what can i write in a letter for a organization to give me money

Even in the digital age, a donation letter is still one of the almost direct and effective means to raise coin for your crusade.

That's because donation letters are such a flexible strategy – whether they're direct mail appeals or email messages, tailored to a specific campaign or outcome, or request for more full general support. You can't really get wrong with a well-written, concise appeal for donations.

Nosotros've written before almost how to create the perfect donation page, the actual identify on your website where you'll accept online donations. But how practice you promote it to potential donors? Or, if yous're mailing physical letters, how do you let supporters know they tin find yous online or send a check? Attain out with a letter of the alphabet.

Nonprofit fundraising letters are a fantastic way to drum upwardly support and awareness for your crusade. And thanks to the plethora of powerful resources available to organizations like yours, y'all can make the most of this fundraising opportunity while making the about of the fourth dimension and money put into your own mission.

Notwithstanding, you have to brand certain your donation letter stands out. Following a foolproof template is the all-time style to make sure you're hitting all the essentials. And so, you can customize and personalize your letter to really catch your donors' attending.

Permit'southward walk through common examples of donation messages, starting with a template of the basic format to follow:

The basic donation letter of the alphabet format
Donation request letters
Letters for fundraising events
Letters for online fundraising
Letters for pledge campaigns
Letters for peer-to-peer campaigns
Letters for sponsorship requests
Letters for new nonprofits
Letters for schools
Letters for churches

Utilise the listing above to jump to a item letter template, or just follow along with the states from the summit. We'll wrap upwardly with a few of our pro tips to make your donation letters as impactful as possible. Allow's get started!

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Bonus resource! Once you've used these templates to write your fundraising letter of the alphabet, head to GivingMail to use their direct mailing services to get your letters in supporters' easily! This allows your team to ship appeals to the largest number of recipients in the most efficient way possible, allowing you to put your fourth dimension and money into what matters: your mission.

Donation Letter Templates: 10 Common Examples

♦ The Basic Donation Letter Format

Let's start with the basics. Here's a template of the essential elements that any constructive donation alphabetic character will include:

Salutation. Greet your potential donor with a friendly opening, and personalize it with their proper noun whenever possible. Y'all might need to practise this manually, or yous tin use nonprofit software and marketing tools to automatically populate names into your letters and emails. By including supporters' names and addresses on your letters, case studies show that you can increment your response rate by 14%, average gift size by nineteen%, and overall revenue by an astonishing 31.5%!
Caption of your mission. If your recipient isn't very familiar with your arrangement, a curtailed explanation of your mission and purpose is important. This is the "claw," the start place to encourage readers to emotionally connect with your piece of work. If your recipients have engaged with your nonprofit earlier (whether as current or lapsed donors, volunteers, etc.), this is also the place to admit that.
Your project, event, or needs. Adjacent, briefly explicate what you're fundraising for. Why are you sending the letter? It might be a specific project or event that needs funding, or you might exist conducting a fundraising entrada to raise support for your organization more mostly, or you might be sending letters to matching-souvenir eligible donors to encourage them to submit their match. Any the reason, be exact and transparent well-nigh it.
Compelling details. In the middle section, add together some compelling details to help illustrate your needs. Depict your projection or event and the bear on information technology will have on your community. Provide examples of your past work, or share a story nearly a detail constituent or campaign. This is where you should focus on engaging your reader emotionally to motivate them to have activity.
A specific request. Next, clearly state your specific request. Your reader won't experience equally compelled to donate if your request is as well generic. Inquire for a specific amount, but make it clear that any support will exist appreciated. If possible, tie your request to a specific touch information technology volition take. For example: "Your donation of $25 volition assistance provide a backpack full of school supplies for a local educatee in demand."
A telephone call-to-activeness. Wrap upward your letter with the concrete next steps that you want the reader to have. This will depend on the exact purpose of the alphabetic character. For an email, include a directly link to your donation page. For a physical letter, provide clear instructions for readers to send you a check or detect your online donation folio.

The chief idea is to focus your letter around one cardinal goal. Depending on your verbal goal for the alphabetic character, yous may choose to promote your main donation page, recurring gift options, event registration page, or volunteer sign-up course. Never overwhelm your reader with multiple or vague requests.

You just demand to ensure you've got like shooting fish in a barrel-to-use online fundraising tools prepare up to direct your readers to. Create a Snowball account to comprehend your bases with a free online donation page.

By sticking to the essentials outlined in this basic template, you'll already be ahead of the game and boost your chances of success.

At present, you're set to accommodate your letter a scrap more based on your specific goals, community, or project. Let's walk through some common examples.

