can see the positive legacy their loved ones have inspired.
You can build relationships with families. Keeping families in the loop shows them you’re dedicated to building relationships with them. These efforts can encourage them to stay involved with your organization and maybe even become dedicated supporters themselves.
Memorial donation letters differ slightly from other donation acknowledgements, so let’s explore a few best practices for writing them.
Key elements to include in a memorial donation letter
Keep these tips in mind when drafting your memorial gift notification messages to families:
Track family and donor relationships in your donor management system. Using robust donor management software, you can track relationships between donors and families to ensure you’re notifying the right people. For example, Bloomerang’s Giving Platform automatically syncs these relationships, helping you save time when you start drafting your notification messages:
Offer your condolences. Your memorial donation letters should lead with sympathy. Offer sincere condolences for the family’s loss and acknowledge the individual’s relationship to your nonprofit. For example, highlight your gratitude for the person’s tireless volunteer efforts over the years.
Highlight impact. Describe how the donations received in memory of the individual will have a lasting positive impact on your mission. For instance, explain how the donations will help purchase much-needed supplies for your volunteer program, allowing the program to expand and help more community members.
Make it easy for the family to thank donors. Import donors’ names and contact information into your memorial donation notifications to give families an easy way to contact and thank donors. Bloomerang’s tribute notifications feature makes it easy to generate this list using information from your donor management system and online donation form.
Keep it simple. Ensure your memorial donation notifications are focused and concise. The time after someone passes away can be challenging and busy for families, so your letter should be straightforward and quick to read. Avoid highlighting multiple aspects of your nonprofit’s mission—keep the information limited to the impact of donations and your list of donations received in honor of the person.
In your letters, inform families you’ll send occasional updates if your organization continues receiving in-memory gifts. Lastly, include the contact information for a representative from your nonprofit who can answer any questions families may have. This provides an easy way for families to stay in touch with your organization.
What to say in a letter after donating in someone’s memory
While your nonprofit should send letters notifying families about donations made in memory of their loved ones, donors themselves may also want to reach out. Donors writing a letter to the family can include a few thoughtful elements:
Address the family with care. Memorial notification letters are typically written to the loved one’s family and include the full name of the person being honored. They may also list the names of donors and, when appropriate, donor contact information so the family can send personal thank-you notes if they wish.
Make it personal. Donors should share a happy memory with the person they donated on behalf of or explain their connection to that person. It will bring comfort to the family to hear how much their departed loved one means to others.
Mention your nonprofit and its mission. Tell donors how they should portray your cause. Instead of promoting your organization, donors should simply explain what your nonprofit does and how your work connects to their loved one’s memory.
Use an uplifting tone. While there is underlying grief surrounding this process, instruct donors to keep their messages as positive as possible. The goal is to provide a heartwarming message to the family about how the donor is keeping their loved one’s memory alive.
Do not include donation amount. When donors write to a family about a gift made in their loved one’s memory, it’s standard not to include the dollar amount of individual donations in the letter to the family. A memorial message is about honoring their loved one’s memory and sharing support, not focusing on the size of the gift. Instead, donors can simply let the family know a contribution was made and reflect on the impact their loved one had.
Proofread their messages. A special message such as this one requires special attention. Have donors double-check that they’ve spelled all names correctly and included any personal information about the loved one and their family accurately.
By providing donors with tips to write their own memorial donation family notification letters, you empower them to share their contributions with the people closest to the deceased and make the outreach process more personal.
When is the best time to send memorial notification letters?
When someone gives in memory of a loved one, timely communication matters. Aim to send memorial notification letters within a few weeks of receiving the donation. A prompt message lets the family know their loved one is being honored and reminds them that their community continued to support them during a meaningful time.
Sharing this update quickly keeps the focus where it belongs: celebrating a life and the generosity it inspired.
Memorial donation notification letter templates
While you should personalize memorial donation notifications using donor management software, you can still use a template to simplify the letter-writing process.
The following templates are effective for a few reasons:
They clearly display donors’ names and contact information so families can easily follow up with them.
They acknowledge that your nonprofit has already thanked each donor.
They connect families with an individual at your organization they can reach out to with any questions.
They’re simple and straightforward, leaving out any unnecessary information.
Customize these templates to your nonprofit’s needs, adding information about your mission and brand elements, such as your logo, fonts, and colors.
Memorial donation notification sample #1
Memorial donation notification sample #2
Wrapping up
With robust donor management software and a clear template, your organization can quickly generate thoughtful memorial donation notifications that keep families informed throughout the giving process.
Bloomerang’s donor management software simplifies the tribute gift notification process and facilitates long-term supporter relationships. Your nonprofit can steward memorial donors and families with personalized thank-you messages and updates about the impact of their gifts on your mission.
For more information about donation management best practices, start with these resources:
Bloomerang’s Tribute Notifications. Learn more about Bloomerang’s tribute notifications feature, which makes it easy to send memorial donation letters to families.
Donor Appreciation: Creating a Strategy (And 22+ Ideas!). Thanking memorial donors helps jumpstart long-term relationships. This guide offers donor appreciation ideas that will show memorial donors your organization’s gratitude.
FAQ: Memorial donation notification letters
What is a memorial donation notification letter?
A memorial donation notification letter is a message sent by a nonprofit organization to the family of someone who has passed away. It acknowledges that the organization has received donations made in memory of the deceased individual and informs the family about these thoughtful gifts.
Why is it important to send memorial donation notification letters?
Sending these letters helps build positive relationships with the honoree’s family by keeping them informed about donations received in their loved one’s memory. It also demonstrates respectful memorial donation management and shows the nonprofit’s gratitude for the generous donations.
What should be included in a memorial donation notification letter?
The letter should offer deepest condolences to the family, acknowledge the donations received, highlight the positive impact of the memorial gifts, and provide contact information for a representative at the nonprofit who can answer any questions the family may have.
How soon should memorial donation notification letters be sent?
It is best to send memorial donation notification letters within a few weeks of receiving the donation. Timely communication shows the family that their loved one’s memory is being honored promptly and respectfully.
Can donor management software help with sending memorial donation notifications?
Yes. Donor management software can simplify the letter-writing process by tracking family and donor relationships, personalizing memorial donation notifications, and automating the sending of letters. This helps nonprofits maintain positive relationships with families and memorial donors efficiently.
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