Foolproof Fundraising Letter Template for Small Nonprofits

It’s Fall, and that means it’s time to find the perfect fundraising letter template.

If your Fall fundraising appeal is all planned out, well done. If it’s already in process or in the mail, excellent work!

If you haven’t even started thinking about it yet, don’t panic. You still have time, but you need to get on it now.

And good news!

I have a fundraising letter template that works.

Before diving into the fundraising letter template, though, let’s take a moment to get your ducks in a row.

Trust me, it’ll help you minimize your costs and maximize your return – leading you to better success.

1. Clean up your mailing list. Don’t send your fundraising appeal to people who don’t want to hear from you anymore.

A clean list, with the most current email and mailing addresses, will save you money and help you reach the right people fast.

2. Plan it out. What story will you tell in the letter? What will you ask people to give? What difference will their money make? When will the letter need to go out?

Planning out your appeal can help you get it done in a short period of time.

3. Set goals for your fundraising appeal. Don’t just mail or email a letter and hope to raise money. Be clear about the specific results you want from your appeal.

There’s actually a LOT of math you can do to calculate the results you might get.

I usually crunch the numbers below for my clients, so at a minimum, I encourage you to consider these goals:

• Largest number of gifts possible – Exactly how many would that be for your nonprofit?
• Highest possible gift from each donor – What is your typical average gift size?
• Smallest cost possible for the mailing – Will you print, fold, and stuff in-house or outsource the work?
• Best return on investment – What can this be, considering the dollars you spend?

Most fundraising letters I see fall short of their potential brilliance.

They’re written by committee (deadly mistake!) or written by someone who doesn’t understand the psychology behind a successful appeal.

Sadly, some people think they can simply throw some words on a page, and then sit back and collect the money.

Bad news – it doesn’t work that way.

An appeal that’s, well, not so appealing, talks about how great the organization is, how long they’ve been around, and how amazing their work is.

A great appeal tugs donors’ heartstrings and moves them to reach for their wallets.

See the difference? It’s about who the letter is focused on. More on that in a minute.

Here are some tips to help you write the best possible letter, with or without a template.

I write a LOT of fundraising letters for clients. Like dozens a year.

Once I get the story and the angle in my head, I can usually whip up a letter in about 30 minutes, and my clients love the results they get!

On a recent coaching call, I rewrote an appeal for a homeless ministry and they raised over $20,000 with it! So I KNOW this works!

Here’s the fundraising letter template that I personally use:

1. Grab the reader’s attention with a short, compelling first line that begins to tell a story. This is the hook that gets people started reading your letter.

2. Continue the letter by telling a story that demonstrates the need met by your organization. Keep the paragraphs short – maybe a sentence or two. It makes the letter easier to read.

3. Pivot and talk about the gap between the number of lives currently being changed and the number still waiting. This puts your message into context.

4. Transition into why you need your reader’s help and the urgency of the need. Urgency is critical – if you don’t give people a reason to act NOW, you won’t raise as much money.

5. Make the Ask. Ask for a specific amount of money and talk about what that money will do.

6. End the letter with a clear call to action (“Use the enclosed envelope to send your best gift today”).

7. Use the signature of the top-ranking staff person.

8. In a short P.S., repeat the Ask.

This template works. Every. Time.

Want to make your letter irresistible? Try one of these:

• Add photos of the person/animal in the story. Stick to photos where we can see the person’s/animal’s eyes. The eyes connect the donor emotionally to the need.
• Add a link to a video online where the donor can see and hear more about the person/animal from the story.
• Follow up a print letter with a shorter email version to remind the donor to give. This is a terrific one-two punch that can encourage giving from those who didn’t take action on the letter alone.
• Support the story in the letter with social media posts, especially if you can link to the video. This reinforces the story and the need for those donors who see both. For those who only see the social media post, it’s a chance for them to give.
• Have your Board members add handwritten notes on the letters to people they personally know. A personal connection can make a big difference in whether or not someone gives and how much they give.

You can raise a LOT of money with both “snail mail” and email fundraising letters, if you follow the right formula.

Use my fundraising letter template, and your donors will easily understand what you’re asking them to do – which will pave the way to more and bigger donations this Fall (or any time of year!).