Fundraising Letter or Speech: How to Write an Inspiring Fundraising Letter That Will Motivate Your Donors to Give Your Charity What It Really Deserves
Are you planning to write a fundraising letter or give a speech to raise funds for your charity?
But not too sure how to write a letter that will motivate your donor and prospective donors to readily open their wallets and give a generous amount that will sustain you in good times and bad times?
Just give me a few minutes and I will share with you:
- How to write a persuasive fundraising letter or speech asking for donations
- How to use sample fundraising letters to write your script to collect donations
…….plus lots of great ideas and tips to help you ask for donation for your school, church, business or charity.
Before we start, let’s look at this short story about the power of giving. Afterwards, we are going to use the lesson learned to write an appeal letter to your donors.
Years ago, Ilene’s preacher noticed that a family standing in front of him at a New Orleans convenience store did not have enough money to pay for their few items.
He tapped the man on the shoulder and said, “You don’t need to turn around, but please accept this money.” The man took the money without ever seeing the preacher.
Nine years later, the pastor was invited to speak at a church in New Orleans. After the service, a man walked up to the preacher and shared this story about how he had come to faith in Christ: “Several years ago, my wife and our child were destitute. We had lost everything, had no jobs, no money and were living in our car.
We also lost all hope, and agreed to a suicide pact, including our child. However, we decided to first give our son some food, so we drove to a convenience store to buy him some food and milk.”
“While we were standing in line at the store, we realized that we did not have enough money to pay for these items, but a man behind us asked us to please take the money from his hand and not look at him. This man told us that ‘Jesus loves you.’”
“We left the store, drove to our designated suicide site, and wept for hours. We couldn’t go through with it, so we drove away. As we drove, we noticed a church with a sign out front which said, ‘Jesus loves you.’ We went to that church the very next Sunday, and both my wife and I were saved that day.”
He then told the pastor, “When you began speaking this morning, I knew immediately that you were the man who gave us that money.” How did he know? The pastor was from South Africa and had a very distinct accent. He continued, “Your act of kindness was much more than a simple good deed. Three people are alive today because of it.”
Have you or someone you know ever been touched by a genuine act of kindness? If you have, then you will agree with Ben Carson who said that happiness doesn’t result from what we get, but from what we give.
We all have something to give, whether rich or poor. We can give sour time, energy, strength, and intellect in support of causes that’s so dear to our hearts. But, in the fundraising arena, money does grease the wheels of happiness.
We all love to have it but when it comes to giving it out, we can sometimes be a little stingy. Yet, we have to give our financial resources to support because we all need someone to lean on.
That brings me to this question: How do you convince your current donors and even skeptical ones to continuously contribute cash to keep your organization alive year after year.
It’s actually simple as there are some time-tested tips and tricks that can help you write a compelling fundraising letter or speech so you can raise enough funds for your charity. But, first and foremost, let’s consider a few things you should carefully consider before you pour your thoughts and emotions onto paper.
First, you need to consider if you are going to write an appeal letter to your contributors or a speech. If you have invited your supporters to an end of year giving program, then it’s best to make a fundraising charity speech. If you are thinking of doing that, then you can watch a few video clips to get you inspired.
This is what I want you to do right now. Go grab your paper and pen and jot down ideas you think you can incorporate into your speech or letter as you watch those clips.
Please note: The following videos are just for your creative and mental stimulation. If you want specific videos about your causes, you can niche down in the search box on video sharing platforms for the right stuff.
For example, if you need videos about fundraising for Alheimezer’s disease , you can look for videos about that subject. By the way, here are the two videos I promised to show you.
Fundraising speech example----video#1
Charity speech template or sample---video#2
Well, the approach is quite different if you want to send out a letter to your donors. Here are a few things you should ask yourself if you intend to write a letter.
- What kind of letter do you wish to pen? An appeal letter asking for donations, re-activating lapsed donors, prospecting campaign, volunteers, or alerting your supporters about an emergency at your end ? Or what are you thinking about? Or a thank you letter? The list goes on
- Who is going to receive your letter? Political donors? Church folks? Environmental activists? Etc..
- Through what medium are you sending the letter? In a plain envelope? Via email? Or both?
- If you are asking for money, what dollar amount are you expecting from your donors? A fixed amount or suggested figures in dollars or in your local currency?
Having figured out the purpose and intent of your letter, you must read some fundraising letter samples. You must go through a few of them because well-written examples can give you a fair of what to add and what not to include in your donation letter.
