In this video, I'll teach you how to write a donation letter so you can start to inform donors about your efforts and ultimately encourage donations. Together we'll go through what to include in a donation letter donation letter examples and best practices when writing your own letter i'll also give you a template so you can start writing your letter as soon as possible if you want to skip to that the link's in the description below so let's get started it's important to note donation letters vary from one non-profit to the next and for each fundraising campaign you run but the core elements should remain the same these include #1 the header include your non-profit's name and branded logo if you have one #2 contact information include your physical address and phone number listing a contact person non-profit website and email address although helpful is optional #3 the donor salutation address your donor by their preferred name decide whether you'd prefer a formal salutation such as dear mr and mrs richard smith or a more informal one like hi rick #4 the non-profit story your story is the hook that connects your reader to your mission on an emotional level if you don't have one we'll deep dive into this in the next slide #5 the call to action at the end of your donation letter write a clear direct call to action outlining exactly what you want from your reader -- don't assume they know what you're looking for #6 thank and sign finish your letter by thanking your recipient and signing it ignore the temptation to sign from your organization instead choose an employee board member or key volunteer to represent the collective whole this helps promote the ideal human to human element you're aiming for and reinforces the personal connection between you and your donor most of these are pretty straightforward the only difficult part would be the story a good story can be the difference maker between a letter that entices readers to donate and one that ends up in the junk folder. Here's a the format you should follow when writing your story start with the need, the solution and end with the hero. Starting with need. The need is the problem you aim to solve focus on the who or what is in need be descriptive use images or statistics to paint a clearer picture let's take a look at an example from the non-profit organization Feeding America here is their need hunger in America exists for over 50 million people that's one in six of the u.s population including more than one in five children and two sentences they describe what the problem is, how many people it impacts and it uses statistics to focus in on the children in need next comes your solution your solution should address the need you laid out describe what your organization does what is the ideal result and how do you solve or prevent the problem mentioned earlier now we'll use the example from Feeding America their solution is we work to get nourishing food from farmers manufacturers and retailers to people in need at the same time we seek to help the people we serve to build a path to a brighter food secure future now in this example you can see how they solve the problem with hunger and how they hope to prevent it in the future with a food secure future finally comes your hero every story needs a hero someone who makes the change happen yes your non-profit is doing much of the work but it's only possible with your donor's support make your donor the hero of the story by mentioning how they are impacting change let's go back again to the previous example when you join Feeding America as a monthly donor your gift creates a reliable source of funding to help provide meals to families facing hunger every dollar you give can provide at least 10 meals to families in need through the feeding america network of food banks this is how you should position your reader they should be the ones to enable change in the example the reader knows how far their dollar will go in aiding the cause that was one example and your story can look different in many ways so get creative let's put it all together and look at one more example from the world wildlife fund this is a donation letter in the form of an email now pause here and see if you can spot their need solution and hero in this email the header image and the first paragraph are used to provide the reader with context about snow leopards this helps set up the need which is found in the next paragraph the solution can be found in the final paragraph they keep it at a high level and they provide more details through links that way you can keep the message short and improve the chances that the whole email gets read this paragraph also does a good job of positioning the reader as the hero it mentions the reader by name and lets them know that they are in a position to make change here's another donation request this time for elephants now again notice how the header image and the first paragraph help to bring the problem to the forefront then they provide the solution through a link keeping the message short and the final paragraph lists the impacts the reader can have on the situation and puts them as the enabler for change for their call to action they don't use the conventional donate button instead their button says yes i want to protect nature and this makes the reader focus on the long-term goal which is where the focus should be lastly they sign off the email with an image of the sender creating a more human to human interaction they use the same sender consistently so over time readers become more familiar and build a personal connection donating becomes a lot easier when it feels like you're helping out someone you can trust well we're at the end of the video but before you start writing here are some key takeaways to keep in mind #1 Make it Friendly - write the letter as if you were speaking with a friend avoid internal lingo and non-profit jargon if it's taking too long you're probably thinking too much #2 Make it Authentic - use a real signature from someone of importance in the organization and whom people will recognize include headshots to give it more of a human touch #3 Give Options - offer alternatives to money donation donating their time through volunteering or sharing your message on social media can go a long way #4 Make it Easy - after reading your letter potential donors should know exactly how they can contribute to your cause if your call to action is a button make it large and have it stand out #5 Track your Data - record response rates from your donors this can help you improve your letters and timing for campaigns down the road there are tons of email automation tools like Mailchimp or giving mail that will help you with this but if you're looking for a free one I would suggest Wild Apricot! I included a link to start along with some donation letter templates in the description below thanks for watching and if you find this video helpful be sure to like and subscribe