I know you work in fundraising because your wish is to see that the world is a better place than it is now. However, in the fundraising world, money does make that dream a reality.
But, 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.
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.
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?
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.
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.
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.
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.
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?
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.
How to write a persuasive donation letter for your charity events that gets you the funds you need from your organization
Are you looking for ideas and tips to help you write an inspiring fundraising letter that will forge a strong relationship with corporate donors and get you cash and other incentives for your charity organization?
Please read on to find out why.
You will agree with me that one of the most difficult things to do is to raise enough funds for your charity. You have to send out several letters and hope that you get some positive response from your donors which doesn’t always happen. Good for you if your response rate is always off the roof!
But, you know that’s only a pipe dream. When it comes to asking for cash and other kind of support from corporate organizations, that can be an uphill task because there are so many process involved in this arena.
In the next few lines, I am going to share with you some proven ideas and tips to help you write your own script. Before we get into that, there are few things you should consider before you write your letter.
Well, if you are raising funds for a corporate sponsorship annual dinner, you might want to know how to deliver a speech since a letter will not work in this regard.
If you have never done that before, then I suggest you look up a few examples on Youtube.com and other video sharing platforms. By the way, here are two great ones, you can watch and learn from.
Fundraising speech example #1---video
Fundraising speech example #2---video
Most fundraisers don’t know this, but well-written examples can furnish you with great ideas that can easily help you to write your message. Below are two great examples. Please read through them carefully. In between them, I will share my thoughts with you so you can figure out what goes into writing a corporate fundraising letter.
Here you go:
Fundraising letter for corporate organizations---example#1
Here's an example of a sponsorship letter for an event:
Dear Beth,
Comment: One of the cardinal rules of direct mail fundraising is to start the letter by adding the name of the recipient to the salutation.When in doubt, call up the organization and ask for the name of the right person. If they won’t pass it on to you for obvious reasons, you can simply start with other alternatives like:
Dear friend
Dear Sir
Dear Madam
Comment: You should avoid this terrible combination: ''Dear Sir/Madam'' since it shows that you didn’t go all out to find out who the gender of this person is, to say the least.
Ok....let's continue with this.
''I hope you're well. My name is Bruce, and I'm the director of development at Small Steps for Change. Our nonprofit organization is on a mission to advocate for youth education by taking small steps towards big change. Our annual 5K is quickly approaching, and we're looking for potential sponsors to help make the event a reality.''
Comment: I suspect that the company that the letter was sent to doesn’t have a working relationship with this charity. Why? Because he began with a brief introduction of who he was and his role at the charity firm.
That’s a nice way of building rapport with an organization you are trying to woo for the first time. If you have a strong relationship with them, it’’s not too necessary to do that.
If you go back to read the above extract, you will realize that it states the aim of the corporation. Well, if you know them like the back of your mind, then you can simply state the purpose of this letter.
Ok....let's continue with this.
''We believe that your company aligns with our mission since you work hard to provide an accurate curriculum for elementary schools in our region.''
Comment: Most companies are like women. They respond best to flatteries.If you want to strike a chord with the firm you are looking for donations from is to state specific ways your mission aligns with their theirs.
Hint: Do a thorough research of your potential donor and find out what you share in common with theirs and start with it or other ways their mission lines up with yours. You may also compliment them on a recent accomplishment or accolade and they will be happy to read on. That’s not all you can start with a heart wrenching story to get your reader in.
Ok....let's continue with this.
''We need your help. In order to make the 5K successful, we are in need of financial and material donations. Some of the things we need most include monetary contributions, supplies such as running bibs and volunteers for the day of the event.
The purpose of the 5K is to raise $10,000 for after-school educational programs for the schools in our local area. With this goal, we hope to provide crucial supplies, pay after-school directors and redecorate the program spaces. If your organization contributes to our cause, we'd like to offer promotional opportunities. Our organization would feature your company in the promotional materials for the 5K, on our website and in the nonprofit's annual report.''
Comment: State how much you are planning to raise and the purpose it will serve. Don't leave everything to chance.
Ok....let's continue with this.