But you should tread with caution considering that the policy and mission of most organizations sets the tone for the letter. Nonetheless, you can still apply the underlying principles and tactics in a very convincing manner to spur on your donors.
In the next lines, I am going to share with you several donation or charity samples. Please study them carefully and take note of my comments below them so you can apply the lessons learned towards writing your own script no matter what kind of donation letter you have in mind.
Here you go
Fundraising speech example#1: Thank you for your donation letter
June 18th, 2017
Dear Rebecca,
We truly appreciate your thoughtful contribution of $50 to Toronto Cat Rescue in honor of Claire. As a volunteer-powered organization, we were able to save many lives each year because of supporters like you.
Donors work alongside foster parents and volunteers to facilitate successful adoptions. When someone adopts a cat into their forever home, it saves two lives-both the adoptee and the cat that will be rescued in his or her place. In July alone, we found forever homes for 188 cats. One of the cats we were then able to save in July was Holly.
As most of us are well aware, Balconies pose a considerable threat to curious, height-seeking felines. One such tragedy came to TCR’S attention last spring when a cat named Lolly was surrendered to Toronto Animal Services (TAS) because her owners were unable to afford her medical bills. Poor Lolly feel a mind-boggling 15 stories: breaking her front paw, dislocating her jaw and lacerating her leg.
With the help of a lot of caring people, such as yourself, our little miracle girl Lolly received the surgeries she needed and was placed in a foster home to continue her recovery. With plenty of love, nutrition and cage rest, Lolly began eating on her own, gaining weight, and regaining her strength and vitality.
A couple months later. we are thrilled to share the news that Lolly’s foster home has made the decision to officially adopt her! As she continues to recover comfortably in her forever home, we feel truly humbled by the support that this community has offered to Lolly and other cats just like her.
More recently, this commitment has demonstrated through the careful planning and construction of a new volunteer centre, which will provide an incredible facility to help maximize the amount of lives we can save. We are grateful that so many generous souls have supported our cause. Thank you for helping us save precious lives.
Best wishes,
Brianne
TCR Online Donations Manager
That’s an absolutely brilliant thank you letter…isn’t it? Now compare that example to this one:
Dear Donor ,
Thank you for your gift to the Do Trust. Your Donation helps protect Door County’s future. By contributing to Do Trust, you join the community of supporters who help protect and care for the land, shorelines and islands.
Member support is the single largest source of funding for the effort to protect Do’s exceptional lands and waters.
Thanks to members like you, Do Trust now protects more than 5,500 acres across our richly diverse peninsula and islands. In partnership with the Land Trust, you ensure places cherished by our community will be protected for generations to come.
Thank you
Imagine you are a donor and receive these two letters from organizations you are truly passionate about. You have $100 to give each charity. Which of these two will receive your most significant contribution? Pause and think twice about that!
Personally, I will give $80 to Toronto Rescue Cats and $20 to Do Trust. My reason for this gesture is probably as good as yours.
Most charitable firms want money but when it comes to asking for it and acknowledging receipt, the message falls flat. That’s unfortunately the case with the second letter.
When asking for money, what you say and how you say it will determine the amount of dollars you will receive. So, you have to ask well. To ask well, there are several principles that should be applied to get the needed funds from your donors. They are contained in those letters.
So, let’s get to work by analyzing both examples.
First, I suspect ‘’Do Trust ‘’don’t have a solid relationship with her donors or it could be that they have no idea what the names of their givers are? The best way of establishing a rapport with your supporters is to call them by their name. Need I say more? Whether in print or online, you should call them by their first names. That’s the first tip I have for you.
Tip#2: Start your opening lines with something that grabs attention. There are several ways to engage the reader. When you are writing a thank you fundraising letter, it makes a lot of sense to make a reference to the specific amount your supporter gave.
If you are sending your message to a regular contributor and you have a good donor database, then you can take time to find out the number of times and total amount you’ve received and thank him or her tremendously for it.
Can you imagine how touched the recipient will be if you can go to that extent? It shows that you are not only thoughtful but also grateful and value your donor like family. You better give it a try if you want to be the apple of the donor’s eye.
Let me digress here. Thank you donation letters should be personalized as much as possible. It’s quite common for such letters to be generated by a computer. There’s nothing wrong with that if you are sending out several letters to different recipients.
