How to Write a Fundraising Letter
A letter can be written by anyone, but if you talk about writing fundraising letters, then an amateur is certainly not fit for it. Copywriting is only for big businesses, and since you are in need of raising funds, it shows that you cannot afford excellent copywriting. You will have to write the crucial letter by yourself.
Your goal is to get the message across the donor, and persuade the him or her to help you raise funds. Below are tips on how to write a fundraising letter that will undoubtedly help you achieve your goal.
Use “You” more than you use “I”. You might have learned a lot from your teachers who taught you about writing a brochure or a press release, but still, you are writing a fundraising letter and you are addressing another individual. This is not to say that you should never use “I”, though. You have to use both, but using “you” provides human interest. With this technique, you are effectively engaging the reader to the letter and your purpose for writing it.
The needs should appeal to you more than the benefits. Your prospective donors give because they want to receive something in return. Of course, they feel good about helping other people, but they share something to you because they are expecting a tangible gift from you. The benefits that are intangible depend on what you’re fundraising for, but could be restored human dignity, healthy lives, or literacy training. Your donors are expecting tangibles, which you should focus on to get them to give you something, like a set of cards the children from your agency created, or free admission to an event your agency is hosting.
Let them know your purpose, which is to ask for money, and not just for moral support. Explicitness is the best policy when writing a fundraising letter. Be clear about what you’re asking for. Here’s an example of telling it straightforwardly: “Give a special gift of $50 or more today”. Throughout the letter, it will help to repeat what you are asking for, but make sure that you make variations when mentioning it. This is to remind the donor of your purpose in writing the letter.
A fundraising letter is not just a letter. Remember, you are giving the donor a package. When raising funds, you show donors what package you have to offer. The letter is indeed a major and significant part of the whole package. This means you have to send the letter with a reply device, a reply envelope and an outer envelope. Make the whole package presentable to engage the reader and persuade him or her to take action about your cause. Make sure that the whole package has a unifying theme. All envelopes and font types should be well-coordinated.
Be straightforward, and write in simple English. Expect your donor to be a busy person, so do not exert too much effort in creating long and wordy sentences. Make your sentences punchy and short. Make them reader-friendly, but maintain the powerfulness of the words. Your donor does not have time to analyze what you are trying to say, so focus on targeting the emotions and never attempt to provoke analysis. Highfalutin words will fail you. Foreign phrases will not help at all. Adverbs and adjectives help, but only if you use them sparingly. Acronyms and abbreviations are a big no-no. All names should be spelled out. Your donor will only skim through the letter, so make sure that the reader gets the message before the he or she stops reading the entire piece.
Make the letter readable. Eyes need rest, too, so make sure that you give your donors something that will not tire their eyes. Leave a lot of white space around the copy by using underlines sparingly, using subheadings and indenting paragraphs. Do not exceed five lines in a paragraph. Listing items in a sentence does not work, so using bullets is recommended.
Make the readers feel like they have to give money now. A sense of urgency should be present throughout the letter. How to create this atmosphere? Cite deadlines and match them with a grant. Set a budget deadline, if you must. Your argument must be repeated in the letter for urgency. Mention it again in a P.S, and also on on your response device. If you are using bulk mail, be cautious about using dates, because the donor may receive the letter after the date.
Do not delay following these tips because if you do, you delay raising funds.