Whether you’re sitting down to write your first charitable request letter or your hundredth, try to put aside the natural human tendency to feel shy about asking people for money. Replace your reticence with the conviction that your charity is undertaking a valuable, necessary effort. At the same time, appeal to people’s other natural, human tendency: wanting to help those in need. While people might have little or no free time to volunteer to your good cause, they can find great satisfaction in making a donation. Be sincere and straightforward in your letter and keep it focused on the business at hand.

Address your letter to people by name, if possible. This is a more personal tack than using a salutation of “Dear Neighbor” or “Dear Friend.” It takes more time to set up a mail merge in this manner, but it’s also more effective.

Begin your letter with a compelling but short anecdote about a problem facing your charity. Put a face on the problem by expressing it in human terms, without exaggerating. If you’re running a food pantry for homeless people, for example, you might describe the scene at the pantry on a busy day, focusing on the parents who seek to gather food packages for their children.

Segue your request into the second paragraph. You might say, for example, “How can you help? By making even a (name the amount) donation to (name the charity).”

Describe in specific terms what a donation means to the people who rely on your charity. In this example, you might frame escalating donation amounts in terms of how many family members would benefit or how many meals could be purchased. In other words, the higher the donation, the greater the number of people who would benefit or the more food that could be purchased.

State the mission of your charity. Emphasize its history, longevity, good reputation and strong community ties. Remember that your charity might be unknown to many recipients, so they rely on you to inform them of its heritage and worthwhile undertakings.

Explain other ways that the recipient can contribute to the charity. In this example, let the recipient know you also welcome food donations or volunteer hours. Acknowledge that many people are pressed for time, so remind the recipient that a monetary donation is often the quickest and most effective way to make a difference and help someone in need.

Instruct the recipient how she can make a donation, making the methods as simple as possible. Offer online, mail-in and phone donations, if possible. If you choose to include the latter, be sure you have the infrastructure in place to process credit cards.

Craft an emotional appeal that serves as a link to your introduction. In this example, show how a donation will help restore the spirits of people at your food pantry on a busy day.

Express thanks for the recipient’s consideration and generosity.

Proofread and edit your letter carefully for spelling and grammar. Ask a colleague to read it, too, to be sure that is free of any errors.


  • Some non-profits and charities report that their most lucrative fund-raising drives occur right before the holidays, when many people feel more giving and benevolent.


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