♦ Donation Letter Template: Donation Asking

Dear [proper name],

Nosotros here at [your organisation] are so proud of our recent work to [provide a few details virtually your past initiatives], and nosotros'd like to thanks for existence a office of our customs.

However, our mission to [brusque clarification of your organization'due south mission] is a 24/seven undertaking! We need your help to go on our work. [Provide illustrative details about your needs. Why are you sending them the letter of the alphabet?]

Past campaigns take enabled us to [provide an example or two of your organization's impact]. As a nonprofit arrangement, though, nosotros completely rely on community support. None of our efforts would be possible without the help of donors, volunteers, and supportive community members similar you.

Would you please consider making a donation of [a specific amount] to help u.s.a. [refer dorsum to your organization's needs or side by side project]?

If yous'd like to brand a gift, please visit our donation folio here: [if an electronic mail, include a direct link] [if a physical letter of the alphabet, provide basic instructions for finding your website or sending a bank check]

Any and all support is profoundly appreciated. We're only excited to get to work! Thank yous for being a part of our customs and our story.

Sincerely,

[Your name and title, not simply the proper name of your organisation]

This adequately general donation letter template covers all the bases. Information technology describes your purpose for fundraising, highlights your organization'south bear on, and has a articulate call-to-action. Customize this template with your own specifics, and you're skillful to go!

♦ Donation Alphabetic character Template: Events

Dear [name],

We hither at [organization name] are excited to announce our upcoming event, [event name/title], coming upward on [date].

[In a few sentences, depict the purpose, nature, and bear on of the event, including specific activities or special opportunities.]

As a member of our customs, we'd love to invite y'all to join united states of america! Withal, we demand some extra help to make sure everything goes off without a hitch.

Would you please consider chipping in a donation of [a specific amount of money, or a specific in-kind good/service]? With this assistance, we can ensure that [explain the specific touch on of the requested donation].

If you'd like to make a gift, delight visit our donation page hither: [if an electronic mail, include a directly link] [if a physical letter, provide basic instructions for finding your website or sending a check]. Or, contact us at [electronic mail accost or phone number] to hash out our upcoming issue and how y'all tin go involved.

Cheers and so much for your support, and we promise to see you lot shortly!

Sincerely,

[Your name and title]

Depending on the specifics of your event, yous might transport this letter to individuals or to local businesses, and you might promote one of several different giving methods (similar online donations, text-to-requite, in-kind contributions, or volunteering). Accommodate the essential components to your particular needs for the event.

Withal, keep the content of the alphabetic character itself focused on one master request. Brusk and sugariness will always be more compelling! Just be sure to tell readers where to learn more or get involved if they want to.

Have a Personalized Tour

Schedule a demo with one of our fundraising consultants. We'll show you lot how Snowball can assist you raise more than and spend less.

♦ Donation Letter Template: Online Fundraising

Honey [name],

We here at [your organization] would like to cheers for being a role of our customs.

With the support of our friends and neighbors like y'all, we've been able to accomplish so much over the past year. [Include a few specific details about your recent projects and their impacts.]

Nosotros're happy to announce that we're launching a new online fundraising initiative! This entrada is raising funds for [purpose of the campaign], and will exist essential for united states to continue our work into the coming season.

Would you please consider making a donation of [specific amount] to assist us kicking off our campaign? Please visit our donation page [include a direct link] to get started.

[Add a button that says "Donate Hither," if possible.]

For helping us kick off our online fundraising campaign, we'd love to offer you a special thanks. [Offering some kind of incentive for online donors, like a social media shout out, merchandise coupon, event or raffle ticket, etc.]

Stay tuned for more updates on our campaign! Thanks so much for your back up, and we hope to hear from you lot presently.

Sincerely,

[Your proper noun and title]

While the other templates in this postal service can be adapted for both email and physical donation letters, this 1 is intended to exist sent every bit an email.

For an online fundraising campaign, your recipients volition well-nigh likely all take donated to your organization (or at least engaged with information technology) via online channels in the past. This ways your letter should get-go off by acknowledging that existing relationship.

Express excitement about your newest online fundraising push button, and use a clear CTA, similar a button, to funnel readers directly to your donation page. Get artistic to incentivize early on-bird donors, likewise! If you lot know that some of your donors are matching-gift eligible, include information on how to access a matching gift database and consummate their match for your nonprofit.

These kinds of actress steps can go a long way to boost appointment and help your online fundraising campaign stand out to busy supporters.

