Thank-a-Donor Days

Attending Thank-a-Donor Days was the epitome of the “full circle” concept. Scholarship recipients got to sit down and write personalized letters to each of their donors. The outstanding part was students got the name of the donor, and even information about the scholarship they received. Students even got the chance to take photos in a photo booth to include with our letter. I feel like donors to a university scholarship fund don’t really know who their money is going to. In my experience, I never knew the story behind my scholarships. I would simply write a generic thank-you note and move on with my life. I didn’t have a personal connection with my donor.

Thank-a-Donor Days allowed students to not only express their gratitude, but connect with their scholarship donor. I was able to attend this event from a scholarship I received through ISU. I will testify that when I knew more about who was giving the money for my scholarship, I didn’t write a generic note. I went into depth about how I related to the scholarship, and how it helps my future. I wanted my donor down in Florida to feel good about what they do, and put a name with a face. I think most students that also attended could attest that this event really allowed them to feel gracious about their scholarship on a more personal level. Thank-a-Donor Days is an amazing event that needs to keep happening. Nothing is better than feeling appreciated and receiving a simple “Thank You.”