If it’s a small quantity, you should do all you can to write your note of gratitude in your own handwriting before you sign off the letter. It should be more like a personal letter from one friend to another. Nothing can beat that. Again, you should use your thank you note to create an immediate connection with your donors by sending out your letter as soon as you receive their gifts even if you have not begun work on what you said you will.
I read a story where a kind man sent $100 to a hospice. That certainly didn’t look like a winning lottery ticket, but the development officer quickly picked his phone to talk to the guy. And guess what happened? They developed this likeness for each other’s personalities that the guy sent them another check for $25000!
You never know who can give you that much until you make an extra effort to write them or place a cal. Never say thank you by email in a bid to skimp on postage. Never, ever do that. It smacks of insensitiveness. Rather, a personal touch always win as nothing can compare to the joy of having a paper in your hand!
Now, let’s go on with our analysis by recapping parts of the letter above.
‘’… As most of us are well aware, Balconies pose a considerable threat to curious, height-seeking felines. One such tragedy came to TCR’S attention last spring when a cat named Lolly was surrendered to Toronto Animal Services (TAS) because her owners were unable to afford her medical bills. Poor Lolly feel a mind-boggling 15 stories: breaking her front paw, dislocating her jaw and lacerating her leg.
With the help of a lot of caring people, such as yourself, our little miracle girl Lolly received the surgeries she needed and was placed in a foster home to continue her recovery. With plenty of love, nutrition and cage rest, Lolly began eating on her own, gaining weight, and regaining her strength and vitality.
A couple months later. we are thrilled to share the news that Lolly’s foster home has made the decision to officially adopt her! … ‘’
That’s the storyline of the letter. What separates standard thank you notes from exceptional ones is how the fundraising writer builds a solid case for his message by laying out how the funds have been used. This can be illustrated practically with a story or even pictures or both of them. Both work best though and that’s how the writer did in that wonderful letter.
Below is another great example to raise funds for Covenant House
You’re going to have trouble believing this letter.
I mean, what I’m about to tell you is so strange and incredible, you’ll never forget it.
But please understand that
EVERY SINGLE WORD OF THIS STORY IS TRUE!!!
I’m really praying you’ll take a few minutes to read it.
Thank you.
Dear Friend
She came to our front door Tuesday morning, dressed in dirty rags, holding a little aluminum paint can in her arms.
From the second she stepped inside our shelter, she mystified us. Whatever she did, wherever she went, the paint can never left her hands.
When Kathy sat in the crisis shelter, the can sat in her arms. She took the can with her to the cafeteria that first morning she ate, and to bed with her that first night she slept.
When she stepped into the shower, the can was only a few feet away. When the tiny homeless girl dressed, the can rested alongside her feet.
“I’m sorry, this is mine,” she told our counselors, whenever we asked her about it. “This can belongs to me.”
“Do you want to tell me what’s in it, Kathy?” I’d ask her? “Um, not today,” she said “not today.”
When Kathy was sad, or angry or hurt -- which happened a lot -- she took her paint can to a quiet dorm room on the 3rd floor. Many times on Tuesday and Wednesday and Thursday, I’d pass by her room, and watch her rock gently back and forth, the can in her arms. Sometimes she’d talk to the paint can in low whispers.
I’ve been around troubled kids all my life, (over 41,000 homeless kids will come to our shelters this year!). I’m used to seeing them carry stuffed animals (some of the roughest, toughest kids at Covenant House have a stuffed animal). Every kid has something -- needs something -- to hold.
But a paint can? I could feel alarm bells ringing in my head.
Early this morning, I decided to “accidentally” run into her again. “Would you like to join me for breakfast?” I said. “That would be great,” she said.
For a few minutes we sat in a corner of our cafeteria, talking quietly over the din of 150 ravenous homeless kids. Then I took a deep breath, and plunged into it....
“Kathy, that’s a really nice can. What’s in it?”
For a long time, Kathy didn’t answer. She rocked back and forth, her hair swaying across her shoulders. Then she looked over at me, tears in her eyes.
“It’s my mother,” she said.
“Oh,” I said. “What do you mean it’s your mother?” I asked.
“It’s my mother’s ashes,” she said.
“I went and got them from the funeral home. See, I even asked them to put a label right here on the side. It has her name on it.”
Kathy held the can up before my eyes. A little label on the side chronicled all that remained of her mother: date of birth, date of death, name. That was it. Then Kathy pulled the can close, and hugged it.