♦ Donation Letter Template: Pledge Campaigns

Hi [name],

We need your help to accomplish our pledge goal of [total financial goal for the campaign] past [a specific fourth dimension and appointment]!

Nosotros've launched this rapid-fire entrada to [purpose of the campaign – disaster relief, social or political advancement, almanac fundraising, etc.], and we know we tin can count on our customs to help us go there.

At [your organisation], we piece of work hard every 24-hour interval to pursue our mission of [your mission], and our concluding major campaign resulted in [examples of your impact]. We could never take done information technology without the support of our friends and neighbors like you.

Pledge your support of [one or a few specific dollar amounts] at present with our quick pledge tool: [provide a direct link to your pledge tool]

Please note: [Explain the unique pledge atmospheric condition of your campaign, similar triggers or matching periods]. Together we can brand a huge deviation in our community!

Cheers in advance for your support! Be sure to share our fundraising challenge with your friends and family, and feel free to go in touch if you take whatsoever questions.

Sincerely,

[Your name and title]

Pledge fundraising campaigns are a unique way to raise back up around a specific goal rapidly. Check out our complete guide to pledge campaigns here for more information, including explanations of the pledge atmospheric condition mentioned in the template.

No matter the specifics of your pledge campaign, the main thought is to be brusk and to-the-point. These campaigns are all about speed and quick emotional connexion. Remind readers of why the work you lot practise is important, and and then challenge them to go involved. You can collect the pledges later, but your goal correct at present should simply be to mobilize back up.

♦ Donation Letter Template: P2P Fundraising Campaigns

How-do-you-do!

I'm raising money on behalf of [your organization]'s ongoing campaign to [support/fight/raise sensation for your mission].

For [your arrangement's age] years, this arrangement has pursued its mission and enriched our community. Now, I'm excited to be lending my own back up to their cause, and I promise yous'll join me!

To reach my ain personal goal for this campaign, I need to enhance [the volunteer's fundraising goal]. Would yous consider making a donation of [a specific amount] or helping me to spread the word online? Check out my donation folio here [include a link to the volunteer'south P2P donation page] to brand a contribution or to learn more about [your organization].

[Include any information here if your P2P campaign involves events, like festivals, 5Ks, etc., and how donors can annals to go involved.]

This cause ways a lot to me, so thanks for your support!

[The volunteer's name]

Peer-to-peer fundraising campaigns involve your supporters raising money on your organization's behalf by setting up their ain bones donation pages and then promoting them online to friends and family. You'll demand to provide supporters and volunteers with a template similar this one to brand it easy for them to striking all the essentials in their donation requests, social media posts, and emails.

Make sure your template mentions a specific fundraising goal and includes links back to the volunteer'southward donation folio, non just your organization'southward website. The main idea is to empower and engage your supporters. Afterward all, these campaigns are effective because the audience will experience compelled to support their loved i'south passions, not necessarily to support your organization that they may not have heard of before.

♦ Donation Letter Template: Sponsorship Requests

Dear [name],

My name is [your name], and I work for the local nonprofit organization, [your system], every bit a evolution and fundraising professional.

If you lot oasis't heard of our organisation, we work to [curt description of your mission], and we've [brief examples of your affect over recent years]. In fact, concluding year we raised up of [fundraising full] in support of our cause.

I'm reaching out today because I believe the values and priorities of our two organizations marshal very well. A partnership could greatly benefit both of us, with more than stable support for our work and extremely positive promotions of your brand to our loyal audience of supporters.

Please feel free to explore our organization's history and piece of work here [include a link to your website], and don't hesitate to make it touch at [your email address or phone number]. We can discuss arranging a structured partnership, a one-fourth dimension donation, or annihilation else!

We're always excited to piece of work with new partners in the community, and nosotros hope you'll join us!

Best wishes,

[Your proper noun and title]

This donation letter template is a bit more formal because requesting a sponsorship from a business (of any size) is really similar arranging a partnership. You need to offer the business concern something in return, ordinarily positive publicity at your events or online, for them to consider making a sizable souvenir.

Here'due south a pro tip for identifying potential sponsors: Implement a matching gift search tool into your donation process, and look out for local businesses that have corporate philanthropy programs and employ a ton of your donors. Cheque out the Mercy Corps matching gifts folio for an idea of what this looks similar in activity.

♦ Donation Letter Template: New Nonprofits

Dear [name],

Nosotros're [your organization], a brand new nonprofit organisation in your community. We were founded only [your organization'due south age] ago to help support and lead [your mission] in [your city, boondocks, or land].

