There is very little that can make a person feel quite as uncomfortable as asking for money even if it’s for a good cause.

That is why the annual fundraising letter is so vital to your fundraising success.  It does much of the hard work for you.

By carefully constructing your letter you can lead your potential donors through the decision-making process towards the “call-to-action” which is the making of a donation.  There are some things you need to include in your letter if you want to capture attention and bring the reader to the point of donating.

  • Make it personal.  You are writing to an individual, not a crowd.
  • Make it compelling by telling a story which plucks the reader’s emotional strings.
  • Show your appreciation for your donors by telling the reader about what you have been able to achieve with donor help.
  • Write with a sense of urgency.  If your cause is important to you, that won’t be difficult.
  • Ask for the donation. Be clear about what you want and the action you want the reader to take.  Don’t be coy – be straightforward.  It brings results.

This image below is part of an infographic which shows you how to write your annual fundraising appeal letter.  Follow the checklist to help you structure your writing to achieve your end goal.

The full infographic focuses on two streams – acquisition and renewal.  Click on the image below to see the full version.  It’s very helpful.

 

appeal

 

By preparing one main letter every year and writing it well you will find that your donation level is maintained and even improved as you acquire new donors.  It’s worth taking the time to craft the perfect letter instead of just sending out a copy of the one you used last year especially if the results weren’t as good as you wanted.