''I plan to follow up with you in the next two weeks via phone call. I'm looking forward to speaking with you and answering any questions you may have.''
Comment: Did you notice that this letter didn’t ask for money right away? There’s a reason for that. And I will explain in the subsequent letters.
Until then, Bruce Director of development
Fundraising letter for corporate organizations---example#2
Here you go:
Dear [sponsor’s name],
Comment: Do you remember what I wrote about the salutation? And can you make that better?
Ok....let's continue with this.
''My name is [name] and I work for the [department] department at [university’s name]. We work hard each year to make sure that our students are receiving the highest-quality learning experiences in an unforgettable environment.''
Comment: Again, do you remember what I said about sending out prospecting letters?
Ok....let's continue with this.
''This year, we’re [project, for example: developing a new program, building a new building, improving food quality, making new study spaces etc.] that we know is going to bring our students [positive impact, for example: amazing experiences, better quality of life, the materials to succeed, etc.].
This has historically caused recurring issues for our university, as students [provide additional context on the purpose of your project]. Addressing it this year will allow our college to focus on growing and our students to focus on learning.
The cost for this [program] is hefty, and that is why we’re asking for your help. As a business [reason why this sponsor is best, for example: is local and witnessed class after class graduate] you know how much of a difference our students can make at [university name] with the right tools and resources.''
Comment: Something is amiss here…do you know what the writer left out? This is it: ‘’The cost for this [program] is hefty’’
You haven’t said anything at all if you only used that word ''cost'' since it’s really ineffective. It’s like being asked to pay just anything for your monthly rent….That would sound absurd, right?
Ok....let's continue with this.
[With a structured sponsorship from your organization, we will be extremely grateful for the opportunity to accomplish our project’s goals and lay stronger foundations for our school’s growth.
If you’d like to donate or discuss our project, please contact me at [email/phone number]. I’d be happy to talk through this partnership with you and to discuss the special perks and incentives our university can offer in exchange for your support.
Thank you,
Comment: I don’t particularly like this conclusion. It should have been the other way round because you don’t expect someone you are asking money from to follow up on you…do you? That’s quite rude!
This next piece will primarily be full of mini assignments. So grab your pen and notepad and answer the questions I am going to ask you and use the answers to formulate your own fundraising corporate letter.
Ok....let's move on to this:
Fundraising letter for corporate organizations---sample#3
My name is [name] and I am the [position] of [museum’s name]. [Give a brief description of your museum, especially if it is not as well known.]
Comment: Is there anything you find wrong here? What can you do to make the above extract great? Let the analysis give you some insight here.
Ok....let's continue with this.
We at [museum’s name] work hard to bring beautiful exhibits like [past successful exhibit] to life and curate programs like [past museum program] for unique and memorable experiences.
Comment: Can you re-write and substitute a few words here and there? You might want to add what makes your charity unique. A hint: You can start by painting a picture of your industry. You may add when the museum was founded and other key associated with it.
Ok....let's continue with this.
We are planning a [program, event, exhibit] and are so excited to launch it. Last year, our programs brought in [amount of people], and we hope to pass those numbers this time around. We hope to bring [give a brief description of your program/event/exhibit and something special and unique about it] for our supporters and other [type of museum, art, science] lovers like you!
Comment: Here, you might add why you are excited to launch it. You might also add the kind of help you are looking for and not just leave it to chance. Thinking of a donation? Ask for volunteers? Just ask and you will receive.
Ok....let's continue with this.
However, we need your help. There are many expenses that come with bringing [program/event/exhibit] to our patrons. With [name a number of expenses], we need [amount of money].
Would you consider helping to sponsor our [program/event/exhibit]? With your support of amount of [ amount], we’d be so much closer to our goal.
If you’d like to discuss our plans and sponsorship options, please contact me at [phone number]. If you decide to become a sponsor, [museum’s name] would like to offer you [incentive, for example: discounted tickets, a plaque, etc].
Thank you so much for any help you may be able to provide, we greatly appreciate it!
