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  • 1.  Pledge Letter Acknowledgements?

    Posted 02-19-2024 07:22 PM
    Hello Everyone!
    I have a question about newly established pledges.
    Is there a best practice for acknowledging new pledges? Does anyone send out acknowledgement letters to the donor thanking them for their commitment?
    Here at SSU, the pledge commitment and payment schedule are part of the gift agreement which the donor receives a copy of.
    We definitely acknowledge the pledge payments when we receive them but we don't have a consistent process for acknowledging the pledge itself.
    Does anyone have any best practices or pledge ack letter templates they could share?
    I appreciate any guidance you can provide.

    Laurie Ogg

    Advancement Services

    University Advancement

    Sonoma State University

    707.664.2036 direct

    707.664.2712 main office

    1801 E. Cotati Avenue

    Rohnert Park, CA 94928

    www.sonoma.edu/give

    ** Confidentiality Notice: The information contained in this email message, including any attachments, is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential and privileged information. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure or distribution is prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, and have received this communication in error, please contact the sender by reply email and destroy all copies of the original message. Thank you. **





  • 2.  RE: Pledge Letter Acknowledgements?

    Posted 02-20-2024 11:21 AM
    Yes we always mail a letter thanking the donor for their pledge commitment when we receive a pledge.  The letter confirms the designation and the pledge amount, but no reference to the pledge schedule.

    We've recently added an additional touchpoint that takes more management and tracking, but we'll also notify the President's office to send a hand-written card when the donor has entered into a large pledge, or established a named fund. As I mentioned there's some nuance and tracking needed here to be sure we know who gets a note, and that we don't send multiple Presidential notes for the same pledge/fund/gift, but they are great touchpoints for significant gifts.



    --
     Gwen Donev

    Director of Advancement Services

    Gustavus Adolphus College

    800 West College Avenue

    Saint Peter, Minnesota 56082

     

    Email:  gwendonev@gustavus.edu

    Office:  507.933.6515




    Original Message


  • 3.  RE: Pledge Letter Acknowledgements?

    Posted 02-20-2024 11:33 AM
    As Gwen suggests, sending out an acknowledgment is very common. Many CRMs have this functionality built-in, just like receipting. It is the first of many thank yous and stewardship opportunities. The acknowledgment also serves as a way to verify the designation, amount, and payment schedules.

    Several of my clients also include a return envelope. I am not sold on that - Lynne Wester (the Donor Relations Guru) cautions us against Thasks (thank yous combined with an ask). However, there is no harm in including the URL for your giving site!

    John

    John H. Taylor, Principal
    John H. Taylor Consulting, LLC
    2604 Sevier Street
    Durham, NC     27705

    919.816.5903 (cell/text)

    Serving the Advancement Community Since 1987





    Original Message


  • 4.  RE: Pledge Letter Acknowledgements?

    Posted 02-20-2024 11:58 AM
    Thank you very much for the information.
    We do have additional stewardship touches in place triggered by the gift/pledge agreement and the gift /pledge amount.
    I will consult with our stewardship team to address pledges specifically.
    And to confirm, this letter would not include any of the goods and services/tax language since this is truly an acknowledgement of a commitment and not a cash gift?
    Thank you again for your responses!
    Laurie

    Laurie Ogg

    Advancement Services

    University Advancement

    Sonoma State University

    707.664.2036 direct

    707.664.2712 main office

    1801 E. Cotati Avenue

    Rohnert Park, CA 94928

    www.sonoma.edu/give

    ** Confidentiality Notice: The information contained in this email message, including any attachments, is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential and privileged information. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure or distribution is prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, and have received this communication in error, please contact the sender by reply email and destroy all copies of the original message. Thank you. **








    Original Message


  • 5.  RE: Pledge Letter Acknowledgements?

    Posted 02-20-2024 12:10 PM
    Well, you do not need to include the requisite IRS language for gift receipts. However, if payments result in a substantial benefit, it would not hurt to mention that, or the donor may write back asking about that!

    But, no. As the acknowledgment is not a gift receipt, it does not have to include the goods and services language - but the gift receipt does!

    John

    John H. Taylor, Principal
    John H. Taylor Consulting, LLC
    2604 Sevier Street
    Durham, NC     27705

    919.816.5903 (cell/text)

    Serving the Advancement Community Since 1987





    Original Message


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