This thank-you letter was a core component of St. Jude’s donor stewardship strategy, designed to deepen connection immediately after a gift. Instead of a transactional receipt, the piece reinforced impact through storytelling — highlighting a patient (Ainsley) and including both a photo and a personal note from her mother. The copy structure blended gratitude with mission facts, anchoring the donor’s role in advancing survival rates and funding life-saving research. Bolded and underlined passages guided readers toward key takeaways: their gift directly fuels cures, and no family will ever receive a bill. The inclusion of a P.S. with a heartfelt touch point — a picture and note — followed direct response best practice, using the most-read section of the letter to strengthen emotional resonance. I contributed by shaping strategy around donor segmentation, aligning content with acknowledgement and stewardship streams, and ensuring creative direction struck the right balance between appreciation, storytelling, and institutional credibility. This approach elevated retention efforts, helping donors feel both valued and essential to the mission.