Template · Fundraising
Event sponsor thank-you letter
A thank-you letter for an event sponsor: results, the recognition you delivered, next steps, and the IRS wording when the sponsor got tickets or other benefits.
Three editable formats: Word (.docx), Rich Text (.rtf) and plain text (.txt). Reviewed October 22, 2026.
How to use this template
- Download it as a Word file (.docx), which opens in Microsoft Word, Google Docs, Pages and LibreOffice, or as Rich Text (.rtf) or plain text (.txt). All three are editable.
- Fill in every blank. Blanks are in square brackets, like [ORGANIZATION NAME], and are highlighted in the preview below. Delete any bracketed notes you don't need.
- Make it yours. Check it against your bylaws and your state's rules, and change anything that doesn't fit. Have your board approve it where it says so.
- Printing? Print this page: the printout leaves out the site's menus and shows the template with lines for the blanks.
A sponsor who paid for your event wants to know three things afterwards: that it went well, that you kept your promises, and that you'd like to work together again. This letter does all three. Send it within a week or two of the event, ideally with a photo, and a copy of anything that showed their name.
Our sponsorship package template sets out the levels and benefits you promised; use it to check what you delivered. Our guide to working with businesses explains how sponsorships work.
What to keep in mind
- Report results honestly. Attendance, money raised and what it will do. If the event fell short, say so briefly.
- List the recognition you delivered, such as name and logo on signs, a thank-you from the stage, a link on your event page. It shows you kept your word.
- Keep it acknowledgment, not advertising. The IRS sponsorship rules (26 CFR 1.513-4) treat a sponsor's name, logo, address, phone number, web address and value-neutral descriptions as acknowledgment. Any public thank-you you include or share shouldn't add product claims, prices, endorsements or calls to buy, which the rule treats as advertising. A single message that mixes acknowledgment and advertising counts as advertising.
- Add the IRS statement only when it applies. If the sponsor received goods or services, such as event tickets or a hosted table, for a payment of more than $75, the IRS requires a written statement that only the amount above the value of what they received may be deductible as a contribution, with a good-faith estimate of that value. A charity that fails to do this can be fined $10 per contribution, up to $5,000 per fundraising event or mailing. Use the optional paragraph below. If you're unsure what to say about a sponsorship that included no tickets or other benefits, ask your accountant.
- Sign it personally, from the board chair or director, not "the team."
Preview
Sponsor thank-you letter
[ORGANIZATION NAME]
[ORGANIZATION ADDRESS]
EIN: [EMPLOYER IDENTIFICATION NUMBER]
[DATE]
[CONTACT NAME]
[BUSINESS NAME]
[BUSINESS ADDRESS]
Dear [CONTACT FIRST NAME],
Thank you for sponsoring [EVENT NAME] on [EVENT DATE]. Your support as our [SPONSORSHIP LEVEL] sponsor made a real difference.
How it went. [NUMBER] people came, and together we raised $[AMOUNT RAISED] for [PROGRAM OR PURPOSE]. [ONE SENTENCE ON WHAT THAT MONEY WILL DO, FOR EXAMPLE: THAT'S ENOUGH TO RUN OUR SATURDAY FOOD PANTRY FOR SIX MONTHS.]
How we recognized [BUSINESS NAME]. As promised, your name and logo appeared [LIST, FOR EXAMPLE: ON THE EVENT BANNER, IN THE PRINTED PROGRAM AND ON OUR EVENT WEB PAGE WITH A LINK TO YOUR SITE], and [NAME] thanked you from the stage. [I'VE ENCLOSED A PHOTO / HERE IS A LINK TO THE EVENT PAGE.]
[OPTIONAL: ONE SENTENCE ABOUT A MOMENT FROM THE EVENT, OR A QUOTE FROM SOMEONE WHO BENEFITS, SHARED WITH PERMISSION.]
We'd love your thoughts: is there anything we could do differently next year? We hope to work with you again, and I'll be in touch about [NEXT YEAR'S EVENT / ANOTHER OPPORTUNITY] in [MONTH].
With gratitude,
[NAME]
[ROLE]
[PHONE OR EMAIL]
Optional paragraph: when the sponsor received tickets or other benefits
Use this only if the sponsor received goods or services, such as event tickets, for a payment of more than $75.
[ORGANIZATION NAME] is a tax-exempt organization under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. In exchange for your payment of $[TOTAL AMOUNT PAID], received on [DATE], you received [DESCRIBE BENEFITS, FOR EXAMPLE EIGHT EVENT TICKETS AND A RESERVED TABLE], with a good-faith estimated fair market value of $[VALUE]. The amount of your payment that may be deductible as a charitable contribution for federal income tax purposes is limited to the amount you paid minus the value of what you received.
Template from Golden Hint: goldenhint.org/resources/templates/event-sponsor-thank-you-letter. Reviewed October 22, 2026. General information, not legal or tax advice.
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Sources
Checked on October 22, 2026. Rules and fees change, so follow the links for the current version.
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