Sending out fundraising letters might seem like an old-fashioned way to ask for donations^[1], but they can be extremely effective when written correctly!

If you’ve been looking for fundraising letters, look no further! We’ve got six of the most common fundraising letters that nonprofits should be sending out to their donors.

Here’s what we’ll be going over:

1. Donation Request Letters^[2]
2. Church Fundraising Letters^[3]
3. Individual Fundraising Letters^[4]
4. Matching Gift Fundraising Letters^[5]
5. Sponsorship Letters^[6]
6. Donor Thank-You Letters^[7]

Tools we mention to support fundraising letter campaigns:

1. GivingMail^[8]
2. DonateKindly^[9]
3. Fundly^[10]
4. Double the Donation^[11]
5. Fundraising Letters^[12]

The power of direct mail fundraising is often underestimated. However, with the right tools and tips, physical fundraising letters can be extremely effective for bringing in increased revenue. Let’s jump right in!
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1. Donation Request Letters

What are donation request letters?

Donation request letters^[14] are nonprofit fundraising letters that charitable organizations send out to individual donors and/or prospects.

They can be sent on their own or included in a welcome packet that contains pamphlets, booklets, and additional information. Typically, an effective donation request letter^[15] will include a summary of the issue you’re addressing with the donations along with a specific call to action. This way, recipients can better understand the urgency behind the donation request and, hopefully, choose to partake in the campaign.

When should you use them?

Your nonprofit can use donation request letters at any time of the year! However, they are particularly effective toward the end of the calendar year when donors are determining their pre-tax season finances. People also tend to be more charitable in November and December, which means that your donation request letter has a better chance of encouraging a donation.

You can send out donation request letters to any of your donors, but these types of communications are better received by older generations. While millennials respond to digital donation appeals, the baby boomer generation overwhelmingly prefers direct mail.