Eberly

College of Science
Thank You Letter Guidelines for Students
For most donors, one of the most rewarding experiences of giving to the
Eberly College of Science is the thanks they receive from those individuals who
have benefited from their generosity. This is particularly true for those
individuals who provide scholarships, as their greatest wish in doing so is to
provide meaningful help to students. Therefore, when writing a thank you
letter, consider the following three questions that most donors have:
How Has My Support Made A Difference?
Donors love to hear about the specific ways in which their support has helped
you reach your goals, whether personal, professional, or educational. Did the
money allow you to take advantage of an internship? Study abroad? Research
experience? Did the support help your family deal with difficult financial
burdens? Did the award help validate your course of study in some ways? Did
the award help you remain in a course of study that resulted in your major, or
different career plans? Even if the amount of support was only a part of what
was needed, can you comment on how successful a year you have had, and
how the support had something to do with it?
Who Have I Helped?
Donors want to know a bit about the people they have assisted. What are your
goals, short or long term, or both? If you used the award to help continue a
special project, why was that important to you? What are your interests outside
of the classroom? Where are you from? Why was Penn State important to you,
and why did coming here influence your life? If you have met with the donors,
can you make reference to the meeting? Did they give advice, show interest in
your work, and if so, how did it affect you afterward? In short, what kind of
person are you?
What Are Your Plans After Graduation?
Again, this is something that you may talk about either professionally or
personally. Are you starting a job, going to graduate school, or volunteering?
Are you traveling, moving to a specific place, or starting a family? Do you see
your career heading in a particular direction? Did the support given by the
donors allow you to experience things that changed or helped shape your
plans? Even if graduation is still a ways off, what do you hope will happen, and

how have your academic plans been shaped by the aid of the donor(s)?
What If You Received Funding From The Same Donor(s) in Previous
Years?
First, write an entirely new letter. Let the donor(s) know what you
accomplished this year and how their funding helped make that possible. If you
met with them, make a reference to that meeting and thank them for taking the
time to meet with you. In other words, this letter can be written with even
more personalization.
Some Other Suggestions, Some Obvious, Some Not:
All thank you letters are to be typed, undated, signed in ink at the bottom.
State what the thank-you is for by using the full and correct scholarship
name and donor contact name provided in your award letter. Be sure the name
of the scholarship, and the name of the donor are spelled correctly.
It is not necessary to include the amount of your award in the letter.
Make sure that you sign your letter.
Do not begin your letter with the salutation, Dear donor or Dear
benefactor or anything similar. These individuals are people, and if you do not
know their name, refer to your notification email.
Further, do not simply address the individuals by their first names, unless
you have met them and they have specifically indicated that you should do so.
In many cases, the individuals who have helped your academic career will be
much older than you, and may have different ideas about what sort of address
is socially appropriate. Finally, it is simply a sign of respect to address the
individuals with Mr. or Mrs. or Ms., as appropriate.
Did you know that 75 percent of all thank you letters begin with On behalf
of or Thank you for? Show the people who have helped you that you are an
original thinker, a sharp cookie, and more. Start your letter off with something
a little more original. That said, this letter is not the place for your spontaneous
quirky outbursts or a good joke. Rather, let them know how their input has
made a difference in your life. Try starting off with something like, Four years
ago, I wasnt sure what I wanted to do . . . or My plans for XXXX are now
coming together, thanks to you, or When I majored in XXX, I had no idea I
could do XXXX, and so on.

Do not state the obvious, such as My name is Bob Smith and I am a

student at Penn State. For one, your name is at the top and bottom of the
letter, and that you are studying at Penn State is obvious, since that is where
their gift fund is located.
Do not assume that the donors political, religious, spiritual, or cultural
viewpoints and/or preferences are the same as yours. Be careful in your letters
not to go on at length about your particular religious or political insights
regardless of how beneficial they may have been to youbecause such
mention might unintentionally harm what may well become a mutually
beneficial relationship.
Because the scholarship was a financial arrangement, a letter is the proper
mode for communication. Most importantly, be sure that the tone and content
of your letter be suited to the task, and that you remember first and foremost
that the donors have given to the College so that they may help students, and
that they want to hear about you, and hope that their aid will help you to
succeed.
05/13