“I never really knew my mother, Sister,” Kathy told me. “I mean, she threw me in the garbage two days after I was born.” (We checked Kathy’s story. Sure enough the year Kathy was born, the New York newspapers ran a story, saying that the police had found a little infant girl in a dumpster ... and yes, it was two days after Kathy was born.)
“I ended up living in a lot of foster homes, mad at my mother,” Kathy said. “But then, I decided I was going to try to find her. I got lucky -- someone knew where she was living. I went to her house.”
“She wasn’t there, Sister,” she said. “My mother was in the hospital. She had AIDS. She was dying.
“I went to the hospital, and I got to meet her the day before she died. My mother told me she loved me, Sister,” Kathy said crying. “She told me she loved me.” (We double-checked Kathy's story ... every word of it was true.
I reached out and hugged Kathy, and she cried in my arms for a long, long time. It was tough getting my arms around her, because she just wouldn’t put the paint can down. But she didn’t seem to mind. I know I didn’t...
I saw Kathy again, a couple hours ago, eating dinner in our cafeteria. She made a point to come up and say hi. I made a point to give her an extra hug....
I’ve felt like crying tonight. I can’t seem to stop feeling this way. I guess this story -- the whole horrible, sad, unreal mess -- has gotten to me tonight.
I guess that’s why I just had to write you this letter.
Please -- I know you and I have never met before. But I need to ask you something very important, and I’m praying you’ll consider it, if you can.
Do you think you could help Kathy ... and our other kids at Covenant House? Please?
There’s one very important thing you need to know about Covenant House and our kids and it is this -- A DONATION TO COVENANT HOUSE IS THE ABSOLUTE BEST WAY YOU CAN HELP THE TERRIFIED AND HELPLESS HOMELESS KIDS ON OUR STREETS!
This year more than 41,000 homeless kids ... kids who are 12, 16, 17 years old ... will come to our doors.
We’ll give these kids food, and a safe bed to sleep in (the streets are incredibly dangerous!) and medicine, and counseling if they need it (most kids do).
But most of all, we’ll give these kids love. For thousands of these kids, the love we give them tonight will be the first love they’ve ever known!
We are here for kids like Kathy 24 hours a day, in 9 cities across America, 365 days a year. No kid -- no kid! -- is ever turned away ever!
Thanks to the love and help of thousands of caring people -- people just like you -- Covenant House spends MORE than the entire federal government to help these kids. (That’s what I meant when I said that giving to us is THE best way to help these kids.)
But so much more needs to be done. And we can’t do it alone.
Do you think maybe you could help? Please? Any donation you can send -- $15, $25, $50 -- any amount, will be a godsend to our kids. Please do it today if you can.
Please.
I want to assure you of one very important thing. We’re going to do all we can to help Kathy, to let her know she is loved. And I know, with your help, we are going to reach Kathy, and help her in a way no one has ever done before. You have my promise on that....
And when we do reach her, it will be because of you. It will be because people like you haven’t stopped caring, and haven’t stopped loving. Yes, it will be possible because of you. It will be possible because of you.
Thanks so much for reading this long letter. And please, pray for us if you can. Your prayers really help a lot.
In God’s love,
/signed Sister Mary Rose, President
P.S. Our financial need is really urgent right now. Please help, if you can. (Thanks for caring....)
This is a stellar example and you can just study it and apply the insights from it. And boom, you will have a winner. Here are a few take aways.
- This letter is really personalized…Here it is ‘’ Dear Friend’’
- It starts with a curious story: ‘’She came to our front door Tuesday morning…’’ The reader might be wondering who this person is? Good stories always win hearts…Never, ever forget that.
- The story is quite emotional. Where appropriate, you should drip your pieces of touches of sentimentality. Stay away from it if it’s not appropriate for your piece or your letter will fail to make the desired impression.
- The letter espouses the impact of the work they do. See this:
‘’ This year more than 41,000 homeless kids ... kids who are 12, 16, 17 years old ... will come to our doors.
We’ll give these kids food, and a safe bed to sleep in (the streets are incredibly dangerous!) and medicine, and counseling if they need it (most kids do).’’
Sadly, most charities just mention what they do without bringing to light the impact of their work. The duty of the writer is to always show and not tell.
- Ask and it shall be given. In some instances, you need to ask for specific amounts and not leave it to chance. Here’s an example
‘’Do you think maybe you could help? Please? Any donation you can send -- $15, $25, $50 -- any amount, will be a godsend to our kids. Please do it today if you can.’’
- Give the reader a reason to act now. For example, this is how I would say IF i want to convey a sense of urgency.