[museum’s name]
[phone number]
Comment: Based on our analysis, don’t you realize that something is wrong here? If so, please let me know what it is. A Hint: Do you contact the giver or ask them to contact you? That's a good food for thought.
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.
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.
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?
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.
Are you looking for ideas and tips to help you write an inspiring donation or appeal letter to solicit funds for your school from parents or other organizations?
Just give me a few minutes of your time and I will share with you practical tips and ideas to help you write a donation letter.
I love to write but nothing gives me joy than to write appeal letters to raise funds. Three years ago, I was asked my friend who is an educator and head of one of top Jewish schools in New york to come up with a speech to raise $10 000.00 for his school. Not an easy task right?
I think i did my best and i understand that a parent actually donated the amount they wanted. I enjoyed working on that script and felt good about it because i felt it was a wonderful way of making a difference in the lives of students whose foundation is rooted in godly faith.
As you know, it’s not so easy to ask people for money. But peolple will give you cash to support you cause if you know the right techniques to use.
One guy used a clever technique and his simple but profound letter helped raised funds from rich guys in a certain part of The US. It was written by an advertising great, Bruce Barton in 1925.
Let’s first look at it. Afterward, we will analyze it and see if we can glean a few ideas from it to help you write your own fundraising letter for your school.
Here you go:
Donation Letter For School Example
In 1925, Bruce Barton, founder of the BBDO agency, wrote a fundraising letter to 24 rich men who all replied with at least $1,000.
Here, in full, is that letter.
Dear Mr. Blank,
For the past three or four years things have been going pretty well at our house. We pay our bills, afford such luxuries as having the children’s tonsils out, and still have something in the bank at the end of the year.
So far as business is concerned, therefore, I have felt fairly well content. But there is another side to a man, which every now and then gets restless. It says: “What good are you anyway? What influences have you set up, aside from your business, that would go on working if you were to shuffle off tomorrow?”
Of course, we chip in to the Church and the Salvation Army, and dribble out a little money right along in response to all sorts of appeals. But there isn’t much satisfaction in it. For one thing, it’s too diffused and, for another, I’m never very sure in my own mind that the thing I’m giving to is worth a hurrah and I don’t have time to find out.
A couple of years ago I said: “I’d like to discover the one place in the United States where a dollar does more net good than anywhere else.” It was a rather thrilling idea, and I went at it in the same spirit in which our advertising agency conducts a market investigation for a manufacturer.
Without bothering you with a long story, I believe I have found the place. This letter is being mailed to 23 men besides yourself, twenty-five of us altogether. I honestly believe that it offers an opportunity to get a maximum amount of satisfaction for a minimum sum. Let me give you the background.
Among the first comers to this country were some pure blooded English folks who settled in Virginia but, being more hardy and venturesome than the average, pushed on west and settled in the mountains of Kentucky, Tennessee, North and South Carolina.
They were stalwart lads and lassies. They fought the first battle against the British and shed the first blood. In the Revolution they won the battle of King’s Mountain. Later, under Andy Jackson, they fought and won the only land victory that we managed to pull off in the War of 1812.
Although they lived in southern states they refused to secede in 1860. They broke off from Virginia and formed the state of West Virginia; they kept Kentucky in the Union; and they sent a million men into the northern armies. It is not too much to say that they were the deciding factor in winning the struggle to keep these United States united.
They have had a rotten deal from Fate. There are no roads into the mountains, no trains, no ways of making money. So our prosperity has circled all around them and left them pretty much untouched.
They are great folks. The girls are as good-looking as any in the world. Take one of them out of her two-roomed log cabin home, give her a stylish dress and a permanent wave, and she’d be a hit on Fifth Avenue.
Take one of the boys, who maybe never saw a railroad train until he was 21: give him a few years of education and he goes back into the mountains as a teacher or doctor or lawyer or carpenter, and changes the life of a town or county. This gives you an idea of the raw material.
Clean, sound timber – no knots, no wormholes; a great contrast to the imported stuff with which our social settlements have to work in New York and other cities. Now, away back in the Civil War days, a little college was started in the Kentucky mountains. It started with faith, hope, and sacrifice, and those three virtues are the only endowment it has ever had.
