PostGrid UK: Fundraising Letters Best Practices

Best Fundraising Letters Examples: How to Draft Effective Letters to Increase Donations

Nonprofit institutions work towards offering the necessary assistance to people who need it. They depend on charitable donations to keep running and helping others. Hence, they need to send a letter asking for donations to individuals and businesses now and then to raise funds for specific causes.

Sometimes, you may feel that most people are not interested in donating anything to your institution. However, the truth is that UK citizens donated nearly £11.3 billion to charity in 2020. Almost 62% of people donated via cash and in-kind contributions or sponsorships.

So, it is a myth that your letter requesting donations for nonprofit purposes will not work! All you need to do is take the first step, gather a targeted mailing list, and launch well-thought fundraising campaigns.

“Many people and companies are looking to donate right now. But, you need to help them find you.”

You can start by going through the best fundraising letter examples and getting an idea about the concept. They can help you craft powerful and effective letters you can send on behalf of your nonprofit to bring in more donations.

Let us discuss how to create an impactful charity fundraising letter template in this blog to give you a headstart. Furthermore, we will also talk about the different types of charity appeals and letters you may send for various reasons.

What Is a Fundraising letter and Why Is It Important?

Fundraising letters are handwritten or typed appeals sent to prospective donors asking them to contribute to your institution. It helps you discuss your financial needs and provide donors with ways to contribute.

You can send a fundraising letter alone to people or add your booklet to help them know about your work in detail. The purpose is to create emotional bonds with the community and highlight how your fundraising campaigns make a difference.

Also, they give you the chance to tell your story and get people hooked on specific missions or causes. Thus, you can connect with numerous people and ask them to volunteer for your nonprofit or donate something to help you achieve your objectives.

As said earlier, a letter asking for donations lets you create and maintain a unique brand image. And it boosts your visibility among your target audience, increasing donation levels. Remember, people are more likely to donate to charities they know of for a while.

A fundraising letter helps organisations reach prospects and ask for cash, auction items, in-kind contributions, volunteer time, etc.
It helps people know your financial needs and make a donation that suits them.
Also, it lets them know about the campaigns you support. Thus, you may receive contributions to your causes in different forms from specific communities.
Use direct mail automation solutions like PostGrid to save money and increase your campaign ROI.

9 Best Fundraising Letters Examples to Help Nonprofits Send Custom Charity Appeals

Every charitable institution needs to send a fundraising letter at some point. The basic format may remain the same, but the contents can vary considerably. This section helps you understand the differences between the letters to let you select and use the ones you need:

General Fundraising Letters

Nonprofits send letters asking for general donations throughout the year to help them operate daily and fulfil their goals. They constitute a standard letter requesting donations for nonprofit organisations to enable them to speak with donors personally.

Best practices to send standard fundraising letters:

Do not draft a very lengthy fundraising letter. It is typically one page, but you can write up to a maximum of two pages. Remember that you don’t want to distract the reader with too much information and push them towards one prime goal.
You can send these general letters at any time. Hence, ensure you don’t spam your prospects’ mailboxes by mailing too often. You can space the campaigns over several months to grab the audience’s attention but not annoy them.
Always add the donors’ full names to your letter asking for donations to make them feel special. Furthermore, sign them to add a personal touch and display that you value and respect your donors.

Sponsorship Letters

Sponsorship request letters contain details about how the donor can benefit by contributing to your institution. These letters are typically for finding sponsors for particular fundraising events, like a marathon or gala.

Instead of pooling the money from their pockets, nonprofits send fundraising letters to potential sponsors. In return, the sponsors receive several incentives, like a website or directory listing, advertising space at the event, or their logos on the event merchandise.

Best practices to send sponsorship request letters:

Send your sponsorship letter asking for donations from businesses months in advance. It gives you enough time to find sponsors and coordinate other things properly.
Always address the decision-makers in your letters to make an impact. It helps you to personalise your fundraising letter and increases your chances of getting a response.
Ask for a specific amount to give potential sponsors an idea of your event budget. Inform them if they would be the only sponsor or if you also plan to raise funds from other sources.
Provide all the necessary specifics about the event you plan on hosting. Don’t forget to add the time, date, venue, and type of attendees to the fundraising letter.

Volunteer Time Request Letters

These letters help you gather supporters to assist you during your charity campaigns. For example, imagine you want to host a fun run. Now, you need a group of volunteers who can help you run the event successfully.

Some of the best fundraising letters examples are for volunteer time appeals because it helps nonprofits not spend on human resources!

Ensure that your fundraising letter focuses on the work you expect volunteers to do, like helping in food drives, collecting funds, preparing posters, etc. Also, let them know how their effort can positively impact the communities you support.

