We know how quickly thank-you package due dates can sneak up! This timeline will help guide you through planning for each element of your thank-you package, and ensure a wonderful donor experience.
When your project is fully funded - send out photo permission slips
- Getting permission slips signed early means you know ahead of time which students can be photographed, and you can plan what pictures to take.
- Regardless of how many projects are funded for your class each school year, only one permission slip per student, per school year, needs to be collected.
Before your materials arrive – check out your thank-you package instructions.
- When you’re familiar with exactly what’s required, you can plan how you’ll complete each part of your thank-you package.
- A thank-you package consists of:
- 6 project photos (always required) - you upload these to our site through your teacher account
- Impact letter (always required) - like the project photos, you upload this letter
- Student thank-yous (sometimes required) - created by your students, and mailed to our NYC office
When materials arrive – share the arrival with your students!
- As soon as your materials arrive in your classroom, you’re free to start preparing your thank-you package – even if you haven't yet used the materials in your classroom.
- Your students’ first reactions to the materials can be a great opportunity for you to take some of your project photos!
- Your materials’ arrival is also your opportunity to make sure everything’s correct and in working order (even if you won’t be using some of it right away!).
Six weeks before your due date (or earlier!) – start the creation of your thank-you package.
- You’ll need to have your students present in your classroom for project photos and the creation of student thank-yous (if student thank-yous are required).
- Student thank-yous require a dedicated amount of time to complete, so be sure to set aside the needed class time, incorporate thank-yous into a current lesson plan, or schedule the thank-yous as a take home assignment.
- For some extra inspiration, check out this video where donors explain what student thank-yous mean to them.
Two weeks before your due date (or earlier!) - mail your student thank-yous
- If they’re required, remember to mail your student thank-yous to us using the pre-paid mailing label provided in your thank-you package instructions.
- Since business reply mail takes longer than regular postal mail, we recommend allowing at least two weeks for your package to reach our office.
Keep an eye on your email and your teacher account
- Our volunteers will check in your student thank-yous within 24 hours of their arrival at our office, and we’ll send you a confirmation email as soon as they do (remember, our office is closed on weekends and major holidays). If you haven’t received that email, it means we haven’t received your student thank-yous yet.
- To confirm that you’ve completed every piece of the thank-you package, log into your teacher account page and follow these steps:
- Scroll down the page until you see the section titled, "Funded Projects: action needed."
- Locate the project title for the project you wish to check on. You’ll see the word 'completed' next to each step that’s complete.
- If all steps of your thank-you package are complete, your project will have moved from the 'Fully Funded Projects' section to the 'Projects archived' section on your account page.