Updated at: 09-05-2022 - By: Sienna Lewis

Are you looking for advice on how to create a letter of request for a gift from a company? The process of writing a letter may sound simple to you, but this one is different. As a result, you’ll need to know all that you can about this request before you act on it because it’s being sent to a business. It’s unlikely that it will be accepted outright.

A letter asking for a gift from a company is different from any other service request you’ll make. Even in the case of a small or medium-sized corporation, your letter should include all the relevant and necessary facts so that your request can be approved by their senior management. Here, please tell us more.

However, we have high hopes of making it a reality. Relax and take a seat while we continue our discussion of the subject matter in this article. We’re going to go into more detail about how to write a fantastic letter of request for a gift from a corporation. A donation request letter to a business will be covered in this course. The letter may take some time to complete, so I think we can proceed without further ado. Be patient and don’t worry about making mistakes; it’s all part of the process. The terms necessary to use or create one can also be found in this article. Put them into proper working order.

Why: The Purpose of Donation Letters

NGOs use donation letters, also known as appeals, as a way to urge donors to come forward with their money and support. In most cases, they include a formal request for financial support or an in-kind donation.

Donation letters, despite their briefness and lack of depth in comparison to a standard booklet or other marketing materials, speak directly to the problem that a nonprofit is seeking to solve. Like your donation webpage, many also give basic information about the overall impact of the organization and appreciate past generous efforts of donors.

Donation letters have two purposes: to let your supporters know what you’re up to and to entice them to donate.

Who: Individual vs. Corporate Appeals

Individual and corporate appeals are the two most common types of fundraising letters. Want to know the difference and why it matters? Read on to find out. Continue reading to learn more!

How to Write the Perfect Donation Letter (+ Examples & Template)

Individual Appeals

You get those letters from March of Dimes, the ASPCA, and the World Wildlife Fund in the mail? Individual appeals are what they are!

An individual appeal is a donation letter addressed to a specific individual. Also included in this category are married couples and families that give in unison.

A one-time or recurring gift is requested in an individual appeal, which is tailored to a specific donor or family. It’s up to your nonprofit to decide whether its fundraising efforts should focus on regular contributions or a one-time campaign.

Corporate Appeals

Small, medium, and large businesses in all parts of the country and around the world receive solicitations from nonprofits. The structure of corporate donation letters is similar to that of individual pleas, despite the fact that the target is different.

What you’re asking for is the distinction between the two. A lot of NGOs create corporate donation letters to ask for in-kind gifts (meals for a charity event, gift certificates for a raffle), collect employee gift matching, or ask for a sponsorship for a specific project.

In the case of a volunteer thank-you celebration, you might create a corporate plea if you’re seeking for a local pizza restaurant to provide the pizza in-kind.

It’s common for this form of letter to focus more on the value to the donating corporation and how it contributes to their long-term business objectives. You could suggest that your volunteers will remember the pizza parlor that donated and will be more inclined to dine there in the future as a result of their involvement in this example.

When: Ideal Times to Create and Send

Creating fundraising appeals for each fundraising campaign is critical, regardless of the size of your nonprofit or organization’s reach around the world.

However, there are a few critical questions you need to ask yourself before issuing appeals.

  • Do you know how many letters you should be writing? When it comes to the number of letters in your name, it’s all up to you. If you’re not sure where to begin, for campaigns lasting up to thirty days, aim for three fundraising letters (or emails). Letter touchpoints are naturally required for lengthier campaigns.
  • Sending them out on a regular basis is ideal. Send any correspondence in advance of the campaign’s start date, if possible. Then, in the last days/week, send out one final letter to ensure that you haven’t forgotten about them. Depending on previous donor trends, you can either increase or decrease your frequency. Donors are more likely to contribute early in a campaign when interest is strong, so group your letters properly.
  • What are the best ways to disseminate them? You may apply the same approach to emails and letters. You can send one or the other, or a combination of the two, depending on who you’re trying to reach.
    • Use your data analytics (Google, Facebook) if you’re delivering appeals by email or social media to track when individuals open and engage with your messages.
    • Don’t forget to postmark and mail your direct mail solicitations before your fundraising deadlines.

