Do thank-you emails and receipts go out automatically when a gift arrives?

Your donor CRM can send a personal-sounding thank-you and tax receipt within minutes of a gift, and flag big gifts for a personal call.

How to automate it

How to automate “write donor thank-you letters and emails”

Here are 2 ways to spend less time on this, best first. Each comes with steps you can follow today and, for AI fixes, a prompt to copy.

45 min

typically, once a week

70%

of the time can be automated

Easy

to set up

Fix 1 of 2

AutomationBest fix

Send thank-yous and tax receipts automatically from the donor CRM

Your donor CRM or giving platform can send a personalized thank-you and receipt the moment a gift arrives, with different letters for first-time, recurring and major donors. You only hand-sign the important ones.

Typically saves about 65% of the time2 h to set up

1Write three or four thank-you templates (first gift, repeat, monthly, major) with merge fields.
2Turn on automatic acknowledgements in your CRM or giving platform.
3Set a rule: gifts above a set amount create a task for a personal call or note.
4Review the templates twice a year.

Tools: Your donor CRM (Bloomerang, DonorPerfect, Little Green Light, Neon CRM, Virtuous, Blackbaud Raiser's Edge NXT or Salesforce) · Givebutter, GoFundMe Pro or Donorbox

Fix 2 of 2

Have AI draft appeals and personal donor notes in your voice

AI drafts appeal letters, email series and personal notes from your story, ask and segment. You pick the best lines and make sure every fact is right.

Typically saves about 45% of the time5 min to set up

1Gather the story, the specific ask and who it is going to (segment, past giving).
2Use the prompt below with a past appeal that did well.
3Ask for two versions and pick the best parts.
4Check facts and names, then load into your CRM or email tool.

Prompt to copy

Write a [PRINT APPEAL / 3-EMAIL SERIES / PERSONAL NOTE] for [ORGANISATION] to [SEGMENT, e.g. donors who gave last year but not this year]. Story: [STORY]. The ask: [AMOUNT OR ACTION] for [WHAT IT FUNDS]. Match the voice of this past appeal: [PASTE]. Lead with one person or moment, make the donor the hero, one clear ask, under [LENGTH]. Do not invent facts or statistics.

Tools: ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini or Microsoft Copilot · Your donor CRM (Bloomerang, DonorPerfect, Little Green Light, Neon CRM, Virtuous, Blackbaud Raiser's Edge NXT or Salesforce)

Quick wins

Have you tried…

Do thank-you emails and receipts go out automatically when a gift arrives?: Your donor CRM can send a personal-sounding thank-you and tax receipt within minutes of a gift, and flag big gifts for a personal call.

Who does this task

Roles in our library that list this as one of their common tasks. Each guide covers the rest of that role’s week.

Fundraiser / development officer

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