Applying for Funding to Trusts &
Foundations
Often times, applying for grants with major
funders, such as Trusts & Foundations, require you to
submit a full application as well as a covering
letter.
Writing a
fundraising letter on behalf of your organization is a
very important part of many fundraising
efforts.
The
application letter that you send to supporters and
potential supporters is a direct representation of your
group. It is
a chance – perhaps your only chance – to relate your
mission, goals and needs to people who can help.
The letter
is as important as a personal visit, and great care
should be taken to be sure that all necessary information
is included and that it is presented in as compelling a
way as possible.
Here are
some tips for writing a winning fundraising
letter.
·
Be
Professional – It seems as though this shouldn’t
need to be said, but it does. Sending a letter with
misspellings and improper grammar presents a negative
image of your group to potential donors. If you aren’t great at
writing then have a few people proofread your
letter. You
may even consider hiring a writer to help with your
letters and other written material. That small investment
could bring big rewards.
·
Don’t
Open With a Plea – Do not start your letter with “We
need your help”. It’s likely that the
recipient of the letter receives dozens of such requests
each year, so you need to find a way to make the opening
of the letter compelling enough that the reader will keep
reading.
Consider starting with a true story of a way that your
organization has helped someone, or is making a
difference in the community. Specific examples, such
as “Maria was 16, pregnant and had nowhere to turn…” is
better than more general examples such as “We help
pregnant teens in our community.”
·
Say
What You Want – When making the plea for donations,
be specific about the needs of your group. A good example of why
this is important comes from a small non-profit in
Virginia. The purpose of the group was to help young
homeless women become self-sufficient. What the group needed
was donations of housing, household items and mass
transit tokens. A letter was sent to
individuals and businesses that beautifully told about
the mission of the group. It ended with a request
for donations to help the young women. But the letter didn’t
mention the specific needs of the group. They received hundreds
of bags of clothes. They not need them as they had a deal
with a local retailer which had agreed to provide new
clothing. They had no place to store them, and their
small offices were quickly buried in garbage bags full of
clothes. The
group didn’t want to appear ungrateful by turning away
the generous donations from the community, so the bags
kept coming, and much of the clothes were eventually
donated to another charity. The fundraising letter
ended up causing a burden to the group rather than
help.
Had the group been specific in its plea for assistance,
for example, “We need bus tokens to help these women get
to their newly found jobs,” the outcome likely would have
been much different. If you don’t let people
know what you need, they will have to guess.
·
Keep it
Short – As mentioned earlier, the recipients of your
letter likely get several just like it. If your letter is too
long, they may not even read it. Shoot for one to one
and a half pages. That gives you plenty
of room for what needs to be said without
rambling.
·
Include
Photos if Appropriate – Remember, this may be your
only chance to let potential donors know about your
group. Make
it good.
Photos will catch the attention of the reader more than
just words on a page, and the old saying “a picture is
worth a thousand words” is absolutely true. Photos will put a face
on the people in the stories that you share with the
readers. It
will bring to life the needs your group is dealing with,
and help to give potential donors a sense of
urgency. The
inclusion of photos may not be appropriate for every
group. Use
your good judgment.
Writing a
great fundraising letter just takes a little thought and
time.
Whether you
write it yourself, or hire a professional, remember that
the letter is a direct reflection of your group, so be
aware of every word and be sure your group is represented
in the best possible light.
Recommended Resources
Donate Your Car -
a fundraiser with great potential, but not for the faint
hearted
Sample Letter
Template - for funders to consider giving a grant or
donation to you or your group, they need to be impacted
immediately by your letter of application
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