Fund Raising Letters

Fundraising letters calls for exceptional sensitivity to put forth your proposal to a prospective donor. It should be drafted in an effective manner to appear credible enough to get through your requirement. Though persuasive, a fundraising letter should not be manipulative or high-handed. It should be able to convince rather than pressurize the reader to donate for a genuine cause. By far, it is one of the most effective ways of explaining the importance of the reader’s contribution. Your letter should highlight the positive effects of the reader’s contribution rather than commenting on the negative aspects that can come up if the reader does not contribute. Expressions that may be interpreted as harassing, preachy or moralizing should be avoided. Draft your letter in such a way that the reader can see the benefits of his/her contribution at each level of the cause. The overall effect of the letter should be positive.

As the name suggests, fundraising letters ask for donations and they work the best for organizations that support a specific cause. It includes groups such as health advocacy, hunger or disaster relief and public arts like museums and symphonies. These groups are easily identified by people as working genuinely for the betterment of the society, country and the world. More often than not, the choice of words and its presentation determines the amount of donations you receive.

Following tips will help you draft an effective fundraising letter:

• Your letter should be genuine enough to make the recipient understand the significance of the cause and the reason to approach him or her for donations. This section will be one of the most important parts of the letter and can be longest part as well. Try to identify a critical need for the donations and explain how effectively your organization can address that need.
• The letter should instantly grab the reader’s attention and maintain it throughout. It needs to have an emotional appeal to help you get through your purpose. Though it may sound intimidating, but a well-written fundraising letter has many elements similar to a sales letter. Make sure you do not overdo it so that the overall effect of the letter should reflect the sincerity.
• Before soliciting the contribution try to explain the prospective donor of how the charitable contributions have helped the cause in the past but the need is still great. Keep part of the letter should be concise.
• You can offer an incentive to the recipient. It could be either tangible, intangible or both. Though it is not compulsory but it often helps to mention incentives especially intangible incentive such as add a line saying how elated you would feel knowing you have helped an unprivileged child learn how to read and write.
• An additional insert such as photographs or similar evidence can be used to substantiate your point and keep the reader’s interest for a considerable period of time. Do not forget to mention about this in your fundraising letter.
• Always close your letter in a courteous and friendly manner. Wish the recipient well and leave a positive feeling in his/her mind regarding the needy cause.
• Do not forget to sign the letter as a sign would suggest that the letter is coming from a real person and not from an impersonal organization.

In order to write an effective fundraising letter it is very important to understand your donors to know if they can afford the amount of money you wish to obtain from them as a charity. Try to include teaser copy on the outside of the envelope because a reader will first open the letter and then only read the letter. So it is a good idea to make the envelope as interesting as the letter. You do not have to make it very elaborate and just a simple printed line like “we need help” would do. Try not to beat around the bush and state the main objective of writing the letter in the beginning of the letter. Add few descriptions and anecdotes to appeal to your donor’s heart and relevant facts and figures to finally appeal to their heads. In case you are writing to a donor who had once contributed for some cause, make sure that you thank him/her first before you ask for more donations. Avoid exaggeration in a fundraising letter as the longer it is, the faster the reader would lose interest in it. Always include a summary of the letter in the beginning of the letter, as every reader might not have ample time to go through the entire letter.

Mention the deadline in the letter to appeal to a reader’s sense of urgency. Do not forget to include a return envelope as it makes easier for people to donate by telling them the way so as how to do it. Always write PS at the bottom of the letter as the bulk of your letter might lead it to go unread by your prospective donor.