I’m a member of Women Business Owners and am on the Ambassador Committee, which is essentially the committee that greets and orients new members. We had a committee meeting last week and the topic of thank you notes came up.
One member mentioned she had sent her nephews on both sides of the family high school graduation gifts. One nephew hand-wrote a lovely note thanking her for the pen and the gift card. The other nephew neither wrote a note nor thanked her.
She said she chided the unmannerly nephew and said that the other nephew would be the one who goes further in life because a handwritten thank you note helps you stand out as a job candidate, friend, etc.
Another committee member mentioned how she still remembers the thank you note she received from a neighbor after giving her all of her Barbie dolls, and that was a long time ago.
The conversation made me realize that I never received a thank you note for the graduation gifts I gave my nephew and my neighbor, who both graduated from high school. That is simply unacceptable.
A thank you note does so many things. It lets the other person know you received the gift, that you appreciated the gift, that you are a grateful, mannerly person. It also makes you memorable, and in today’s competitive environment, rising above the crowd is a good thing.
A thank you note is so easy to write. Follow these simple steps:
- Address the note “Dear” and the person’s name.
- Mention the gift, favor, referral, interview or whatever it is you’re thankful for.*
- Let the giver know what you plan to do with it or have done with it.
- Tell the person how much you like the gift or appreciate the referral, favor, etc.
- Sign “Love”, “Your friend”, “Best regards” or “Warmly” and your name.
*If the gift was money, don’t mention the amount in the note.
Using my graduation gift to my nephew as an example:
Dear Aunt Arden,
You were so thoughtful to send me money as a graduation gift. The money will help me buy books for college. I’m so excited to start college and your gift has given me a great start to my first year there.
Love,
Nate
Simple. Do you have any lingering thank you notes you need to send or that you need to encourage your kids to send? Do it today. You’ll be happy you did.
