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Effective Fundraising Letters Are About People, Not Projects
(Includes Samples &
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By Alan Sharpe
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Have you ever met a donor who liked funding infrastructure? Ihave. Once.
When I served as Director of Development for a nationalnon-profit, my organization needed a new heating and ventilationsystem for the national office. The cost was around $75,000, asI recall. The executive director approached one of our majordonors, a businessman who was also a faithful supporter, andasked if he would like to partner with us. The donor promptlywrote a cheque for the full amount. Later on, that same donormade a commitment to pay for the parking lot to be re-paved, arenovation that would cost over $25,000.
That donor was the exception. Most donors do not get excitedabout paying for sheet metal ducts or fresh asphalt. Donors giveto people, not programs. Donors don't send donations by mail tosupport a mission statement. They don't respond to appealsbecause of your vision statement. Or simply because your generalfund is depleted. And they are not (with rare exceptions)inspired to pay for electrical bills, staples, travel costs andplumbing repairs. Donors are people. And people give to people,usually to help people.
This basic fundraising truth means that you must state yourorganizational needs in human terms whenever possible. You musttranslate your case for support from non-profit-speak into fleshand blood. Donors want to know how their gift will help thepeople that you serve.
This fundraising truth still applies even if you do not servepeople. If your non-profit promotes nuclear arms disarmament,for example, your donors want to know how their gift will endnuclear weapons testing. If you are an animal-rights charity,your donors want to know how their financial gift will rescueanimals from laboratory experiments.
How to say "people," not "programs"
Ifyou are raising funds for a specific project that aims to help aparticular people group (children, seniors, single mothers,children with cerebral palsy), then your job is straightforward.Ask yourself these questions:
1. What is my client's need?
2. What do we presently lackto meet that need?
3. How will my client benefit if wemeet that need?
Here is an example. Imagine that your non-profit organization inSouth Africa runs an orphanage for children whose parents havedied from AIDS. The children are suffering from dysenterybecause the local water supply is contaminated. Your solution isto drill a well. You need $50,000.
You could send an appeal letter to your supporters, asking for$50,000. Mistake.
You could send an appeal letter to your supporters, asking for$50,000 for a new well. Another mistake.
Remember, people give to people to help people. Your donors wantto help orphans, not drill a well. Drilling the well will helpthe orphans, but your ask needs to concentrate on the orphans.Here's how you would answer the above three questions.
Q. What is my client's need?
A. To avoid deadlydysentery.
Q. What do we presently lack to meet that need?
A. A wellthat supplies fresh water.
Q. How will my clients benefit if we meet that need?
A.Live rather than die an excruciating death. Continue enjoyingthe benefits of full-time schooling. Continue to reach theirpotential physically, socially and emotionally. Avoid manymedical complications later in life. Be productive members ofsociety in a few years. Be able to help others. You get the idea.
Your job now is to ask for funds to drill the well so that thechildren will benefit in those ways listed. Don't just ask formoney for a well. That's just a project. Don't show a photo ofthe well in its packing crate. Show how the donor's gift willhelp the children you serve. That's the people.
What about the "general fund" ask?
Thegreatest challenge in this area is when you are requesting fundsfor your general fund and not for a tangible project, when youcannot describe any specific benefits that are tied to aparticular initiative. In these cases, you still need todescribe your need in human terms, and you do this by showingyour donors the view from 10,000 feet instead of 10 feet..
Let's say you need to raise money by mail for your general fund,to pay for salaries, administration, office supplies,postage--all the things that are needed to run a non-profit. Theview from 10 feet says you need to raise $20,000 this quarter tomeet general fund expenses or you're in trouble with your board.But the view from 10,000 feet says you need to raise $20,000 tocontinue meeting the needs of the people you serve.
So instead of saying this:
"Please donate to our general fund."
You say this:
"Please send a gift today to our 'Sequoia Sender'sFund.' From this fund we draw the monies needed to promote ourservice to environmentalists at large, train teams, send themoverseas, and handle all the tasks involved in getting thosevolunteers onto the field and back again in a way that promotesresponsible forestry practices, encourages and equips localactivists, and blesses the volunteer who goes."
See the difference? The fund is no longer a general fun but afund set aside to accomplish the goals of the organization. Itserves the same purpose, it just has a more compelling name.This ask is worded in such a way that it covers every officeexpense from paper to payroll, yet in a way likely to inspireand motivate donors.
Your role as a writer of effective fundraising letters is toalways be looking for the human interest story that lies beneathyour immediate financial needs. Capture that, and you'll capturethe hearts and minds of your donors.
© 2005 Sharpe Copy Inc. You may reprint thisarticle online and in print provided the links remain live andthe content remains unaltered (including the "About the author"message).
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