Fundraising Letters Step #2 - Writing a Letter That Works [fundraisingactivities]

Fundraising Letters Step #2 - Writing a Letter That Works [fundraisingactivities]

Sunlight Foundation's Party Time project tracks down invitations for lawmakers' bashes, enters them into a database and puts them online. ... Lehigh Valley and northwest New Jersey congressmen charge hundreds for a dinner invitation ... Leonard Lance ... Lehigh Valley and northwest New Jersey congressmen charge hundreds for a ...

The terrorist-linked Dar al Hijrah Islamic Center held their annual fundraising banquet this past Saturday April 3 at the Fairview Park Marriott in Northern Virginia. Seven Virginia elected officials were featured as invited guests on the advertisement for the fundraiser. Starting on February 17 we notified those seven officials about the terrorist links of Dar al Hijrahs past and current imams and congregants. Two of them, Senator James Webb and State Delegate Kaye Kory, had their name removed from the flyer in the weeks following our notifications. Yet on the eve of the fundraiser, the remaining five - Governor Tim Kaine, Conressmen Gerry Connolly and Jim Moran, and Fairfax County Supervisors Penny Gross and Sharon Bulova kept their names on the invitation. On Saturday, concerned Virginia citizens including the Virginia Anti-Sharia Taskforce (VAST) and Act for America held a protest outside the hotel. Two local community members, who had purchased confirmed tickets days in advance, and had registered, and been issued nametags at the door, were later ejected by security guards before they could even enter the event. The next day they came to CSP, concerned about Dar-al-Hijrahs poor treatment of non-Muslims who are average citizens, while Dar-al-Hijrah actively invited non-Muslims who are elected officials. We contacted the 5 remaining politicians on Monday. Congressman James Moran and Governor and DNC Chairman Tim Kaine confirmed they had not attended, while the other ...

http://webtaj.com Which VA dems attended terror-linked mosque fundraiser?

Earlier I wrote an article on the 7 steps of a fundraising letter, that one has been so popular I thought you might like more. This is the second in a series of articles that explores each of those 7 steps in greater detail.

Step #2:  Writing a letter that works.  Writing a letter that gets results is challenging but fun. Follow these basic steps and you can write a great one. If writing is not your thing be sure you have someone else proofread (you should do that in any case) and allow them to correct your grammar and make changes.   

1.  The greatest investment of your time and creativity will be in getting the right start for your appeal letter. So don't start at the beginning. Write the heart of the letter including an update of your organization, your recent successes and plans for the future. Refer to information or pictures available on the website. Be honest, compelling, even a bit emotional. Speak directly to the reader. Keep the tone personal and engaging. Remember, you are going for a long letter, not a terse one (reminder: long letters are proven to work better).  Make a clear case for why you need money and what it will accomplish. Remember Vision, Mission, Goals. Share your vision and the dream of reaching it, talk about your mission - what you are doing day after day and let the reader see how your goals are reachable, with their gifts.  Do not get bogged down by explaining logistics, operations, philosophy or other details of your work. Most readers want to know that you have identified a need and know how to fill it.

Explaining details or criticizing other approaches just derails the conversation and will not help you get results. If you have a regular presentation or Tour, invite them to come and learn more but don't use your appeal letter for that purpose.

2.  Once you have that down, the opening may come naturally. If not spend some time exploring the possibilities. Here are some directions to take:

Use a compelling quote.  State a startling fact. Tell a personal story. Share good news. State a heartbreaking statistic. Refer to the insertion.

Example: I created a fundraising letter for an organization that provides temporary shelter for the homeless. We inserted a garbage bag in each mailing. The opening line was: "Imagine everything you owned fit in this bag."

Start a conversation. 

This is the example I used in the previous article: "Yesterday I received a call from the head of the state's Department of Human Services. I was flattered and a little surprised that she would be calling me. Unfortunately, the news wasn't good. After telling me how much she admired our initiatives and was impressed with our year-end results, she let me know that the budget for our programs would be cut..."

3.  The reader may not read every word but they will read the opening and the signature. The person sending the letter should be known and respected or at least have a title that is credible. If you are writing the letter for someone else's signature, speak with that person's voice as much as possible.  If you can, hand sign the letters. If not, put a scan of the actual signature in the file so it prints like a handwritten signature. Use blue for the signature and black type for the rest.

4.  After the opening paragraph, the postscript is the most often read part of the letter. That's why you'll always find at least one at the end of a direct mail letter. Your PS should be a strongly worded call to action. Send the reader to your website to make an easy (really easy) donation. Or invite them for a Tour or offer an incentive for a quick response.

  Your letter does not have to be on letterhead. Something that looks like personal stationary is ideal. The size could be smaller than 8.5 x 11, again so it looks like stationary. The envelope should also give the appearance of a personal letter. Use a common, easily readable font like Times Roman or Bookman. You can create and print your letter in-house if you have the capacity.

I will continue this series exploring each of the remaining 5 steps in more detail including Asking for a Contribution, Getting Attention with Insertions, Timing Your Letter, Mailing It and Testing. I have already published Step #1: Creating and Maintaining Your List.

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