Yet today it has accumulated, by little gifts picked up by passing the hat, a plant that takes care of 3000 students a year. It’s the most wonderful manufacturing proposition you ever heard of. They raise their own food, can it in their own cannery; milk their own cows; make brooms and weave rugs that are sold all over the country; do their own carpentry, painting, printing, horseshoeing, and everything, teaching every boy and girl a trade while he and she is studying.
And so efficiently is the job done that – o a room rents for 60 cents a week (including heat and light) o meals are 11 cents apiece (yet all the students gain weight on the faire; every student gets a quart of milk a day) o the whole cost to a boy or girl for a year’s study – room, board, books, etc., - is $146. More than half of this the student earns by work; many students earn all. One boy walked in a hundred miles, leading a cow.
He stabled the cow in the village, milked her night and morning, peddled the milk, and put himself through college. He is now a major in the United States Army. His brother, who owned half of the cow, is a missionary in Africa. Seventy-five percent of the graduates go back to the mountains, and their touch is on the mountain counties of five states; better homes, better food, better child health, better churches, better schools; no more feuds; lower death rates. Now we come to the hook.
It costs this college, which is named Berea, $100 a year per student to carry on. She could, of course, turn away 1500 students each year and break even on the other 1500. Or she could charge $100 tuition. But then she would be just one more college for the well-to-do. Either plan would be a moral crime.
The boys and girls in those one-room and two-room cabins deserve a chance. They are of the same stuff as Lincoln and Daniel Boone and Henry Clay; they are the very best raw material that can be found in the United States.
I have agreed to take ten boys and pay the deficit on their education each year, $1,000. I have agreed to do this if I can get twenty-four other men who will each take ten. The president, Dr. William J. Hutchins (Yale 1892), who ought to be giving every minute of his time to running the college, is out passing the hat and riding the rails from town to town.
He can manage to get $50,000 or $70,000 a year. I want to lift part of his load by turning in $25,000. This is my proposition to you. Let me pick out ten boys, who are as sure blooded Americans as your own sons, and just as deserving of a chance. Let me send you their names and tell you in confidence, for we don’t want to hurt their pride, where they come from and what they hope to do with their lives.
Let me report to you on their progress three times a year. You write me, using the enclosed envelope, that, if and when I get my other twenty-three men, you will send President Hutchins your check for $1,000. If you will do this I’ll promise you the best time you have ever bought for a thousand dollars.
Most of the activities to which we give in our lives stop when we stop. But our families go on; and young life goes on and matures and gives birth to other lives. For a thousand dollars a year you can put ten boys or girls back into the mountains who will be a leavening influence in ten towns or counties, and their children will bear the imprint of your influence.
Honestly, can you think of any other investment that would keep your life working in the world so long a time after you are gone?
This is a long letter, and I could be writing a piece for the magazines and collecting for it in the time it has taken me to turn it out. So, remember that this is different from any other appeal that ever came to you. Most appeals are made by people who profit from a favorable response, but this appeal is hurting me a lot more than it can possibly hurt you. What will you have, ten boys or ten girls?
Cordially yours,
Bruce Barton
Great letter, right? Written in 1925 by writer and legend Bruce Barton, this letter incorporated many of the elements that make a fundraising letter ticks.
Small wonder it got a 100 percent response and went on to become one of the most successful appeal letters any school has ever sent out. If you give it one more read, you will discover tremendous insights that you can apply towards writing your appeal letter. We’ll come back to look at it further.
But, first, let’s consider what you should first look at before you even jot down your ideas on paper. If you are delivering a speech, then it makes sense to learn how you can write and deliver a school fundraising speech. That can fairly be easy to write if you have lots of experience in this arena. If you don’t, then you have to spend time to figure out what goes into writing one.
There are several videos you can watch and learn from. You can even go a further by narrowing down your choices. For example, if you are looking for ideas about this: fundraising ideas for high school, you can insert that keyword into the search box of video sharing platforms like youtube.com and others and several videos will pop up.
