An Appreciation Letter is a document written to a person, usually a business contact, to show appreciation for assistance offered in one way or the other.
You should send an appreciation letter in the shortest time possible after the event that happened.
Appreciation letters may be formal or informal, depending on the kind of relationship between the two parties. For example, an interviewee may send an appreciation letter to the interviewer to thank them for the time at the interview, or a friend may write an appreciation letter to another friend. Appreciation letters are also referred to as ‘Thank you letters.’ An effective letter contains the date, address, salutation, subject, body, conclusion, and sign-off.
Knowing the common words of appreciation can be handy in writing a good appreciation letter. When one has a good vocabulary and knows how to use the words correctly, it gives a lasting impression on the reader.
Some of the most common words of appreciation are as follows:
- You are the most amazing person that I have come across in my life
- You are a hardworking employee
- You did a great job on XYZ report
- You have been a valuable employee for our organization
- You have been a valuable member of our team
- We appreciate your valuable time and insight
- Thank you for the initiative
- We appreciate your creative thinking and positive attitude
- You are simply the best
- I would like to thank you from the core of my heart
How to Write an Appreciation Letter
Appreciation letters need to adhere to a particular official format regardless of whether it’s for a professional or an acquaintance. The following steps have to be considered when writing an appreciation letter.
Greetings
When writing an appreciation letter to a professional person, you should start the letter greetings by quoting the title of the person being addressed.
For example:
” Dear Sir or Dear Madam”.
For an appreciation letter sent to a person you share a close personal relationship with, such as a friend, you can start the greetings by referring to the person’s name.
For example:
“Dear Peter.”
Note: The greetings you decide to use significantly influence the mood or attitude of the recipient towards the message being passed in the letter.
Purpose of the letter
After the salutation, proceed by stating the purpose of the appreciation letter in the subject section of an email and the introduction section of the letter. Part of stating the purpose is mentioning the specific favor the business contact did to you and appreciating them in a detailed way.
For example:
‘Appreciation for helping me secure a job at ABC Company’.
Describe actions and express your gratitude
When writing an appreciation letter or email, you have to identify and highlight something they did that caught your attention, and you feel the need to say something good about it. For example, when looking for a job and someone referred you to an open position, you can write a letter to appreciate their kindness for referring you to the job. When writing, indicate how their action has helped you and encourage the person on what they did. This letter always motivates people and establishes a connection between you and the person being addressed.
The body part of the letter has to be specific to the message.
For example:
When thanking someone for a job well done, you can start this way,” Thank you for the job you did on fixing the car. I appreciate your excellent work and am very glad”. This statement will show the recipient the action being appreciated immediately they start reading.
Express excitement for business contacts’ future success
An appreciation email or letter to a business contact should demonstrate your excitement for their future success, by wishing them well in their endeavors. Showing excitement for the future success of your business contacts promotes a positive attitude and builds lasting relationships.
Restate your thanks
An appreciation letter or appreciation email is effective if you restate your thanks emphasize the effect of the recipient’s actions, how they have changed you positively and how you feel.
For example:
When writing to someone who reviewed your proposal for a project, you could say something like, “Your different view on the topics that were discussed on the paper has made me have a different take on what I had written. Your positive critics and corrections made on the paper were very accurate, and I was able to rewrite them perfectly“.
Conclude and sign
After you are done writing an appreciation letter, conclude the letter by choosing the most appropriate closing and sign off below your name. If the letter is being printed and delivered physically, you have to write your signature, but your name is sufficient if the letter is being sent via email.
When writing professional letters, use closing words like sincerely, warm regards, among other phrases.
For example:
Yours sincerely,
Name of the sender
Sign off.
Free Templates
Following are some free templates given:
Appreciation Letter Template
To,
Mr. /Ms. _
New York
4th September 2018
Sub: Appreciation for your remarkable contribution to the project
Dear Mr. / Ms., I would like to thank you for your outstanding contribution to the project. You had been an amazing team leader, who was diligent and hard-working. Your co-workers have been praising you for all the creative work. You truly were able to think out of the box.
