Fundraising Letter

For many types of fundraisers - order-takers, for example - you can make your potential supporters feel more welcome by asking them for donations with a fundraising letter. If you choose to do this, you must structure it properly; otherwise, you risk coming off as impolite.

To structure your fundraising letter properly, follow these simple steps.

The introduction must grab the reader’s attention.

There are any number of “hooks” you can use to make your readers want to read more - and, by extension, donate more. Some examples of hooks are

• a statistic or number: How much money did a previous fundraising campaign earn?
• anecdote: Tell a short story of how someone was positively affected by the money that was made during a previous fundraising campaign.
• question: For example. “Did you know that, according to the United States Census Bureau, the American poverty rate was 15.1% in 2010?” You can also make this kind of statistic a statement rather than a question.

Politely ask for contributions.

As politely as possible, ask your supporters for contributions. Be sure to specify that the organization would not be what it is today without their help. Make this part short and sweet, so that you don’t seem impolite.

Then, explain why you’re sending the letter.

Explain to your supporters the project that you’re trying to accomplish, and show why it’s absolutely necessary that they help you. Describe how their contributions will help you achieve your goal.

However, only write about one specific project that your group is trying to accomplish. If you talk about too many, you’ll overwhelm the reader and risk losing their interest.

Tell your readers what contributions from the previous fundraising campaign were able to achieve.

This has two purposes. It shows the reader that your cause is important and should not be dismissed. Furthermore, it encourages them to contribute to your cause, since it will help them realize that their donations can make a huge difference.

Suggest how much supporters should donate, and the impact of a donation of that size.

It’s best to suggest a minimum donation - but don’t forget to add that they can donate more if they wish. Also, tell them how much a donation of this size can pay for - for example, "A donation of $15 will feed a homeless person for a week."

Take some time to thank your supporters.

This is especially important: you’re asking your supporters to donate their hard-earned money to your cause, so you must thank them properly for their generosity. Also, if your group has a different fundraising letter for those who have already donated to your cause, you can thank them in this section. If possible, you can also change the ‘Dear Sir/Madam’ salutation so that it addresses them by name, so that these specific supporters feel more appreciated.

If you choose to send a fundraising letter to potential supporters, structure it as follows:

• an attention-grabbing introduction
• a polite request for contributions
• explanations of what their donations will be contributing to and what past donations were able to finance
• a suggestion of how much supporters should donate, and the impact of a donation of that size a sufficiently long thank-you

Keep these in mind and your fundraising letter will be sure to generate some money for your cause. Best of luck to you and your group!