Ten Tips To An Effective Fund Raising Letter

If you have ever written a fund raising letter, you know how difficult it can be to clearly and briefly explain what cause you are raising money for. It is even more difficult to persuade people that they should give money for their cause - after all, there are many good causes in need of their money. In order to get the most responses for your fund raising letter, you should follow these ten tips for good letter writing: 1. Include all important information in your fund raising letter, including contact information, the cause, what the money will be used for, how much money is needed, and how long the campaign is continuing on for. You letter is above all a letter meant to inform. 2. Make your fund raising letter appealing. Include anecdotes and stories to illustrate your point. Appeal to the reader's emotions. If appropriate, don't be afraid to use humor. 3. Use good style in your fund raising letter. Use the active voice and avoid any long sentences or complicated words. Be direct and clear. Read it over to make sure there are no mistakes or errors in your fund raising letter. 4. Make your fund raising letter attractive. Print it on nice paper. Make sure it easy to read. If possible, include photos or pictures in your fund raising letter. Consider adding a small memento such as a ribbon or a sticker in your letter. Make sure the font is easy to read. 5. Make it easy to say "yes" to your fund raising letter. Include a self-addressed paid envelope or postcard. Include lots of contact information or information about where a donor can get more information. Include lots of payment options. 6. Make your fund raising letter urgent and passionate. Explain why money is needed now and why your cause is worthy. 7. Make your fund raising letter personal. Explain what the donor will get from helping you. Explain in your letter why the donor should care about the cause. If possible, use your word processing software to send personalized letters to potential donors rather than generic "dear sir" letters. 8. Make sure your fund raising letter makes it

clear what is expected of the donor. Do you want money? Do you want the donor to sign a petition? Explain exactly what the donor can do to help your cause and how their efforts will help the cause. 9. Make your fund raising letter brief and to the point. No one has the time to read a five page letter today. Stick to one or two pages and make it clear. Use lots of white spaces and headers in your letter so that your reader is not faced with a page of dense type. 20. Have several people look over your fund raising letter. Ask them to critique it and ask them to suggest changes. Ask them whether the fund raising letter is clear and persuasive. Rewrite the letter as necessary.