Your dedication to work is resulting in increased output for the company, which is increasing the client base. We expect to grow in the future if you deliver the same quality of work.
We are quite aware of the fact that you will grow and succeed in our company and within a year, we will be seeing you as a leader on major projects of the company.
Thanking you,
Mr. __
Head of Sales Department
Sample Appreciation Letters
Following are some free samples given:
Sample thank you letter with appreciation
Dear XYZ,
I am writing this letter to thank you for your assistance during the rush hours. It is difficult to manage the projects alone in the absence of co-workers. However, you had been such a delight when you participated in filling out the forms. These forms usually require three to four hours to complete; however, you were able to complete them within a short span of time.
Your creative thinking and dedication is an asset. I would highly recommend the firm to consider you a regular employee. There is an increase in the overall output during your presentation. I really wish to see you working with us.
Sample appreciation email to client
Dear ABC,
Hope this email finds you in the best of your health. I would like to thank you from the core of my heart for the sales lead. It was an honor to meet such a great client, who can be a huge milestone in my career. It was great to read how you mentioned that I want to make a difference in society and this sales lead would be a perfect match for my personality type. I would like to say; you were right.
Once again, thank you so much. You have been a source of inspiration throughout my career and I would like to return the favor someday.
Sample appreciation email to team
Dear Team Members,
I would like to inform you with great pleasure that our project was a huge success and I would like to thank all of you from the core of my heart. There is no denying the fact that we have achieved a competitive edge in the market and it would have not been possible without your hard work and dedication.
Each of you is a valuable asset to our organization and we would like to provide you with a bonus of $500. It is an honor to work with such a team, which is not only diligent but thinks outside of the box.
Teacher appreciation letter sample
Dear XYZ,
I want to thank you for taking care of my child during my coursework. I have passed with excellent grades and it would have not been possible without your encouragement and support. You had been an amazing teacher for my child and even she has started to speak a lot. She is using new words and it is a miracle how you have touched our lives. You are not just a great teacher but an amazing person as well. I am sure that all the kids under your guidance will achieve a lot in life.
Thank you once again for accepting admission to your daycare at the last minute. It is all because of you that I am a qualified writer now.
Sample appreciation letter to employee
Sample appreciation letter to employee 02
Dear XYZ,
Your hard work and dedication have brought positive changes to our organization. It is an honor to have such an amazing employee working for us. We would like to thank you for all the creative work for the last project. Without your creative mind, it would have not been possible to achieve such a high target.
We are delighted with your work and in fact, there is a meeting to promote you as a supervisor. You have the ability of a team leader and you know how to deal with difficult situations. Your time management skills have impressed the community and we are waiting for approval to see you in a new role.
Thank you once again for all the hard work.
Letter of gratitude and appreciation
Dear ABC,
I would like to thank you on behalf of the team members. Your idea for the success of the project was amazing. It was expected that you would think out of the box and you proved yourself once again. It is a delight to have you in our company. We are focusing on ways to increase the output of the company and would like you to pitch an idea. We are confident in your creative abilities. Your ideas are unique, which shows your ability to think quickly and finding a solution for various problems.
This project would have been impossible without your idea. Thank you once again for being a part of this team.
Sample appreciation letter for good work
Dear ABC,
It is rare to find this kind of good work these days. I would like to thank you for such an amazing piece of art. It is quite rare to find such an amazing talent in such a young person. I would like to talk to your parents and would make sure that they how talented their daughter is. You deserve to get admission to one of the best schools in the city. I would be more than happy to write a recommendation letter for you if you consider doing an internship somewhere. Thank you for this amazing gift, I really liked the work and would like to thank you sincerely.