Ultimately, the length of your campaign, the response rate of your typical donor, and your sense of urgency should all be taken into account when developing a contribution letter strategy.

8 Types of Donation Request Letters (The Complete Guide with Examples)

How: Putting it all Together

The fundamental features of a donation letter stay the same regardless of which nonprofit you work for or which fundraising campaign you are involved in. Among them are:

Your nonprofit’s name and logo, if any, should appear in the header.

Include your actual location and phone number in your non-profit contact information. The inclusion of a phone number, a non-profit website, and an email address is not required but can be useful.

Include the date by which you intend to send or email the correspondence.

Donor Salutation: Use the donor’s preferred name when addressing them. Determine whether “Dear Mr. and Mrs. Richard Smith” or a more casual “Hi Rick” is more appropriate for the situation.

An acknowledgement of your relationship with the donor should be included at the outset of your correspondence. You can understand why this is problematic if you’re dealing with a large contributor base. In the absence of adequate resources, consider segmenting your contributors according to the manner in which you communicate with them. donor, volunteer, board member, lapsed donor

A simple, “You’ve been a huge part of our organization’s fabric for a long time. Sincerely, we couldn’t do this work without you. We couldn’t do it without you. We couldn’t do it without you. We couldn’t do this work without you.

Your nonprofit’s story is the hook that draws the reader into an emotional connection with your cause.

This is how you should tell your story in a donation letter:

  • The Need: Describe the problem that your non-profit aims to solve. Throw a statistic out there, but keep your focus on the person or thing in need of support. Your soup kitchen can be a winter haven for a family or a lifetime home for an animal that is in need of a loving home.
  • Outline the solution once you’ve written about the problem and what needs to be done about it. What’s the best case scenario? Define success as it pertains to your non-profit.
  • Every story needs a hero: a person who is able to bring about a positive change. It’s true that your nonprofit is doing a lot of the work, but your donors are the ones who are making it all possible. Every time you tell a tale, make your donor the star.

This letter is being sent to solicit money, so be sure to emphasize that point! Write a clear, direct call-to-action at the end of your donation letter, describing just what you want from your reader. Take your time and don’t assume they know what you’re looking for

Give thanks and sign off by saying thank you for the consideration of a present and signing your name at the end of your letter. Resist the urge to sign with the name of your company. Instead, appoint a key volunteer, board member, or employee to serve as a spokesperson for the organization. This enhances the “human-to-human” element you’re trying to achieve and strengthens the personal connection between you and your donor.

Donation Letter Template & Sample for Individuals and Corporations

Your donation letter is now ready to be written. To help you get started, I’ve included a letter template and an example of how to use it. Once you’ve clicked the link and entered your email address, you’re ready to begin! Make a duplicate of the document for your own use once you’ve entered it.

2 Gold Standard Donation Letter Examples

Here are two letters I’ve gotten recently that motivated me to make a donation, in case you need more motivation.

Letter #1: Friends of the Larchmont Library

High scores are given to this gift letter’s structure, substance, and overall design. Despite the fact that it doesn’t mention a single contributor by name, this copy does mention their previous assistance, as well as current library events and a pressing need. Finally, the letter finishes with a heartfelt “thank you” for all of your help.

Letter #2: Save the Children

Using a typical donation letter format, but appealing to someone reading an email, this email is excellent (as opposed to a physical letter). Begin the letter with a casual yet personal salutation before moving on to discuss an important world issue (added bonus! ), address the recipient’s desire for help and offer tangible solutions provided by the organization, and conclude with a heartfelt plea. Finally, a human being has signed it. It’s easy to digest, personal, and relevant.