By the way, here are some idea-rich videos you can watch and take cues from.
Fundraising speech for school example----video#1
Fundraising speech for college sample----video#2
Next, decide what the purpose or intent of your appeal letter. To do that, you can ask yourself the following questions which will serve as useful pointers for your letter.
Are you planning to send a thank you letter to your parents for a kind gesture or some donation?
Are you writing to invite them to help with some kind of project?
Are you asking them to donate some cash to buy school supplies?
Do you want to serve as volunteers?
Are you requesting for some specific items?
Action Tip: Choose one time from the above and do a little brainstorming and first create an outline for your letter.
Now, let’s go back to that masterpiece. We are going to break it down step by step so we can use my observations to put your thoughts together.
First, here’s the salutation or introductory remarks.
Dear Mr. Blank,
Comments: One of the best ways of endearing yourself with your readers is to start with their names. It even makes more sense when you are writing to parents who are your main stakeholders. Well, if you are writing to the entire school and circumstances won’t permit you to address them by name, you can use other alternatives like:
Dear Concerned parents
Dear Cherished parents
Dear Caring parents
I leave you here to explore for more appropriate and endearing ways of connecting with your stakeholders.
Ok….it’s not over yet. Let’s look at parts of the letter.
‘’ For the past three or four years things have been going pretty well at our house. We pay our bills, afford such luxuries as having the children’s tonsils out, and still have something in the bank at the end of the year. So far as business is concerned, therefore, I have felt fairly well content. But there is another side to a man, which every now and then gets restless. It says: “What good are you anyway? What influences have you set up, aside from your business, that would go on working if you were to shuffle off tomorrow?”
Comments: Do you realize how this letter began with events happening where he is. The headline of your letter should do a great job of sucking the reader into the body copy and that’s what this great writer did admirably.
You can always use stories, real or imagined to do that. Stories could be in one or more of the following forms:
Case studies or success stories of how your school has impacted the community
You could share how a student benefited from being educated at your school and their station in life
You could talk about the importance of education by throwing in what happens when students are deprived of quality education
If you are requesting for specific items. You can paint a graphic description of the benefits of those items and what will happen to your school if you don’t get them.
If your fundraising efforts coincides with a bit of history about your school, you can share that bit of history with your reader
Let me ask you this: Do you have in mind any good illustration you can use to enhance your appeal? Think about it.
We are not done yet. Let’s still look at excerpts of the above template.
‘’ And so efficiently is the job done that – o a room rents for 60 cents a week (including heat and light) o meals are 11 cents apiece (yet all the students gain weight on the faire; every student gets a quart of milk a day) o the whole cost to a boy or girl for a year’s study – room, board, books, etc., - is $146. More than half of this the student earns by work; many students earn all. One boy walked in a hundred miles, leading a cow. ….''
Comments: Did you notice how one idea is built on another like building bricks? That’s how it’s done. If you have seen most school fundraising letters, they are more to the point and succinct.
One more thing….you might want to ask your donors to give specific items or specific amounts of cash. It’s common to see most appeal letters riddled with all sorts of solicitations.
For example, in a letter, you might be shocked to see a school asking for school supplies, cash, and building materials in that same letter. Can you imagine that? Unfortunately, that overwhelms the giver and you might end up not getting what your school or organization truly deserves.
The trick here is to ask for one thing at a time. Or you can create multiple campaigns targeting different sections of your house file to ask for what you need.
Now, let’s look at this next example. It needs to be worked on extensively, which is why I included it there. Please go grab your pen and notepad and let's see what we can do about it. I will talk less and give more hints and assignments so you can do a little brainstorming.
Dear Ms. White,
Comment: That’s an excellent salutation. But what are some alternatives you can use instead of Ms. White?
Ok...let's continue with this
This is Harold Owens, representing ‘Open Hands Charitable Society’.
Comment: I think this is a wonderful way of breakingthe cycle of cynicism and creating rapport with the reader.
Ok...let's continue with this
I am writing this letter to you to seek financial donations for supporting a High School located in your community.
