Year-End Fundraising Letter Appeals: 10 Tips to Give Them a
Boost.
If your non-profit organization is like many others, you receive
half or more or your contributed income at the end of the year
as part of what used to be called the "Christmas Appeal." In
recent years it has come to be known as, in politically correct
North America at least, the "Year-End Appeal" or "Seasonal
Appeal."Which means your year-end appeal letter can make or
break your year, financially speaking. Here are some tips on how
to craft a winning year-end fundraising letter appeal
package.
1. Keep it simpleOne non-profit ministry that I shall not name mailed their
year-end appeal letter in a poly bag along with their donor
newsletter. They had been late in getting their newsletter in
the mail and so, to save on postage, they mailed it along with
the seasonal appeal letter. The campaign bombed, and bombed big.
Donors, as far as we could tell, read the full-colour newsletter
and ignored the letter that came with it. So my advice is this:
keep your year-end appeal simple and focused on one goal:
securing a year-end donation.
2. Be creative
You will be competing with other organizations in the
mailbox. Every charity sends an appeal at Christmas. So stand
out by mailing something creative. When I worked with Doctors
Without Borders as their fundraising letter writer, they mailed
a Christmas card to donors that donors then signed and returned
to the organization with their gift. Doctors Without Borders
forwarded the card to a volunteer doctor or nurse who was
serving overseas, and whose name was on the card. The cards were
greatly appreciated by the volunteers (many of whom were
homesick at that time of year). The cards also involved donors
in a way that warmed their hearts and motivated them to
contribute.
3. Look back with thanksgiving
Use your year-end appeal fundraising letter as a way to
thank donors for their support during the past year. Don't list
the names of every staff person you hired or promoted, or go on
at length about happenings at head office. Instead, tell at
least one heart-warming or compelling story that illustrates in
vivid terms how your donors' gifts changed lives. Use quotes
from the people that you serve wherever possible. They add
credibility and human interest to your letter.
4. Look
ahead with anticipation
Also use this Christmas appeal letter to present your vision
for the coming year. Show donors how their gift this "Holiday
Season" will make a difference next year for your organization
and the people you serve.
5. Use a seasonal theme
Try to tie your appeal to the season. Giving, presents,
exchanging greetings, snow, "goodwill toward man" and other
themes are popular at Christmastime. If you can tie your appeal
to an emotion or sentiment that is already prevalent at the end
of the year, and do so in a relevant way without being overly
sentimental, do so.
6. Accentuate the positive
Please don't appeal for donors to get your books out of the
red and into the black. If you have a negative cash flow at
year-end, don't ask donors to correct it. They will see your
predicament as your fault. Donors are not motivated to eliminate
debt (unless it's Third World debt). But they are motivated to
change the world through a gift to your organization. So present
your appeal as an opportunity for the donor rather than a rescue
operation for your chief financial officer.
7. A special
word for Christian charities
Avoid the "God gave us an unspeakable Gift and so should
you" approach in your Christmas appeal letter. Instead, show in
concrete terms how you will use a donor's gift to further the
work that your Christian donors care about, using a biblical
theme if possible.
© 2005 Sharpe Copy Inc. You may reprint this article online and
in print provided the links remain live and the content remains
unaltered (including the "About the author" message).
More Information:Alan Sharpe is a professional fundraising letter writer, instructor, coach, author and newsletter publisher who helps non-profit organizations to raise funds, build relationships and retain loyal donors using cost-effective, compelling, creative fundraising letters. Sign up for free weekly tips like this at
http://www.RaiserSharpe.com/ 
Categories
