Gratitude in fundraising - Do ‘thank you in advance’ and handwritten thank-you notes impact fundraising success?

Sep 16, 2026

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Fundraising effectiveness of donor appreciation practices remains underexplored despite widespread use of gratitude in charity work. This discussion paper reports two preregistered field studies with a German opera house (N=10,000) to test gratitude messaging in donor communications. One study evaluates a “thank you in advance” statement in fundraising letters, while the second compares handwritten thank-you postcards with printed versions to assess personalization and handwriting effects. Results show neither approach significantly changes donor contributions.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryPresentations

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Pages30

Reading Time11 min

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Abstract

Introduction

Research gap in donor appreciation strategies

Two field experiments in partnership with an opera house

Related literature on gratitude and giving

Maja Adena Steffen Huck Levent Neyse Gratitude in fundraising: Do ‘thank you in advance’ and handwritten thank-you notes impact fundraising success? Discussion Paper SP II 2025–202 October 2025 lin Social Science Center Copyright remains with the author(s). Discussion papers of the WZB serve to disseminate the research results of work in progress prior to publication to encourage the exchange of ideas and academic debate. Inclusion of a paper in the discussion paper series does not constitute publication and should not limit publication in any other venue. The discussion papers published by the WZB represent the views of the respective author(s) and not of the institute as a whole. Maja Adena, Steffen Huck, Levent Neyse Gratitude in fundraising: Do ‘thank you in advance’ and handwritten thank-you notes impact fundraising success? Affiliation of the authors: Maja Adena WZB Berlin and Technical University Berlin Steffen Huck WZB Berlin and University College London Levent Neyse WZB Berlin and SOEP at DIW, Berlin Abstract Gratitude in fundraising: Do ‘thank you in advance’ and handwritten thank-you notes impact fundraising success? * by Maja Adena, Steffen Huck, and Levent Neyse While almost all charities rely on a set of donor appreciation strategies, their effectiveness for the success of fundraising campaigns is underresearched. Through two preregistered field studies conducted in collaboration with a leading German opera house (N=10,000), we explore the significance of expressing gratitude and examine two different approaches to doing so. Our first study investigates the impact of a “thank you in advance” statement in fundraising letters, a common strategy among fundraisers. In the second study, we explore the effectiveness of handwritten thank-you postcards versus printed postcards, shedding light on the roles of personalization and handwriting in donor appeals. Our findings challenge conventional wisdom, revealing that neither “thank you in advance” nor handwritten thank-you notes significantly affect donor contributions. Keywords: Charitable giving, philanthropy, thanking, field experiment JEL classification: C93, D64, D12, D91 * [E-mail: maja.adena@wzb.eu](E-mail: maja.adena@wzb.eu), [steffen.huck@wzb.eu](steffen.huck@wzb.eu), [levent.neyse@wzb.eu.](levent.neyse@wzb.eu. The replication material)[ The replication material](levent.neyse@wzb.eu. The replication material)[ ](levent.neyse@wzb.eu. The replication material)for the study is available at [https://doi.org/10.7802/2907](https://doi.org/10.7802/2907) . 1. Introduction There has been a significant rise in research focusing on charitable giving in the past decades. Notably, field experiments have gained prominence as a methodological approach, following the pioneering work by Karlan and List (2007) on donation matching. Field experiments have enabled researchers to combine fundamental inquiries into the nature of giving with practical, direct applications in collaboration with charitable organizations. These collaborations have been instrumental in refining fundraising strategies, leading to more effective and targeted approaches employed by many charitable organizations. Our study contributes to this evolving landscape by addressing a relatively underexplored aspect of fundraising: the impact of donor appreciation strategies, specifically examining the effectiveness of different forms of acknowledgment in donor communications. Through two field experiments conducted in collaboration with one of Germany’s leading opera houses we investigate how saying “thank you” impacts efficient and sustainable fundraising. The first experiment investigates whether thanking in advance in solicitation letters affects donation decisions, the second investigates the role of handwritten versus printed thank-you postcards in communications with past donors. While there is a fairly large body of literature on expressions of gratitud

FAQs

What donor appreciation strategies are tested in the studies?

The paper tests whether a “thank you in advance” statement in fundraising letters affects giving decisions, and whether handwritten thank-you postcards outperform printed postcards for past donors.

How were the studies conducted?

Two preregistered field studies were conducted in collaboration with a leading German opera house, using a total sample of N=10,000.

Do “thank you in advance” messages or handwritten notes increase fundraising success?

The findings challenge conventional wisdom: neither “thank you in advance” nor handwritten thank-you notes significantly affect donor contributions.

Sep 16, 2026

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