We're reaching out to you as a neighbor with a vested interest in seeing our customs thrive. [Be more specific if you're writing to a particular audition.]

Merely getting a foothold equally a new nonprofit is a huge challenge. Raising awareness for our cause and our work is crucial if we're going to make any kind of long-term impact!

Would you lot consider making a donation of [specific amount] to get us i step closer to our fundraising goal of [full]?

If we reach this target goal before [date], we'll be able to [the specific goal of this entrada, similar renting an office infinite or hosting your first event], and you can help us get there!

Delight visit our donation page here to get started: [include a direct link]

Also, please explore our website [include a direct link] or follow us on social media [include a direct link] to learn more than about our mission and the partners who have already joined our crusade.

Together we can make a difference in our community! Delight achieve out to me at [email address or phone number] if you take whatever questions about our organisation or how you can get involved.

Thanks, and we hope to hear from y'all shortly!

[Your proper name and championship]

Brand new nonprofits have a few major challenges ahead of them – securing initial funding, setting up primal partnerships, and establishing an original base of operations of support.

Larger grants for startup organizations (learn more about grant writing here) will most likely make upwards the majority of your initial funding, but using letters like this 1 to find bodily communities of supporters is essential in your early on days. It'south usually non a good idea to include too many calls-to-activity in a single letter of the alphabet, but giving your readers the option to donate, follow you on social media, or but learn more about your organization will comprehend your bases. Every lilliputian bit of engagement and attention counts!

Make sure y'all've got a donation tool fix upward and a fashion to track the donations you receive. You'll want to immediately focus on edifice relationships with those get-go donors.

Take a Personalized Bout

Schedule a demo with ane of our fundraising consultants. Nosotros'll show yous how Snowball tin can help you lot heighten more than and spend less.

♦ Donation Letter Template: Schools

Dearest [name],

[Your school's name] needs your support! My proper name is [your name], and I'k part of the [your role – the school'south PTA, administrative team, teacher, etc.].

Every year, we work difficult to provide the best possible educational and extracurricular activities for our students, but we can't do it alone. Our tight upkeep has recently forced us to [provide a specific case or two – cut down on afterschool programs, etc.]. Only we know we can count on our community to aid usa close the gap.

Would you consider making a donation of [specific amount] to contribute to our fund for [describe your campaign's purpose or goal]?

A gift of [corporeality] will allow u.s.a. to [the specific impact of a donation, tied to the campaign'southward chief purpose].

Delight visit our donation folio here if you'd like to get started: [provide a directly link].

Or, reach out to usa at [electronic mail address or phone number] to talk nearly our school's needs and how you can get involved.

Don't forget! Our [your school's next event, like a fall festival] is coming upward presently, and nosotros'd love to meet you there! Get your tickets now: [provide a direct link].

Together we can keep making our schoolhouse an environment of excellence for our kids. Thank you!

[Your proper noun and championship]

School fundraising is a round-the-clock undertaking! Thankfully, schools are also fairly tight-knit communities, and every parent wants the best for their child's school. Tap into that shared want by clearly emphasizing your needs and making information technology piece of cake for them to get involved. Quickly mention any upcoming opportunities or events, as well.

Apply this template to make sure you're including all the essentials in your next e-mail smash or mailed letter to your community of parents. Then, suit it to your item goals, projects, and fundraising ideas.

♦ Donation Letter Template: Churches

Dear [name],

[Begin with a story focused on your church'southward recent successes, such as growth in membership or your positive impact on the surrounding community. Connect with the individual member by thanking them for being a supportive part of your community.]

While we feel blessed to take been able to [refer to successful projection mentioned above], we need your help to [continue the project or pursue a new one].

With your support, nosotros can [your next project or entrada]. Would you consider contributing [specific corporeality] to help us work toward our mission? Together, we can attain our community'southward goals.

On behalf of our church building community at [your church's proper name], I thank yous in advance for your back up. Your contribution volition go toward [specific elements of your projection that demand funding]. You can give online hither: [include a direct link].

Or, you can use our text-to-tithe tool to give on the go: [include text-to-tithe instructions].

Feel gratis to reach out to me at [email accost or telephone number] if y'all accept questions about our new projection.

Gratefully yours,

[Proper name of a leader in your church building]

While they tin can't always fundraise the same way as 501(c)(iii) nonprofits, churches are community-focused organizations that nonetheless rely on their members, supporters, and neighbors for support. Fundraising letters have always been a powerful tool for church fundraising teams to reach a wide range of tasks.