Best practices to send volunteer request letters:

Start with a compelling hook to make recipients read your entire letter. Let them know that this is not a letter asking for donations. Instead, you want their support to help you serve society better.
Add your contact information to a visible spot in the letter. It helps readers connect with you effortlessly to get more details or sign up as a volunteer.
Thank them in advance to motivate them to join you and create goodwill. Also, appreciate the effort of the people who had already volunteered for your organisation in the past.

Corporate Donation Letters

A letter asking for donations from businesses is similar to a sponsorship letter. But, in this case, you don’t offer anything in exchange for their contribution. Also, you don’t need to tie the contributions to a specific event.

Many companies give charity annually as part of their corporate social responsibility. You can find a list of such companies and get in touch using a personal and well-curated fundraising letter.

However, you cannot ask a company to make an extensive contribution directly. You may need to send a couple of letters and conduct multi-channel marketing campaigns to get them on board.

Best practices to send a corporate letter asking for donations from businesses:

Try to fix an in-person meeting with a decision-maker or representative of the company. It enables you to introduce yourself, create trustworthy relationships, and spell out your institution’s monetary needs.
Be specific about how much money you need and its purpose in your fundraising letter. Refrain from making vague requests to show that you have prepared for the project and have a solid plan to make it work.
Thank them for any previous contributions they have made to your organisation.

Auction Items Request Letter

If you want to host an online, live, or silent auction to raise money, you need unique and valuable items for people to bid on. Naturally, you need donors willing to contribute biddable objects for your auction. Thus, you need to conduct a fundraising letter campaign to spread the word and help you find enough donors.

Remember to print and mail letters months in advance so that people have the time to fulfil your request. Be clear regarding the items you are looking for to avoid getting unwanted objects that are of no use.

Best practices to send a letter asking for donations in the form of auction items:

Include details about your previous auction and inform donors how much money you raised from it. It makes the donors feel good and confident that your auction can help several people. Also, don’t forget to discuss why you want to conduct another auction.
Your fundraising letter should have a tear-off sheet that lets donors fill out their contact details and the type of item they can donate. Alternatively, you may also include a separate form they can mail back to you using the Business Reply Mail envelope you sent with the letter.
Invite the donors to your charity auction to showcase your respect and appreciation for them. Let them know the event date, venue, and time, and ask them to join you.

Church Fundraising Letter

Churches are also nonprofit organisations that rely on the support of their community members. A church fundraising letter can be of several types, depending on its purpose:

Trip funding
Church building
Sponsorship requests
Event hosting
General donations
Missionary support, etc.

Send your letters to your congregation members because they would want to help out. Also, try using these appeals to get the best out of your existing relationships with your members.

Best practices to send a letter requesting donations for nonprofit churches:

Talk about your congregation’s vision and purpose at the beginning of your letter. Also, express your gratitude for the ongoing support of the community to keep the church functioning smoothly.
Some people already make generous donations after the Sunday mass. Prevent sending the fundraising letter to such people and focus on the others.
Spread out your campaigns between different groups of congregants. For example, you may mail letters to people above 60 years for Christmas-related donations. And reach out to the millennial group for church-building contributions and other purposes. Thus, you don’t run the risk of spamming people and tarnishing your image.

Matching Gifts Fundraising Letter

Matching gifts is a corporate philanthropy program where employers donate the same amount as their employees to a nonprofit firm. However, employees often fail to submit a request to their employers to match their donations.

Using a fundraising letter reminds employees to submit the paperwork to their human resources departments. It is an excellent way to double the donations you receive effortlessly.

Best practices to send matching gift letters:

Try sending these letters to your donors immediately after they contribute. The donation would be still fresh in their minds, and it is the right time to submit a matching gift request to the employer.
Guide the donors on how to check eligibility in your fundraising letter. Make the process as simple as possible for them.
Use an accurate matching gift database to determine which donors are eligible, helping you mail to the correct audience.

Peer-to-Peer Fundraising Letters

Peer-to-peer fundraising is an effective way to collect funds from individuals and companies indirectly. It refers to your supporters creating their fundraising pages online and soliciting gifts through their connections.

Consider offering them a few fundraising templates for donations and assisting them in collecting more money. Then, they can add the campaign-specific details to these templates and post them online. Similarly, they can send the fundraising letter via email and text to their family, friends, and colleagues to ask them to donate.

Best practices to mail a peer-to-peer fundraising letter:

Find influencers with large networks willing to sign up for your campaign as a supporter. Guide them throughout the process to help them make a strong appeal to their followers and drive donations.
Provide them with a proper link they can post on their social media handles. Also, let them put up your mailing address for people who want to send you a cheque.

