How Do You Thank a Company for a Donation?

Thank the person who approved the donation within a few days, name the exact item, and tell them how it will be used. If the company needs something for its records, send a separate written acknowledgment that describes the item but does not put a dollar value on it, which is what IRS guidance says an acknowledgment of a non-cash gift contains. Then check the company's own rules before you thank it in public: Whole Foods Market asks for its written consent before any public use of its name or logo, and Costco asks you to work with it before any public statement that recognizes its gift. After the event, write once more with the result. That last note is usually what makes next year's request easy.

This guide is part of our fundraiser donation answers library. It covers who to thank, what the note and the acknowledgment should say, and the recognition rules a few companies publish on their own sites. For letters you can copy, use the free donor thank-you kit, which has a thank-you letter, a short email version, a written acknowledgment and a note for companies that said no.

Who should get the thank-you

Send it to the person or office that said yes, because that is who decides next time. The route you used to ask tells you where the thank-you goes.

When a local store decided, a short note to that manager is worth more than a letter to headquarters. When corporate decided, the store staff may never have heard of your request.

What the thank-you note should say

Keep it to a few short paragraphs. The note should do four things:

1. Name the item exactly. "the $20 gift card" or "the soft pretzels for our volunteers", not "your generous gift".
2. Say how it was used. A raffle basket, a silent auction item, snacks for volunteers. Be accurate. Wawa, for example, says its donated products cannot be resold at a program or event, so do not describe them as sold.
3. Give the event and date. The person reading it may handle dozens of requests.
4. Keep your promises. If you said you would do something in return, say you did it.

The donor thank-you kit has a letter and an email you can adapt.

The written acknowledgment: describe the item, don't value it

A company may want a written acknowledgment for its own records. The IRS page on written acknowledgments lists what one must contain for a contribution of $250 or more. For a non-cash gift that includes a description of the item, but not its value, and a statement that no goods or services were given in return, if that is the case.

So describe the donated item plainly and leave out any dollar figure. What the item is worth for the company's own records is for the company and its advisor to work out. This is general information, not tax advice: point the company to the IRS page or its own advisor for anything more.

Check the company's recognition rules before you post

Thanking a company on social media or in a program feels natural, but some companies publish rules about it.

• Whole Foods Market says a recipient will not use its name, trademarks or logo in any public communication without its prior written consent.
• Costco, whose program gives money rather than prizes, asks recipients to partner with it before any public statement that would recognize its contribution.
• Oriental Trading asks, on its request form, how you will acknowledge the donation at your event. Asher's Chocolate Co. asks a similar question on its form: how you will tell supporters about the donation.

If you told a company on its form how you would recognize it, do exactly that and say so in your thank-you. If a company asks for approval first, send your wording and wait for a yes. When in doubt, a private thank-you is always safe.

Write again after the event

A second note after the event closes the loop: how much the event raised, what the money will pay for, and how the donated item did. Keep it short and specific.

This matters because many programs limit how often they can say yes:

• Trader Joe's limits food and beverage donations to one per organization per year, from the company as a whole.
• Wawa allows one in-kind donation per organization per calendar year.
• Books-A-Million honors one request per organization in a year's time.

When a company can only help you once a year, the thank-you and the results note are what the person remembers when your next request arrives. Keep a record of who approved what, and when, in a donation request tracker.

Thank the companies that said no, too

A short, gracious note to a company that declined costs nothing and keeps the door open. Some programs only write back when they approve, so a decline may simply be silence. Wait until your event has passed before you assume the answer, and check each company's stated timing in our guide to how far in advance to request donations.

A thank-you checklist

1. Within a few days of the yes: a short thank-you to the person who approved it.
2. When the item arrives: a written acknowledgment that describes it, with no value.
3. Before any public mention: check the company's recognition rules.
4. After the event: the result and what it paid for.
5. Next season: ask again, early, and mention last year's result.

For the full set of templates, see the donor thank-you kit. To find companies in a category to ask next year, browse food and grocery donors, and for the request itself, see how to ask a company for a donation.