How to Write the Perfect Donation Letter (or Email) - YouTube

Tips On Writing A Donation Request Letter To A Business

What’s the best way to approach a business about getting a donation? Be patient; this is a learning process, so be cautious. In time, you’ll be able to do it without thinking about it as much as before. The following are some suggestions or even factors to keep in mind when dealing with these issues:

Tip #1. Proper salutation

A polite opening to your letter is essential when addressing a potential donor. In this way, the donor will find it more appealing. If you prefer, you can do this manually, type it out, or even customize it to your liking. All that matters is that the donor finds it appealing and beneficial.

Using the names and addresses of your supporters in your letters may increase your response rate by 14 percent, the average donation size by 19 percent, and your overall income by 31.5 percent, according to research. With this, you may be able to respond more quickly than others because you already have some knowledge about the company. Donation request letters are an important part of the process.

Tip #2. Explaining what are your plans and mission

Consider the possibility that the client or recipient of the service or product you’ve provided doesn’t know much about the company you work for. It’s imperative, especially if you’re a small nonprofit working to help others, that you follow up with a rational explanation in this scenario. Give as much detail as you can. It’s going to be a huge assistance to you.

In the words of others, this is the “hook” of all content since it inspires readers to connect with what you’re attempting to do. Using this method, you have a better chance of finding a donor quickly. If you give out incorrect information, you could find yourself in legal trouble.

Tip #3. Giving out specific details

You must not forget about this in the middle of your letter, since giving out clear facts of what you’re aiming for will assist you convey all the essentials. As a first step, describe what you’re going to do, thoroughly explain what you’re doing, and explain how it will affect us. To finish this one, you can submit examples of your previous works, stories, and more. Because this is a donation request, many are looking for someone who has handled such a request before.

Tip #4. Request specific things through advertising

There is no need to advertise something on television, the world, or any other medium when we talk about advertising. Don’t be vague or vaguely worded while making explicit requests. It is possible to give donors a choice without making them feel compelled to do so.

Amount requested, but stress that any aid is very appreciated. Try to link your request to a specific outcome if at all possible In other words, “your thirty bucks can provide a full supper every day for one youngster off the streets.” The donors will have a better idea of the message you’re trying to get through to them. Ensure that you don’t give it a low priority; doing so could make you appear unprofessional. We want to save as much money as possible before donating it, therefore we’ll be collecting it ourselves. It provides you a small edge because it affects the donor’s perception of you. We’re confident that it’s simple enough.

Donation Letter Best Practices & Key Takeaways

As you begin to write your gift letter, here are three additional important practices to keep in mind.

  1. Nonprofit jargon can be difficult for donors to grasp, so keep your conversational tone and avoid using acronyms. If you’re looking for something more human and personal, then ditch those “collective activities,” “synergizing,” or “alignments.” Write your letter as if you were having a conversation with the recipient.
  2. Track Your Statistics: Donor response rates should be recorded. This might help you enhance the timing and content of your future campaigns.
  3. Fundraising “extras” might help set your nonprofit up for future success. These include asking your donor to consider a recurring or monthly payment or inviting them to participate in the campaign by sharing or raising money themselves..
  4. It should be as simple as possible for potential donors to donate to your cause after reading your letter, whether they do so by mailing in their credit card information or by contributing online.

The nicest part of writing a letter, by the way, is…

It is possible to build on a great gift letter template for years to come. Use Bloomerang’s infographic on how to write an annual fundraising appeal letter to better understand how to organize your plea.

There’s never been a better moment to make your donation letter stand out from the crowd. You can do this!

It’s A Wrap!

What’s the best way to approach a business about getting a donation? At first, it may be difficult to learn how to write a gift request letter to a company, but with practice, you will become proficient. That being said, I wish you the best of luck with your donation. We hope you’ll be able to get that confirmed at some point. If you’re interested in learning how to create a donation flyer, here’s an article on the subject. Oh, and don’t forget to check out the sections on how to make a memorial donation and where to buy donation boxes. I hope you have a wonderful day!