Comment: I don’t know. But this letter is being sent to those who don’t know much about this high school. The writer could have written briefly about this school: its vision and mission. You can work this into your own letter if the donor is not too familiar with that you are talking about.
Ok...let's continue with this
We run this school for the poor with the help of donations & other help that we receive from various sources. Presently, we are raising funds for buying uniforms and text books for the underprivileged students.
Comment: They should have included how many students will benefit from this gesture and what the total cost would be like…Then give suggested amounts. This writer asked for any amount. That’s a no...no... no... in fundraising appeals. Never, ever forget that. Specificity always win.
Ok...let's continue with this
We believe that education should be the basic right of every child, and we are making our share of efforts to make it possible, but we always have to seek support from people like you as we are a non-government organization.
We are appealing you to contribute to this noble cause. You can donate any amount that you think is right for this cause. This small action of yours is hugely beneficial to the poor children around you.
We thank you for your kind attention and look forward for your help.
You can reach us at 564-854-5264, or you can also email us at our id given on our website.
Your immediate action will be hugely beneficial for the children.
Comments: It's always a neat idea to include your contact details. But it’s also nice to reinforce what you asked them to give in the closing remarks. You can give them options for giving back: by check, secure online payment gateway or some other payment forms. There seems to be so much distrust concerning the transmission of payments. So, always give your donors several options.
Thanks & Regards,
Harold Owens
(Director)
Open Hands Charitable Society
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.
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.
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?
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.
How to write a church donation letter that will motivate your church members and donors to give you the funds for your next project
Are you looking for tips and ideas to help you easily understand
How to write a fundraising letter for a church building
How to write a donation letter for your church missions trip or evangelism
How to write an appeal letter for your church charity event
How to write a fundraising letter for church instruments
….plus a whole lot more ideas you can use to motivate your donors to generate towards your charitable causes.
I think we all agree with what the scripture says in Acts 20:35 that is more blessed to give than to receive. It goes on to say in Proverbs 11: 24 that those who give generously receive more.
While that’s so true, it still baffles me how a poor old widow gave less and received more. Just picture this. Jesus goes into the temple and after teaching the folks there, he sits down right by where they put in offerings. He watches intently as the rich and the poor drops in what they have in their hands into the temple treasury.
As expected, the rich among them puts in fat offerings until a poor widow comes along. Not much is expected from her as she sadly drops into the box two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents. That was all she had to live on. Yet, she gave it all away to the Lord.
The messiah beams with excitement as she walks away. Her purposeful giving touches the heart of Jesus so much that he remarks to the disciples that she gave more than everyone around.
Really? Even more the rich? The disciple seems to ask. But in response, the master says she gave all she had. But the others gave out of their sheer abundance. Though not recorded in scripture, I am sure Jesus would seek her out and bless her, knowing how compassionate the savior is.
I am sure you’ve heard this story over and over again as preachers like to quote it when the church has to raise funds for one project or another.
The moral of the story is that everyone has something to give. It doesn’t matter if you think you are or rich, you can still give to the Lord and expect him to bless you. But on one condition: it should be from your heart. That’s the kind of giving that honors the lord and not one done for just fanfare.
Before we start looking at easy ways to help you write a fundraising speech or letter for your church building, charity event or any other project, let’s first see a few things you should know before you even try to jot down your ideas for your next church donation appeal.
You first have to decide if you are going to write a short or long letter. Here’s my opinion on this. Short letters are favored by most pundits and even donors.
But, it doesn’t always outperform long letters when you are raising funds for specific purposes. For example, let’s say, you are raising $20, 000.00 to complete a church building,right? Are you going to do that onto a single page?
Well, if you are able to cram the main points onto a single sheet and raise the amount you need, then you are a real genius.
But let's face the fact. How many writers are that gifted? If you are sending it to those who have never heard about your ministry, you will have to delve deep into matter and convince them as to why you need to solicit those funds.
This subject is always opened for discussion. So, you shouldn’t listen to the vocal majority. When in doubt, you should test the content of your letter by sending a short one to probably your house file, and a longer one to those who don’t know the mission and vision of your organization and the results will speak for itself! Everyone’s story is different, so always test by sending out different versions of your letter to your recipients.
