How to write the donation request letter properly
This is such a letter which is sent by charity organizations to prospects or donors with a target of raising some non-profit funds. This letter might be sent on his or her own or might be attached with extra data such as booklets or pamphlets.
Donation request letters might also request other forms of backup to be labor aside from money or its materials. Such letters might be written by various organizations. For instance, they might be charity groups, hospitals, schools, and even non-governmental organizations. Such letters might usually aim at a broad range of donors, and they might be businesses or individuals. The letters might be composed at whatever years’ time.
Composing the donation request letter might be necessary since it is a formal method to ask for the donations from the donors. Letters let you indicate the needs hence providing addressee a better thought of what you exactly need from them. Such letters might also bring some legitimacy to the fundraising project.
When generating the donation request letter, you must:
- get prepared for anything. When composing the donation request letter, it will be better for you to get ready for both answers: yes or no. Not everyone is willing and ready to assist in the backup of your fundraising project. When you ask for a donation, always get prepared for a negative answer.
- be sincere and honest. When you ask for a donation from prospective donors, family members, or friends, you should be truthful and upfront. Explain to them clearly why you ask for help, exactly them, and what this money will be for.
- always ask the proper people. When you raise funds, always be aware of your audience. Ask the proper people for help always. They must be people that you know are in a proper position to assist you. Do not ask for funds for people who have various ideas.
- be aware of what exactly you ask from the donor. When you begin composing a donation request letter, you must be aware of exactly what you eager for them. Spell out your objection clearly.
- conduct proper research. Every successful fundraiser knows that he or she needs to conduct research on the target audience often and early, too—research on the post and name of the target audience. Be aware of the detailed data about them.
It might be beneficial to ask for donations from donors of various calibers like businesses, government, or friends.
They include:
- you would receive donations of various kinds. Sometimes the donors will not contribute money for a noble cause only. They also might donate services and products which might be helpful in the provided project. For example, if you raise funds in order to build a hospital, they might give you labor or building equipment to back up.
- repeat contribution in the nearest future. If you generate good and strong relationships with a donor, you might sometimes be sure to get future donations for future projects and activities.
- you are granted a huge fundraising potential. If you request assistance from the companies, you might be granted a big raise since most companies feature departments set for dealing with charitable causes, and he or she wants to provide money to such noble projects.
- instant access to possible donors. If you have some friends who live nearby, it is simple to access them for the donations and fast keep in touch with him or her.
- if your co-workers, friends, and family trust you, it means if you ask them for donations, they will not refuse. Many fundraisings failed since the organizations that asked the funds do not find a common language with these donors.
- when you raise money towards the noble project or the noble cause, you are on a similar page with the vast majority of people always. Therefore, your values will motivate them to contribute funds to your project or cause.
A detailed guide and instruction of how to compose the donation letter
There is a broad range of charity organizations in our society, and all of them ask for donations from various individuals, organizations, and companies. For charities to receive what they might need, they must have to persuade and convince the potential donors that the project of yours is worth contributing their money. Here, we will concentrate on the way of composing the donation request letter and certain steps to reach the goal and raise funds.
1. Writing a proper intro.
When you compose the letter’s intro, you should know and understand your target audience to be aware of the proper way to frame your letter. The letter’s recipient must be a person who you consider is in a particular position to help you and meet your needs. This individual must relate to and understand your cause and target.
The intro must be personalized. So, you should be aware of and research the certain person you address your letter. The letter must be directed in an official way. For instance, prior to their names, you should add either “Mr” or “Mrs.”
Do not utilize general terms since it will not bring a personal touch between your purpose and you. Utilizing a person’s name when you address him or she is necessary because they inspire the donor to assist you. Explain to the target reader the reason why you write to them.
Grab the attention of the reader. Note that there are many other fundraising organizations that write similar letters. Your letter must be convincing and persuasive. Try to grab the reader’s attention by emphasizing the necessity of your project or cause to motivate them to read on.
2. Ask for donations.
Explain to the reader about the project you work on. It must be written clearly and to the point, the way the project will influence the target people’s lives positively if the recipient is not aware of the target of your writing they will not trust and be fast to donate. The cause must be practical and possible and simple to reach the goals.
Be accurate on what you eager and the way you consider the organization and the donors you write to might help. Tell your reader how their exact donation is important. They must have some idea of the things they are into. This will provide the prospective donor to assess how much and what to give. Inform the reader about the consequences in case they will not donate. Emphasize the repercussion in case they will not donate. Nevertheless, make sure the recipient that if they do, the negative repercussions will be averted and help them realize the targets of the project.
3. Conclude the letter.
When you compose a closing, thank the donor first for taking their time regarding your project. It will make them feel you understand them, and their time is necessary for you.
Highlight how necessary your project is. Let them be aware of why this project is so necessary and the possible reasons why they should spend their money and time. Finish with the official salutation. Add your post and the charity group or organization you represent and your name. With such a conclusion, let the reader be aware of the authority you have and who you are to create a personal touch.
4. Writing format
The donation request letter should be a well-written and formal letter that requests for the donation from the potential donors. The letters give data concerning the organization asking for some funds. The letter must be well-presented and formatted to motivate the donor to contribute to your cause or project.
The right way of formatting of a donation request letter
- start with the name & address of the organization. Compose the organization’s name at the top left corner. Place the organization’s address beneath the name. It is perfect for adding your email address and contact number for the donors to contact you.
- add a date. Skip a line below the address and put the date. The month should be followed by the date and then followed by the year. Separate them by a comma. Spell out the month, not using a short form. For instance, “Sep” instead of “September.”
- write the address of the recipient. Skip a line when you write the date. Then, put the recipient’s name. Add their address. Below this, put the person’s email address and phone number.
- generate the salutation. When you create it, it is necessary to remain formal. Utilize “Mr,” “Mrs,” or “miss,” if you know their gender. If you are not sure about the gender, do not use these words. Use the word “Dear” and add their name. For example, “Dear Tom.”
- compose the content or body of the letter. Mention the reason why you write here. It must be precise and clear to the point.
- make a conclusion. When you do this, it might be either informal or formal, depending on the way the organization is represented. With informal conclusions, utilize “sincerely.”
- sign off your letter. Sign the letter beneath closing the letter. Put your title, name, and the organization’s name below the sign.
In the initial paragraph of your letter, provide a brief intro about yourself. Add your main mission. Make the reader be aware of what your organization exactly is and the way it helped someone in the past.
Then, let them be aware of what you want exactly. Tell what you eager for. It must be to the point and direct. Your letter must not include all the details hence provide a brief anecdote.
Be grateful for the recipient. Thank them for taking their precious time no matter whether or not he or she will donate. While thanking, request again to let them know what you need exactly from them. Tell them that you look forward to hearing from them.
Check out some of the letter’s examples:
- Examples are necessary since they give a reader a thought of how the donation request letter is written and what it is all about.
- They assist the reader in improving the language and grammar to be utilized when composing a letter.
- It assists the reader in the knowledge of the writing format that a donation request letter must possess.
To sum up, the more examples of the donation request letters you check out, the better your own letter will be. So, keep on reading them!