Thank You Letter For Scholarship

Thank-you notes aid higher ed scholarships

Of course, Barton has a bargaining chip. The scholarship money is withheld until the letters are in the mail. That makes students show up, said Raymond E. Carnley, Barton's director of development.

Colleges and universities often push recipients of endowed scholarships and others who benefit from donations to thank benefactors, but it has rarely been mandatory. Now that budgets are tight and fund-raising is difficult, however, some see compulsory thank-you notes as a tool to help ensure that donors stay connected to the college and see the benefits of their contributions, potentially leading to future donations. Others see the letters that would come from such a requirement as too formulaic to do any good.

Either way, numerous advancement officers said it can't hurt a college to teach some manners to a generation of students unaccustomed to sending thank-you notes.

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Advancement officers frame the policy as part fund-raising strategy, part education. Donors who feel connected to the college are more likely to continue to give, these officers say, and they love hearing from students.

"For us it is the first piece of stewardship and starting the next cultivation so people make an additional gift down the road," Carnley said. "Family or whoever is connected to the scholarship can see firsthand the difference their gift is making."

He said the college has long required students to write the notes to benefactors, but only recently made the reception of funds contingent on their doing so. This way the students come to them, instead of the office having to track them down.

Most often the return on such letters comes slowly if it comes at all, advancement officials said, and the notes are only a small component of broader advancement strategies. But occasionally, letters that talk about students' financial position, the benefit of the scholarship, or their experience at college can motivate a person to donate on the spot.

"We've gotten donations after we've sent out thank-you letters," said Saskia DeCaires, director of donor relations for St. John's University, in New York . "People will say, 'I want to increase my gift this year, I was really moved by Tom's letter.' "

Six years ago, DeCaires, along with the financial aid office, instituted a system at St. John's that made students' scholarship funds contingent on a thank-you letter. The university pulls the scholarship money from the student's account if he or she does not write it in a timely manner. Before that, she said, she would solicit letters from the school's more than 1,000 endowed-scholarship recipients and get about 30. Once students started seeing the money they thought they had received disappear, they showed up in droves.

Scholarship Thank You Letters | Government Grants Information

Sending a scholarship thank you letter to the donor who awarded you a scholarship is imperative. Doing so communicates your sincere gratitude for the donor’s generosity, and reflects very positively on you as the scholarship recipient.

Your scholarship thank you letters should be hard-copy, business letters on professional letter or resume paper stock. Do not use email to make your thank you. Email is convenient for informal correspondence, but in some cases, such as this it is inappropriate; too easy, commonplace and insignificant to prove important.

Use a high-quality word processing program that allows you to use spelling and grammar correction tools. You should print your letters using a high-resolution printer – something you would use to print a resume.

Here are a few tips for writing a good thank you letter:

Use quality paper or stationary. No torn-out loose leaf or notebook paper. Do not seal your letter in an envelope. All letters will be sent in a Lourdes College envelope. Use your best penmanship. If your handwriting is illegible, please type your letter. Address the letter to: To Whom it May Concern Be sincere. Briefly tell your scholarship sponsor why the aid you are receiving is important to you and/or your family. Express gratitude. Use the words thank you. Be accurate. Have someone you trust check your note for correct spelling and grammar. Be sensitive to your sponsor’s beliefs. Don’t use your letter to evangelize. Enclose a good photo of yourself, if you wish.

You were awarded a scholarship because your personal qualities and academic abilities stood above all other applicants.  Sending a typed thank you letter confirms that this scholarship was important enough to you to take the time to present yourself in a professional manner.  The sample letters (provided below) are to help you compose your own thank you letter in a professional business format.

Dear Scholarship Donor,

Ever since I was a small child, I have dreamed of attending law school. Since being recently named a recipient of the __________________________ Scholarship, my dream is finally becoming a reality.

I am glad to have the opportunity to thank you personally for your generosity. Without donors like you, many students would be unable to pursue the career of their dreams.

My future plans include pursuing a career in criminal law. I not only have a passion for the law, but also a vision to help make my community a safer place to live.