Sample appreciation letter for support
Dear XYZ,
I am writing this letter to appreciate your kind support during the hectic season. It is impossible for me to handle all the paperwork and data entry without the staff members. In the absence of team members, I feel low and lose motivation to work. The workload is taking a toll on my health and I would like to thank you for pointing this out. If you had not mentioned this, I would never have taken a serious life decision. It was all because of your kind words and support that I am able to start the work once again. It is a blessing to have someone like you in my life and once again, I would like to thank you to be there for me.
Sample appreciation letter to boss
Dear ABC,
It is an honor to become a supervisor in our organization. It would have not been possible without your recommendation. Thank you so much for always supporting me and teaching me all the hard work. I really admire you and you are a source of inspiration for me. I really aspire to be like you someday. It would be an honor to work under your supervision and learn more from you. You have always been an amazing teacher, a kind person, and a great mentor.
Tips for Writing a Great Appreciation Letter
In a letter of appreciation, there are specific formatting aspects that you have to take note of. You need to write the letter in time, highlight the reason for writing the letter and be concise in your message. The following tips have to be taken into consideration when writing an appreciation letter.
Send your letter in time
When writing an appreciation letter, whether to your employee or a friend who helped you get a small task done, you have to observe a three-day rule that makes the letter feel in context and relevant to the recipient. If you miss the three days, you can still consider sending it later rather than not sending it at all.
Choose the appropriate format
A letter of appreciation has a definite format that you have to follow when writing. You need to have precise information about the person you are writing to, whether a professional or someone with whom you share a close personal relationship. Professional appreciation letters need to be typed, printed, and signed if the letter is being delivered physically. Professional letters can also be sent via email, but then sign-off indicates only your name. A letter was written for a friend or someone you share a personal relationship with can be hand-written nicely on a card or a quality paper.
Be concise and sincere
In the letter of appreciation, mention the specific actions and details on what you thank the person. Always write the letter in a personal manner to show your sincerity in an appreciation letter. It would be best if you make the letter simple and on point.
For example:
” I appreciate you for coming and talking to the students about artificial intelligence and its impact on the business world. Your knowledge and skills have had a positive impact on the students, and I am looking forward to more engagement on the same”
Add a personal touch
When sending an appreciation letter, you should refer to the person by name, which creates a connection. You should sign off using professional phrases such as “Best Regards”. If the letter is being delivered physically, your handwritten signature will give the letter a personal feel.
Proofread
An appreciation letter with many writing mistakes will show that you were not serious to the person being addressed. The recipient will have an idea that you didn’t commit your effort and time to write the letter, which will overshadow its whole purpose. Therefore, before sending the letter, you need to follow the tips discussed below.
Read aloud
When proofreading an appreciation letter or email, you should read the letter aloud. Reading aloud enables your brain to recognize errors in your letter that you might not have got when reading it silently.
Get it reviewed by a friend or colleague
Choose someone you trust to read the appreciation letter on your behalf and point out mistakes you may have made in writing your letter. It would be best to consider someone skilled in writing and reading that language to notice mistakes if there are any.
Read from the end
It would help if you tried reading the appreciation letter from the end. Reading from the end may be difficult, but it helps discover spelling mistakes that you might not have noticed when writing and reading the letter in the usual way.
Know Your common mistakes
You need to note the frequently made mistakes when writing a letter as this will help you notice some mistakes faster, and as a result, helps clean up your appreciation letter.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can write an employee appreciation letter any time to appreciate them as a sign of gratitude and also show appreciation. For example, you can write an appreciation letter at the end of the year, during holidays or during anniversaries as is the norm with many people. You can also write when an employee has done outstanding work that must be recognized at any time of the year. You can also write a letter of appreciation to an employee if one is retiring or is leaving an organization.
An appreciation letter does not have to be too long or too short as long as it passes the message to the intended recipient. An appreciation letter should be concise and to the point.
Employee appreciation letters should always be kept and saved in an employee’s file. The management can use the letter of appreciation to promote an employee or offer a pay rise.