Next, you have to decide the purpose and intent of the letter. What do I mean by that? Ok, I will explain. You have to decide on the kind of letter you wish to write as that will set the tone for the rest of your message.
Questions like these can help you get started?
Is your letter going to solicit funds for your church building project?
Is the choir in need of musical instruments? Asking for cash to buy them or asking musical instruments stores to donate them?
Are you going on a missions trip somewhere in Africa and you need donors to come to your aid?
Have you seen a rather pathetic story and do you want to raise a little cash to support that cause?
Do you wish to embark on a charity drive in your local neighborhood?
What’s on your mind?
Please note: Just pick out one from the above list and start doing a little brainstorming about why you need to write this and who you are going to send those letters out to. At least, this mental exercise gives you an idea of what to do.
One more thing. If you are going to deliver a speech at let’s say a dinner to raise funds. Then, it’s best to look at how to make a compelling fundraising church speech that will make you laugh all the way to the bank and videos can help you warm up your brain.
By the way, here are two of such videos to inspire your creative thinking. Don’t just watch them. But put down ideas and tips you think you can incorporate into your own speech as you watch.
Please click on both videos and watch them once or twice before you move onto to other sections of the speech. If you are not going to deliver one, just skip both clips and read the text below them. Enjoy and learn from them and prosper!
Fundraising speech video: example #1
Fundraising speech video: example # 2
Now, I am going to share two fundraising letter templates with you…in between them, I am going to explain and share with you ideas you can use to write something persuasive that brings you the cash you are looking for to fund your projects.
Here you go:
Fundrasing letter sample for a church
Derrick Holmes Holmes International Inc. Unit 4, Elessdale Business Park Stainton, 5650 15 January 2009
Request For Funding And/Or Building Material
Dear Mr. Holmes,
Comment: A nice way of endearing yourself to anyone is to call them by their name and that’s what we see there. I suspect that this church is a small congregation where everyone knows each other like family or it could also be that they have a well-organized database. I once reviewed a church letter asking for funds and the salutation was: Dear Sir/Madam.
Unfortunately such examples abound in 7 in every 10 letter. As much as possible, start your letter by attaching the person’s name to the title(Mr or Mrs or Miss)
Well, if the letter is going to non-church members whom you don’t know too well, then it’s best to add an extra appeal to the salutation with one or more of these salutations :
Dear……
Dear……
Dear…..
Dear….
Dear….
Ok...Let's continue with the letter.
I was at a highest of highs a couple of Sundays ago, as I sat on the lawn with our Sunday school youth group, teaching and preaching about God's grace. The kids were all full of interest, laughter and singing. It made me feel so proud of what we had achieved so far at our small Baptist church here in Stainton.
AND then the rain came down... And I realized how much we really needed to add onto our small building to accommodate for our ever growing number of youth members!
Comment: I love this letter for one thing. It begins with something we all love and can you guess what it is? A good story!!!! You can quote stats and even embellish your letter with pictures. But nothing beats a captivating story.
So, as you write your appeal to raise funds for your church project, it’s best to engage your readers with a story. Whether true or imagined.
Let me ask you this: Would you like to start with an anecdote? And if so, what is this story?
Hint: What you go for should be connected to the message you will put out there just as this writer has captured beautifully.
In some instances, you may use imaginary tales if the church board won’t permit you to use a real life account. But, you shouldn’t give in. You should try to convince them and let them understand why you should use it. If it’s very sensitive, then please stay clear off it.
Ok...let's continue reading other aspects of the letter
''And this is the reason why I am writing to you now, to request your help, with either a donation of funds or a donation of building material, towards the extending of our Church building. ''
Comment: I hate this section for one thing: it lacks specifics. When raising funds, we ask for just one thing at a time. Else you will overwhelm the giver.
When asked to make several choices in a letter, the receiver will experience paralysis. This writer asked the recipients to either donate funds or building materials.
