Red Hot Fundraising Ideas

Are you organising or participating in a fundraising event in the near future? Wondering how to write a winning fundraising letter? There’s no reason to feel stressed out about creating an effective fundraising letter. Visit the new Red Hot Fundraising Ideas sample fundraising letters section, where you’ll find an extensive selection of documents that you can download to use in your own campaigns.

These letters are free for you to use. Feel free to use the documents exactly as they are if you choose. Simply fill in the blanks with information about your organisation or event, and you’ll be on your way to reaching your fundraising campaign goals. You’re also quite welcome to make any adjustments that will help you tailor the letters for your particular event or audience.

New letters will be added to the site on a regular basis, so be sure to check back every time you’re getting ready to send out fundraising letters. You might even see a letter that inspires you to launch a brand new type of fundraising event or campaign for your charity, school, team, or other organisation.

When you’re planning to conduct a direct mail fundraiser, it’s important to draft a well-written, attention getting letter that will motivate recipients to give to your charity. As most fundraising professionals and volunteers realise, the content of fundraising letters if very important. However, many fundraisers lose sight of the fact the way the letter looks can be just as important as what it says.

Why Format Matters
The format you choose for your fundraising letters is important for a number of reasons. There are so many internet, email, and direct mail scams floating around that people are very hesitant to donate to any charity that doesn’t appear to be a legitimate organisation. This means that it’s vital that every letter, and other piece of printed material, you send out on behalf of your group be very professional in appearance.

Use Business Letter Format
Your fundraising letters should be drafted using a standard acceptable business letter format. While it can be a great technique to send hand written thank you letters, the last thing you should do is send out a fundraising letter that is not typed.

Use a computer to generate your letters and print them on high quality paper using an easy-to-read, professional font. Print the letter on paper that contains your charity’s logo and mailing address. Include the recipients return address, a personal greeting, and complimentary closing. The body of the letter should be divided into three paragraphs, each of which should contain three or four sentences.

Font Considerations
Do not use an elaborate or cursive font in any professional correspondence. Arial and Times New Roman are safe choices for fundraising letters, although there are plenty of other acceptable selections. Choose your font size carefully. Generally, it’s best to use a 12 point type size in business letters.

Length
In virtually every circumstance, fundraising letters should be no more than one page long, with one-inch margins all the way around. If your letter is too long, people won’t bother to read it. Keep in mind that editing is an important part of the letter writing process. You may have to go through several revisions in order to consolidate it sufficiently.

Do not shrink the font down to a tiny size in order to get your letter to fit on a single page. Even though 12 point type is recommend, a 10 or 11 point font can be acceptable if necessary to keep the letter to a manageable size. Do not under any circumstances send out a letter with type smaller than 10 points.

Download Sample Fundraising Letters Here

No matter how well written your fundraising letters are, you won’t raise any money if they don’t end up in the hands of the right people. In order to enjoy a successful mail fundraising campaign, you have to have a good mailing list. It needs to be current, and include people who are likely to be interested in supporting your organization.

Organize Your Mailing List
If you plan to do mail fundraisers periodically, it’s important to keep an organized database of past donors, volunteers, and prospective donors. You don’t want to have to start from ground zero every time you get ready to send out a new mailing.

Add Prospects Your Mailing List
Smart fundraisers are always on the lookout for new prospective donors. Monitor your newspaper and local Chamber of Commerce to find out about new business opening in your area. These organisations can be excellent prospects for your charity, and can be added to your mailing list right away.

Visiting civic organizations, professional associations, and networking groups can also be a great way to build your mailing list. As you make new contacts through these resources, collect business cards and add those who are good prospects to your database.

Don’t forget to add those who express an interest in getting involved with your charity. As new individuals contact your organisation, make sure you add them to your mailing database. When individuals register for events your charity sponsors, go ahead and add them to your prospect list. It’s also a good idea to add your volunteers, vendors, and others who might have an interest in contributing to your organisation.

Clean Up Your Mailing List
Every time you launch a direct mail fundraiser, you’re likely to receive some returned mail. When you receive returns due to bad addresses or expired forwarding orders, immediately notate the issues in your prospect database. Either find new addresses for the individuals or remove them from your list. This will keep you from having to pay to mail undeliverable addresses time and time again. Remember that money saved is just as important as money raised!

Following these three tips for how to build an effective fundraising prospect list can make a big difference in the results you enjoy from your company’s fundraising mail campaigns. When you’re always working on adding new people to your list, you’ll reach new prospects every time you send out a new fundraising letter. Keeping your database clean will ensure that you don’t miss out on opportunities to cultivate repeat donors without wasting time or money soliciting those who have moved away.

Download Sample Fundraising Letters Here