Show Friends and Family How Much Their Support Means

The ceremony and parties are finished and now all that’s left is for the graduate to show appreciation to the friends and family who’ve been so generous with their good wishes. Yes, it’s time to sit down and write graduation thank you notes.

If you’ve never written a thank you note before, don’t worry. A graduation thank you note doesn’t have to be long or complicated to be meaningful. You can thank people not only for gifts, but also for the time they put into helping you get through high school and celebrating your graduation.

Thank you note guidelines:

1. Every gift, whether received by mail or in person, should be acknowledged with a thank you note.
2. Don’t limit thank you notes to people who have sent gifts. Now is the time to remember and thank special teachers, coaches, relatives and friends from high school or elementary school.
3. Personal thank you notes are especially nice to use for this purpose.
4. Send graduation thank you notes promptly. Start right away and finish no later than one month after graduation.
5. Always hand write thank you notes and hand address the envelopes. E-mail is not appropriate.
6. Mention the gift specifically in the note and express appreciation.
7. When you receive money as a present, don’t mention the amount. Do, however, mention how you plan to spend it, as in “I’m putting the money toward a new computer.”
8. Order personalized graduation thank you notes well in advance of graduation. And consider ordering the graduation themed return address labels and envelope seals.
9. Use your personalized envelope seal on the flap and personalized return address labels.
10. Avoid making thank you notes look like form letters by adding a personal reference to each one.