As i leafed through that portion, i was saying to myself thatI don’t have building materials now! But I can give some few dollars to buy those stuff? I am sure that’s what’s going througn your mind too.
Guess what? One single letter can serve multiple purposes but with caution. For example, if you want to raise funds, then you should profile your members to find out how can sit down and write you checks. Then, you can also figure out from your house file or database those who can contribute the building materials.
If everything is lumped together, then your response rate will drop to the ocean floor.
Again, if you are asking for money, then you can ask donors to contribute specific amounts like $50, $70, $ 80, $100…etc. Or ask them to give a generous amount. In the fundraising world, specifics always outshine generalities. That’s what most believe people. But you have got to send series of letters to test if that assertion is true since it may not apply to your peculiar situation.
Question to ponder over: Do you want your donors to give suggested amounts?
Ok... still on other parts of the letter
For the past two years now we have placed great emphasis on attracting and building our number of youth members, as we believe that that the youth in any church is of extreme importance! I'm sure you know of how important the youth is to any community... They are the future after all.
This development has been a great success and our youth group has slowly grown to a number that we can now be proud of! But unfortunately, it has also grown to a size that we cannot accommodate for anymore in our small Church Building. So the time has now come for us to do some developments and extend the building.
Comments: Most people don’t share it. But a great way of getting more from your solicitations is to send out brochures of what their previous or past giving has done. This project would have achieved maximum impact if they showed how crowded the church is when the youth comes together for service.
We are still on the letter
But we can obviously not do this without the help of outside funding. So please would you be able to help us by sponsoring a section of the building extension or by donating some of the building material needed for it!
The cost to build this extension is going to be (amount), and to raise these funds we have broken the structure up into five different sections of which we are looking for sponsorships for each! Each section is going to cost (amount for section) and as a reward for sponsoring the section you will receive a plaque placed in the building entrance.
All sponsors will also receive free advertising on our website and in our newsletters.
Comments: As you know, those who give always receive. So, it’s imperative that you give frequent donors something as a keepsake. You can’t always be taking from them without giving anything back. So, let me ask you this. What do you intend to give back to your regular donors as well after you’ve gotten their donations? That’s something you should seriously consider as put your campaign together.
We are still on the letter
By sponsoring and helping us build this extension you will be helping the kids in such a big way! Being a Christian yourself, I am sure you will understand the importance of giving our children a good grounding in our beliefs about Christ and the Lord, and this is what our Church's main goal is! We want to teach the children in the best way possible and help them to develop into strong and honest Christian adults.
With this new extension we will be able to provide for these kids in a much better way. There will be no more interruptions or cancellations due to weather, the cold during winter will be less of an issue, and quite simply an indoors building with seats and proper facilities will just mean so much for the children, they will feel so much more wanted!
As Sally Galtrea, a 12 year girl from our youth, says, "Sunday school is something which I can't wait for each week. I get to see all my friends, laugh, play and learn about Jesus! The stories that are told are so exciting and I love learning about Jesus and all the things he did. He is my Superhero! But then there are some days when the weather is ugly and our Sunday school gets cancelled... Those are my boring Sundays."
So by helping us build on to our Church you will be providing a huge service to all the children, like Sally, at our Sunday school. Please either sponsor a section of our building or donate building material towards it.
If you would like to sponsor then please contact myself, Gary Redman, on (Phone number), or via email at gary@stainton-baptist.com . We have plans to start construction on the 04 May, so please could you RSVP by the 20 April as there will still be much planning to be done!
I thank you for the time you have taken to read this letter.
Yours sincerely,
Gary Redman
P.S. Please remember that by helping us build this extension to our Church, you will not only be doing a big favour towards our Youth Group, but will also be helping the entire Church, its organization and members.
This is because the extension will also be used for many other things, other than Sunday school, like all meetings, band practices, fundraising events and much more. So please help us out!
Comments: The conclusion of your letter should remind them why it is so essential that they look into their wallets and give to support the work of the Lord. Here, you can reiterate if you want them to give suggested amounts or leave it open. Again, it should include ways they can reach you and who the contact person is.
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.
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.
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?
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.