School Fundraising Letter

Schools also need donations for a wide range of activities, whether planning a year-end event, buying supplies, or renovating the school building. Their target audience consists of their students’ parents and alumni. You can pull the potential donor’s heartstrings in your letter asking for donations by mentioning the future of all your students.

Explain how their contributions can help young students grow up and become responsible leaders. Also, give them an idea of how much money you want to raise through this campaign.

Best practices to send a school fundraising letter requesting donations for nonprofit reasons:

Give readers multiple options to help you because not everyone can afford to make a monetary contribution. Some people might want to volunteer or help you raise funds from other sources.
Tailor your letters to suit the concerns and preferences of the recipients to get more attention and engagement. Luckily, direct mail services like PostGrid allow you to customise your fundraising letter with variable data without extra effort.

What Are the Elements of a Result-Bearing Fundraising Letter?

Nonprofits should add some standard elements to their charity appeals to make them appealing. But, they cannot settle with the basics alone! Their letters must be thoughtful and persuasive. Below, we have mentioned how to write a donation request letter the right way:

Salutation

Avoid addressing your readers with a generic salutation, like ‘Dear Support’ or ‘Dear Donor.’

Use the person’s preferred name and personalise your opening. It pushes people to read your letter further and take action. You can use a formal or informal salutation, depending on your relationship with the reader.

Introduction

Make your introductory paragraph highly customised to show readers that it is not a random fundraising letter. Suppose you want to mail to a past donor. In such cases, inform them how their previous contribution was helpful to your organisation. Thank them and express your gratitude as you begin to share further details.

Acknowledge the person’s participation in specific activities if you want to mail it to a congregant member. Also, discuss how you use the donations to allow the church to function smoothly. Try making the introduction of your fundraising letter personal and engaging.

Explain the Cause

Always mention your cause in the second paragraph. You can include the amount you want to raise and discuss how you will put that money to use. Furthermore, you may talk about your previous missions and projects to highlight your organisation as a trustworthy one.

You can mention the enclosures in this paragraph if you have attached a booklet or pamphlet to your letter asking for donations.

Make a Request

Make a specific request, like “A small contribution of $100 can bring us a step closer to our goal.’ Or you can give donors numerous options and let them select according to their affordability. For instance, your fundraising letter can say:

$5 can feed one child today
$10 can feed two children
$20 can feed five children, and so on

Call to Action

Remember to include an upfront call to action that tells readers what to do next. Give them multiple payment options, like donating online, sending a cheque, etc.

At PostGrid, we hear clients say that they find it hard to track their campaign results. They are concerned that they won’t find out if their fundraising letter resulted in a specific donation. Well, here’s what mailers can do:

Add a customised CTA to their letter requesting donations for nonprofit campaigns
Have a robust tracking mechanism to record the responses

PostGrid helps its clients add QR codes, personalised URLs, and custom contact numbers to their mailers to track results painlessly. Thus, they can now tie every donation to a specific campaign and calculate their ROI precisely.

Add Your Contact Details

It is crucial to have a contact information section in your letter. Print your letter asking for donations from businesses and individuals on your organisation’s letterhead. Also, ensure that your letterhead has your brand logo, contact number, email address, mailing address, and website link.

Thank the Reader and Sign the Letter

In your closing line, thank the reader for their time and donation in advance. It creates a sense of belonging and responsibility in the readers’ minds, pushing them to donate.

Then, add your signature at the end to show that this fundraising letter is from a genuine person. It is always better to have a leader from your organisation write a letter as a representative to create 1:1 relationships.

Include a Postscript

A postscript line helps you reinstate your message and CTA in a few words. Many people skip the letter asking for donations to read this line first. Hence, ensure to make it interactive and meaningful.

Here’s a charity fundraising letter template you can use for reference:

[Full name]

[Your organisation’s mailing address]

[Mailing date]

To,

[Recipient’s full name]

[Their mailing address]

[Salutation]

We at [your organisation name] are writing this letter to inform you of our upcoming charity initiative for [your cause]. Our mission is to always [insert your organisation’s primary purpose], and we would like to ask for your help again.

We want to raise [insert the total amount you want to raise] for [insert the name of your project (if any)]. You can check our website or find the attached pamphlet with this fundraising letter to know us more deeply. It will also help you see how your contributions have been helping people for the past [the number of years since your organisation’s establishment].

With a small donation of [donation amount you want from the reader], you can help [state your cause].

You can donate using this link [your online fundraising page link] or send us a cheque at the return address on the letterhead. Feel free to contact us for further questions, concerns, or clarifications.

I am thanking you in advance for your support.

