Our Tips:
Catch
the attention with a provocative opening. Example:I'm writing to offer you a job. It's not a permanent job, you understand.
It's not a paying job. On the contrary, it will cost you money.
Use
compelling individual stories. Emotional, compelling stories that speak to the
need are
essential. They take the message out of the realm of the abstract into
the concrete.
Ask
for the gift early and often. Ask for the gift and then repeat it later in the
body of the letter. Tell
what the gift will accomplish to allow the donor to visualize being right there
on site seeing what the gift will do. Be
personal and make sure the people writing the letter know the prospective
donor.
Write
with a sense of urgency but not despair. Everyone wants to be part of the
winning team and not the sinking ship.
Highlight
any volunteer aspects of the work.
Give
your prospect "permission to believe." Just because you ask does not
always mean they donor's believes you. You must make sure people feel that the
organization is reputable and your past history will be looked at by some and
that the gift will be used wisely.
Describe
needs yet to be met.
Offer hope.
Show
appreciation.
Want to learn
more!! Read below to learn more about how to ask for a contribution the "Right Way!"
The golden rule in the development end of the business is to ask
prospective donors often if you expect to receive a contribution. This is
a rule that many nonprofits don’t want to talk about or follow. For this
reason nonprofits often fail to get the larger gifts they deserve.
Too often, people cringe at the thought of asking someone for something,
especially if that something happens to be money. The approach many nonprofits
take is almost with a " hat in hand" kind of mentality. However,
asking for a contribution for your cause does not and should not make you feel
like this.
Asking for a contribution has as much to do about understanding other people as
about understanding yourself and what motivates you. When asking for a
contribution at this level you must do so as an individual filled with passion
for his cause, not as an administrator or development officer who is "just
doing his job."
I do not want to cause hard feelings among professional fundraisers, because
without you, most universities and colleges as well as the nonprofit field in
general would be in serious financial trouble.
However, I want to speak to you nonprofit professionals and ask you to search
your souls to see if you have what it takes to be transparent and share with
someone how you truly feel about the cause you lead.
Is the " passion" and story of the cause you support one that comes
out of a canned plastic speech that is given to a local civic group, or is it
one that motivates you everyday you wake up to realize that you have the ability
to change a life for the better?
While one cannot overstate the value of the "right person" asking for
a contribution, it is just as important to know what his or her motivations are
in asking. Nothing can replace the value of building relationships over time,
perseverance, being sincere and having a passion for your cause.