Accomplish out to your community with a curtailed, heartfelt alphabetic character explaining why y'all need support. Many churches have found slap-up success with text giving tools in contempo years, and then be sure to promote that outlet, equally well.

This is a fairly basic example, and then check out our consummate guide to writing church fundraising letters for even more templates.

Writing Donation Letters: Our Pro Tips

At Snowball Fundraising, nosotros help organizations of all sizes get set up quickly with powerful merely like shooting fish in a barrel-to-use fundraising tools. Having those outlets set to actually accept and process donations is essential, but how will you let potential donors know when and how to employ them?

Here are a few of our ain pro tips for maximizing your success with donation letters:

Tell a story. The templates above cover the essentials, only you have to emotionally connect with your readers to motivate them to give. Do that by telling a story virtually your organisation, your mission, your constituents, and your needs. Check out this guide to nonprofit storytelling techniques for more examples.
Include visuals or extra materials. If you're sending an e-mail, include a pic or two in your message to illustrate your work and customs. For physical letters, including a pamphlet, bill of fare, or 1-pager (especially when you're promoting a specific project or trying to secure a sponsorship) tin be a good thought.
Call back about your audition. Don't just write a single letter or email to send to everyone on your mailing listing. Segment your mailing listing into discrete groups, and so tailor your letters to those audiences. For case, y'all should write different letters to your recurring donors and to your lapsed donors to actually maximize their engagement with your messages.
Exist specific. Throughout the templates higher up, nosotros mentioned asking for a specific amount of money in each letter. Vague requests are much less compelling for donors. Nonetheless, this likewise applies to the type of donation; if you're looking to increase your number of recurring donors, specifically ask readers to consider setting upwardly recurring donations!
Be conversational. Again, these letters are all about connecting emotionally, reminding readers of their relationship to your crusade, and quickly making a donation request. Avoid using internal fundraising lingo and focus on being personable and warm with your wording. The one exception might be a corporate sponsorship letter of the alphabet, depending on the nature and scope of the partnership you're hoping to form.
Rail data. This footstep is critical to ensure your donation letters are constantly improving. Ever collect and rail some form of engagement data when you send a donation letter of the alphabet. This could be equally simple as recording how many donations your physical letter campaign generated. For email and social media posts, information technology'due south a lilliputian easier to rail a wider variety of data points. Employ Google Analytics or a tool like MailChimp to track engagement with your message, and brand certain your donation tools brand it piece of cake to written report data back to your CRM or central data center.
Partner with a direct mail fundraising visitor. You might assume that working with a straight mail fundraising platform to send out donation messages is more than costly, and therefore detract from your mission. Not so fast! With a powerful and low-toll partner like GivingMail, you tin can raise more for your campaign for less than it would price for paper, ink, envelope, and stamps on your own! That way, your own fundraising squad can save time and effort for other of import tasks.

The Snowball Formula for Successful Modern Fundraising

Earlier we close out this guide, let's walk through the Snowball formula for successful fundraising in the digital age. This philosophy guides the development of all of our donation tools:

Don't kill the donor'due south fizz. Donating should be fast and piece of cake, and donors should experience groovy while they're doing it. Never slow them down with complicated steps, or you'll hazard distracting them from the spirit of generosity that inspired them to give in the first place.

Secure a card to streamline the process. Once y'all've congenital a human relationship with a donor, encourage them to save their menu information on file with you lot. Non having to enter in payment information the next time they want to donate tin play a major role in ensuring that they actually will.

Promote recurring donations. Recurring donations are the ultimate goal because they represent a potent, sustaining human relationship between that donor and your organization. In one case you've secured their recurring support, you tin can focus on growing your emotional and philanthropic connections with them.

With these cadre steps, any organization, big or modest, can start building a stone-solid base of back up. Be sure to keep your research with a few additional fundraising resources, as well:

Straight Mail for Nonprofits: The Ultimate Fundraising Guide. Sending your donation letters via direct mail is a great manner to stand up out in the minds of your donors. Learn more about effective fundraising practices with this guide.
Fundraising Ideas For Nonprofits | Directory Of 75+ Ideas. Looking for more fundraising ideas to promote to your donors? Check out our complete directory.
85+ Awesome Church Fundraising Ideas for Your Congregation. We've got plenty of fundraising ideas only for churches, too! Bookmark this guide.
All-time Nonprofit Software To Raise Money Fast. Looking to build out a fundraising toolkit on a budget? We've got yous covered.

If yous're a new nonprofit, getting started with a costless Snowball donation folio will ensure you've covered all the essentials and are ready to offset sending those messages!

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Source: https://snowballfundraising.com/donation-letter/