[Signature]
[The postscript of your letter asking for donations]

Sample Donation Request Letter for Nonprofit Organisations

Here’s a sample fundraising letter you can use for mailing your charity appeals to potential donors:

MILLIE POLLARD

48 WESTWOOD ROAD

SOUTHAMPTON

SO53 5PD

Date: 20th July 2022.

To,

NOAH HOLLAND

20G BAKER STREET

LONDON

SW1H 9NP

Dear Mr Noah,

We at ‘Save the Disabled’ organisation have been working to help the needy for the past 20 years. Along the way, we were lucky enough to meet hundreds of volunteers and donors to help us, and we know you are one of them! We want to thank you on behalf of our team and all the people we support.

Today, we are writing this letter asking for donations for our upcoming drive. This project would empower us to help nearly a hundred people suffering from neurological and physical diseases. Our primary objective is to fulfil their basic needs and create a good life for these people.

The drive is at 7 Parker Street in London on 10th August, from 11 AM to 5 PM. You can join us there or donate now using the QR code below. Alternatively, you can pay on our website or send a cheque to the address mentioned in this fundraising letter.

Please feel free to reach out if you want any more information or have any queries. We would be happy to answer your questions.

Thanks in advance for your previous donations and ongoing support throughout the years!

Yours sincerely,

[Signature]

PS- We hope to change a hundred lives for the better with this drive. Click the link below to get more details about our initiative.

How Should You Send a Fundraising Letter and When?

There are many options to send your letter asking for donations to your target audience. You may use direct mail, social media, email, and other channels to reach potential donors. Let us first consider direct mail:

Direct mail can produce a response rate of up to 9%
92% of people who receive direct mail engage with the mailer online
UK customers engage with 96% of all offline mail items they receive

On the contrary, the open and response rate for email marketing has been on a decline. Users have abandoned 57% of all email addresses after receiving too many marketing emails.

Hence, sending your letter requesting donations for nonprofit institutions via direct mail is advisable. The best time to send these letters is during pre-tax periods when most people and companies donate willingly. Also, you can conduct charity campaigns throughout November and December because these months see the highest number of donations every year.

However, you may send a general or campaign-specific fundraising letter to your intended audience all year round. Just ensure that you use a segmented mailing list.

You can use PostGrid’s print and mail API to plan and flexibly launch your campaigns. It helps you place orders for any number of letters you want anywhere within minutes. With our 2-business day SLA, we can ensure they are ready to mail quickly and efficiently.

Best Tips to Send a Letter Asking for Donations From Businesses and Individuals

You can use the following tips to write a successful fundraising letter and garner more support for your campaigns:

Make an Emotional Appeal

Unlike business marketing letters, your charity appeal should be emotional. Try to drive donations with a heart-touching storyline talking about your accomplishments so far. You can include links to videos showcasing your work in the community. Or you may add some real-life stories of how you helped others.

Categorise Your Audience

You must segment your mailing lists before sending a fundraising letter to your audience. Mailing the same letter to every person in your database kills the purpose of your campaign. Therefore, try to categorise your potential donors according to their:

Donation history
Demographics
Location
Preferences, etc.

Younger donors contribute more to nonprofits supporting mental and physical healthcare than the older population. Also, women are more likely to donate to animal welfare, children’s help, and art-based organisations than men. Hence, statistics prove that you need to target the correct audience to see better results for your fundraising letter campaign.

Add Relevant Visuals and Extra Materials

Adding images to your letter asking for donations to depict your work is always a good idea. They make your appeals more interactive and trustworthy. Or you can send postcards and flyers containing relevant imagery if you don’t want to insert them into your letter.

Direct Readers to Your Website

Most recipients would want to donate online right after reading your fundraising letter. So, remember to direct them to your online fundraising page where they can contribute in only a few steps.

You may also include social media links to help people know your organisation better and follow you. This practice can boost your online traffic and bring in more contributions.

Avoid Jargon and Be More Conversational

Please refrain from using internal jargon that can confuse the readers because it can ruin even the best fundraising letters examples. Instead, speak to them personally as if you are having a face-to-face conversation.

Track Your Data

Tracking the responses of your fundraising letter campaigns helps you understand your audience well. It also lets you plan your upcoming campaigns with more knowledge about your key demographics.

Automate Your Mailing Activities

Employing a direct mail API like PostGrid to automate your mailing tasks can help you send a fundraising letter to donors at 75% cheaper rates. Thus, you can save more money for your cause and spend less on printing and logistics.

Also, you can eliminate manual labour, which requires more people and time. Our solutions allow you to mail across the country via Royal Mail conveniently and speedily.

Ready to Get Started?

Start transforming and automating your offline communications with PostGrid

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source https://www.postgrid.co.uk/non-profit-fundraising-letters/

Tuesday, July 26, 2022

Fundraising Letters Best Practices

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