While requesting a donation for a cause, a fundraising appeal letter sample can come in handy to draft one yourself. Read the one in this article and you’ll get an idea about how to do it.
The world has two types of people. The ones who need help and the ones who have the ability to provide the help. But, in between, there is a line of people who are constantly and relentlessly working towards making sure that the people who need help, get the help from those who can provide for it. They are the line of middlemen, who organize and co-ordinate an array of events, workshops and other fundraisers to raise the money to help the less fortunate. All around the world, people are awakening to myriad social causes. Be it illiteracy or human rights, animal rights or gay rights, people from all walks of life, have begun to realize that apart from making truckloads of money, they do have a higher purpose in life. They have begun to realize that helping themselves and their families is not enough to be content. They have to give back to society. And this realization of social work helps greatly in fundraising activities. If you belong to said line of middlemen, then you ought to be efficient enough to write a good letter asking for donations from the affluent sources that you have probably already enlisted. For those of you who are not, here’s an article that has a sample. Feel free to refer to this anytime you need to write one for your organization.
Format of the Letter
| Date Name: the name of the person writing the letter Designation: of the person writing the letter. It is generally a person at a considerably high designation who writes this letter. This gives it authenticity and more weightage. Name of Organization: that is appealing for the donation. To, Salutation (Dear Mr./Ms.) In the first paragraph, introduce yourself and your organization. Inform the prospective donor about what areas your organization works in if it is a first time donor that you are approaching. If it is someone that you have received donations from in the past, then you can simply remind the donor about his previous donation and how it helped your organization. Next, you can mention the event that you will be organizing and what kind of assistance you would like from the addressee. In the second paragraph, explain to the addressee what he stands to receive from the generous donation that he will be giving. Assure him that he will be given a receipt for the donation. Also, mention the financial and other benefits that he’ll get by making the donation. In the last paragraph, again express a hope to receive a donation and thank the person for taking the time to read the letter. Sincerely, |
A Sample
| Date Name Designation Name of Organization To, Salutation (Dear Mr./Ms.) I, (your name) am the (your designation) of Renewed Hope Foundation. We have been organizing fundraising events of different kinds since our inception in 1999. These fundraising activities revolve around different causes. This year, we have decided to have a sale of handicrafts made by terminally ill children. I would like to take this opportunity to request you to make a generous donation for this noble cause by providing us lighting for this fundraising event. In return, I promise that every small and big advertising material that we have, will bear your company’s name and logo. All proceeds from the sale of these handicrafts will go towards building a new hospital wing for the children at the Sacred Angel Hospital. We would be greatly obliged if you could assist us in this humble cause. Thank you for taking the time to read this letter. Looking forward to your positive response. Sincerely, |
That was an example of a first time donor. Now, let us see an example of what the same organization can write to someone who has previously donated to the organization.
| Date Name Designation Name of Organization To, Salutation (Dear Mr./Ms.), Hope this letter finds you in the best of health. I (your name), the (designation) of Renewed Hope Foundation, would first and foremost like to thank you for the generous donation that you made to facilitate the best possible lighting arrangements at the ‘Food Parade’ that our organization held 6 months ago. It is with the same hope that I am writing to you once again. Thanks to the wonderful donation and support of people and organizations like you and yours, we were successful in collecting enough money to buy new bedding material for all our children. This time, we wish to open a new wing at the Sacred Angel Hospital for terminally ill children. To raise money for this cause, we have organized a sale of handicrafts made by the children themselves. I assure you that all advertising material will bear your company’s name and logo, just like they did the last time. Despite being familiar with our policies, I would like to once again assure you that you will be given the receipt along with a prominent mention in our newsletter that we have recently started to increase awareness of the organization. I thank you for taking the time to read this appeal and hope once again to receive your magnanimous support like the last time. Sincerely, |
It would be advisable to first draft sample letters of appeal, get them approved by the people in your organization and then send out the final ones. The better the letter, the higher chance of getting a donation. And when you do receive the donation, make it a point to send out a thank you letter at once. Do not delay this, as it may mar the chance of possible future donations.
