Donation Request Letter - Top Ten Items to Include

The Form Gallery - February 2012

What items do you include in the Church Fundraising Donation Request Letter?

Every church, organization, cause and audience is different. The donation letter that your group sends out should be tailored to your interests and your own circumstances and most definitely to the interest of your reader.

There are usually a lot of questions when you begin the task of writing your donation request letter such as - "Where do I start? This can be a tough assignment. Many churches need some kind of advice or template on this letter because they cannot afford to hire a professional writer or consultant. The job will usually be assigned to someone in church administration along with their other duties. This is where a template of some sort can be very helpful.

Here are the Top Ten Items to Include in the Donation Request Letter:

• 1. Church or Organization Name and Contact Information - Insert your letter on your organization's letterhead or make sure it's perfectly clear what organization is sending the letter by inserting your organization's name and logo, address, phone, email address, and web address.
• 2. Date - Of course, the date has to be included. This date needs to be the date of the mailing if at all possible.
• 3. Recipient's (Donor) Address - The recipient's address where your letter will be delivered will go under your date including recipient's name and address. This also gives you a way to double check the donor's address before mailing.
• 4. Salutation - Address the donation request letter to the recipient or donor's name and do not use "Dear Friend". Address them by their name because this makes it much more personal and appealing to the reader. First name or first and last name is fine.
• 5. Your Donation Request Story (Body of Letter) - This is where you have to connect with your reader by letting them know why the cause matters and what benefits they gain by donating (what difference will their contribution make). The first paragraph in the letter can be the most difficult to write. Try to avoid talking about your organization in this paragraph, but start out with a short paragraph getting their attention or start telling your story. For example you might get their attention by stating "It's that time of year again. The Annual Baptist Youth Camp is almost here!One of the most successful ways to get your message across to your donors is to describe a story of a specific situation or person your charity has helped in some way. Remember, don't show off accomplishments, but include a story that will engage the reader.
• 6. Ask for a Donation (Body of Letter) - Yes, it's fine if you ask for a financial gift just make it clear what you're asking for and how the reader should respond. If you want, you can even include a reply envelope addressed back to your organization.
• 7. Thank your Donor (Body of Letter) - Thank your reader in advance for their donation. If they have donated in the past be sure and address this and let them know how much they made a difference.
• 8. Closing - Traditional closings such as "Sincerely" or "Kind Regards" are acceptable, but you may have something better to fit your cause.
• 9. Signature - Don't ever leave the signature area blank or use a script font instead of a signature. Each letter should be hand-signed individually by the proper organization's administration.
• 10. Name and Title - Spell out the full name of the person the donation request letter is from under the signature and the title under the name letting them know who your are and what position you have in the organization.

Click here for the Donation Request Letter (Sample)

Donation Receipts

The Donation Receipts are free to download and print for your church office to give to your charitable donors who might simultaneously ask for a receipt.

Donation Receipts are available here.

Donation Thank You Cards

The Donation Thank You Cards are a great way of showing your donors that you really appreciate them and thank them for their generosity.

Donation Thank You Cards are available here.

Donation Thank You Letters

The Donation Thank You Letters can be a great way to let your special donors know how much you appreciate them.

Donation Thank You Letters are available here.

Donation Tracking Forms

These Donation Tracking Forms can be a very useful tool to track the donations for the fundraising goals for each cause. This allows you to send the generous donors a donation receipt along with a very sincere thank you.

Donation Tracking Forms are available here.

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God Bless Everyone,

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