We have never done this before. But I just wanted to let you know that if we don’t receive your donation within 60 days, the home will be flooded. Last week, the meteorologist predicted that there will be torrential rains in the next 60 days. And we have to act before that time else we will have ourselves to blame.
Ok…Let’s move onto the third fundraising letter sample: a letter to raise funds for desmoid tumor.
Dear family and friends: As most of you are aware, _________ was recently diagnosed with a desmoid tumor.
This is a rare disease which has had little research attention and for which there are few existing treatments that are only sporadically effective.
Instead of just sitting back and accepting this situation, I have decided to try to make a difference. I am working to raise money for The Desmoid Tumor Research Foundation* which is currently funding groundbreaking desmoid tumor research at top cancer research institutions. For details, see www.dtrf.org.
These studies promise to provide critical information relating to the causes and treatment of desmoid tumors. We are now raising funds to keep these and other important research projects moving forward. Discoveries made through desmoid tumor research can also potentially be applied to other cancers such as breast, colon, ovarian and other sarcoma cancers.
The diagnosis of desmoid tumor is traumatic as you realize that it can be life-threatening, but because it is so rare and under-researched, there is little known about its causes or treatments. We are thrilled that DTRF is now getting the medical community to focus significant research efforts for a cure.
Every donation, whether large or small, will make a difference! We extend our heartfelt appreciation for any support you can give in the quest for a cure!
Donations can be made by sending a check made out to The Desmoid Tumor Research Foundation, Inc. to me in the enclosed self-addressed envelope (or, if you send this letter by email, say "to me at such and such address"). Donations can also be made at dtrf.org online.
Thank you so much in advance for your generosity! Sincerely, [your name here] * The Desmoid Tumor Research Foundation, Inc. is a nonprofit tax-exempt Section 501(c)(3) organization. Your donation is fully deductible to the extent allowed by law. Details on the foundation can be found atwww.dtrf.org .
I am not going to break this down for you. I have already shared with you tips and ideas that can get you the dollars from the donors.
Let’s use this example to warm up our brains by rewriting it making use of the strategies outline above. Can you do that? Just give it a try.
Let’s face it. One of the most difficult letters you'll ever write is a fundraising or charity letter because most folks hate it when they have to part with money. However, when we ask for cash and use it well for causes so dear to the hearts of donors, they are likely to give their cash and time to support your charity in good times and bad.
Over the years, psychologists have found that donors are moved not by what they read or hear per se. But when certain psychological triggers are applied to your message, donors are moved to support your cause even if the economy is not so great.
When you work with us to craft your fundraising or donation letter, we’ll collaborate to make sure your donors receive not just another letter, but a compelling one that moves the donor to give to your organization generously.
By clicking here to fill out this simple and short form, you are a step away from getting help with your letter.
After you’ve filled it out, we will get in touch with you so we can take it from there and work together to create a truly irresistible donor-centered letter that will make you smiling the entire bank.
What are you waiting for? Just fill out this simple and short form to get started. That's the first step to receiving your letter.
Ok, I am Interested, What’s the Cost?
You don’t have to give any $$$$ now!
Why? Are you guys serious? Are you not kidding?
No, we are very serious about this as we want you to collaborate with you so you can be happy with the letter.
After we have delivered your letter, then you name a fair price for it! That’s all! So, you better not joke with this amazing offer! We are very serious about this!
Oh Ok, How Then Do I Get Started Since I Want To Get On Board Right Away?
All you have to do RIGHT NOW is to click on this link to receive an easy-to-fill-in questionnaire in your email to get started.
- So, CLICK HERE TO GET STARTED NOW TO GET YOUR LETTER/SPEECH BY FILLING OUT A SIMPLE QUESTIONNAIRE— -you name a fair price after your letter has been delivered. So, you can have peace of mind! You just give whatever amount you want to.
- After that, we will send you a very short and simple questionnaire to fill out!
- Then, you have it sent back to us via email
- If something is not too clear, we will ask you to clarify.
- If not, we will send you a wonderful draft.
- Then, you look it over and tell us if you are okay with it or you want to amend it till you are happy with it — although we always get it right even with the first draft.
- Then, we ask you to name a fair price for it!
So, CLICK HERE TO GET STARTED NOW TO GET YOUR LETTER OR SPEECH BY FILLING OUT A SIMPLE QUESTIONNAIRE — -you name a fair price after your letter has been delivered. So, you can have peace of mind! You just name a fair price for your letter.