Growing up, sending a thank you card was a rule that was strictly enforced. I wasn’t allowed to play with toys or spend birthday money or gift cards until thank you cards had been written and presented for approval and mailing. It stuck.
Why sending thank you cards is an absolute must
This is going to sound harsh, but oh well. Nobody is required to give you anything or do anything for you. Most of us can all live and work together doing the bare minimum needed to do our jobs, and not necessarily go out of our way to do anything for others.
In a world where being kind is not always our go-to option, or is even frowned upon, showing gratitude is important. If someone took any time or effort to show you a kindness, responding with gratitude may do nothing else but make the world a better place than it was yesterday. It’s the small things, after all.
But there are added benefits to sending a thank you card.
- Sending a thank you card shows the recipient that you’re paying attention. That you know they didn’t HAVE to do what they did, but they did. And, that you appreciate them.
- If the recipient out-ranks you or can contribute to your professional development in any way, it keeps your name fresh in their mind
- If you send a thank you to someone who can feel under appreciated or not valued, your gesture or words can be just the thing they need to keep going
When to send thank you cards
It goes without saying thank you cards are sent when you want to thank someone for a gift. Whether that gift is an expensive jacket that’s been on your Amazon Wish List for a year or an obviously re-gifted candle, send a thank you card (even if you’re going to re-gift that candle yourself).
But, don’t limit yourself. For the cost of a card and a stamp, you can send a smile for all sorts of situations:
- Send a thank you card to speakers at events who gave a speech or presentation that inspired you or was particularly interesting. If you’ve ever given a speech, you know it takes time and practice.
- Sending a quick note to someone, even if you didn’t meet them, can be a big confidence boost for the speaker. It doesn’t hurt in the Making Connections department, either.
- Send a thank you card to someone who made your life easier, whether that was their explicit goal or not. I once worked with a really great vendor for an event, and their admin team is what made them great. The team was doing their job, sure, but they did it well and went above and beyond. It made my life MUCH easier.
- Send a thank you card to someone who helped someone you love. I’ve sent cards to my grandmother’s neighbors when they do something nice for her. It lets people know their small acts are appreciated, particularly when distance or work prevents you from doing it yourself.
Always be prepared to send a thank you card with a system
Thank you cards are simple and take a minute to do, and if you’re not in the habit of sending them, it’s not too late. If you’re not sure how to create your own thank you correspondence system, I’ve got you covered.
Get Your Supplies
The actual cards
Be a grown-up and get yourself some stationery. Stick with simple designs with your name or personal brand logo. You can use Canva to design and get printed your own stationery and its relatively cheap. I’ve used just about every printing service there is, and they reman my all time favorite. You cannot beat the quality.
Side note: if you’ve ever made any kind of donation, you’ll occasionally be sent greeting cards or return labels as a promotion. Keep those. Depending on the design, they can work in a pinch or offer something different. It’s up to you to decide if the design is appropriate — know your audience!
Stamps, Return Address Labels, and Envelopes
This part is important, if only because your mail carrier has enough problems right now without you sending cards that are ineligible or with the wrong postage. Keep stamps on hand. And know the proper way to send a letter.
Also, do your friendly germaphobe blogger a favor — use a glue stick to seal your envelopes. I don’t know why envelopes are one of those things that society just accepts we can lick then give to someone else, but don’t. God knows what’s on the envelope. It’s like some of you have never even seen an episode of Dateline.
Keep all your supplies together. A little Mail Kit, if you will:
How to Write
Even though we all technically know how to write a thank you card, I find they can intimidate lot of people. Stick with these bullet points:
- Greeting: “Dear Ms. Smith” (unless have some kind of bond with the recipient and/or they don’t outrank you, stick with last names).
- Intro: “Thank you so much for [insert reason for card here]”
- Why: “You were so helpful and made my life so much easier,” or a quick sentence as to why you loved the gift
- Something Sweet/Personal: “I hope you had a safe trip home”
- Close: “Looking forward to seeing you soon” or “Can’t wait to see what you’ll do next.”
These sections should be applied to most professionally related cards, but you can add or expand on these bullet points to be more personal. If the card is work-related, you can be personal but not overly familiar.
Adopt this “send a thank you card” rule into your workflow, and I promise you’ll thank me letter (pun/dad joke intended).
