6 Donation Request Letter Best Practices + Templates

Nonprofit organizations can build relationships with donors in many ways, from fundraising events to phone calls, but the common first step is to send a donation request letter.

Below, we walk through exactly what a donation request letter is, what to include in your donation request, and how to start writing. We also offer best practices for crafting donation request letters that get donors’ attention. Finally, we share six templates for individual, corporate, sponsorship, in-kind, and event appeals to jump-start your efforts.

What is a donation request letter?

Donation request letters are essential to any nonprofit’s fundraising strategy and an effective tool to drive traffic to your online donation request form. These written appeals get emailed or sent to prospective and current donors via direct mail. 

The purpose is to encourage supporters to give financial or in-kind donations to your campaign. Good donation request letters can help increase charitable donations with relatively minimal effort, as these reach a wide audience at once. 

What should a donation request letter include?

A donation request letter explains why your nonprofit seeks support and includes data and storytelling to show how donors can help. Your first request to a prospective donor may include:

• An introduction sharing what your organization does and a brief history of your founding, community engagement, and impact to date
• A paragraph about your specific fundraising campaign (such as how much money you need to raise and why) 
• A call to action that provides a sense of urgency or a deadline for when supporters should send their tax-deductible donations
• A closing statement thanking your supporter for their time and consideration in helping your nonprofit reach its fundraising goal for this specific project

Your donation request letter should be on official letterhead with your organization’s name and contact information at the top. In addition, you may want to highlight your tax-exempt status with the IRS and include your tax ID number to remind supporters of those benefits.

How to write a donation request letter

Strong donation request letters come from the perspective of someone who cares deeply about your cause and organization. This is often your executive director or development director, but it could also be board members, direct services staff, or volunteers. 

Before writing your donation request letter, consider its purpose. Is it raising funds for a new facility? Are you soliciting new memberships to your recurring community? Do you need help marketing an upcoming event? Is it to maximize your corporate sponsorships’ matching gift? 

Clarifying your intent will help determine which details to include in the donation letter and what audiences to target.

Once you’re clear on your donation request letter’s goal and audience, form a quick outline of components you want to include, such as:

• Your nonprofit’s mission statement
• Your monetary goal and what you’ll use it for 
• Your organization’s latest accomplishments
• Your offered benefits for donating money or goods to your cause
• Your acknowledgment of the recipient’s past history of support

As you craft your donation request, ensure each sentence has a purpose. Remove extraneous language to avoid losing potential donors in the details. Also, keep your language simple and straightforward while maintaining a tone and style that aligns with your brand.

6 donation request letter best practices

Good donation request letters clearly state what you want, how the donors will benefit, how you’ll use the money, and what you’ve already accomplished. These showcase a vision for your nonprofit’s future and a strong belief that you can achieve it with the requested funding. The following guidelines can help steer your donation request letters in the right direction.

1. Segment your donors

Up to 94% of people have reported unsubscribing from a company’s communications due to irrelevant promotions or messages. You can mitigate this churn by ensuring the right messages reach the right people.

Segmenting your donor base involves grouping them based on shared characteristics that inform the messaging you send them, such as:

• Donor type: A donation request letter to a first-time donor will read differently than one to a recurring donor, peer-to-peer fundraising participant, or past event attendee.
• Demographics: Different generations may interact with your fundraising efforts uniquely or want to receive donation request letters in particular formats. 
• Interests: Some supporters of your organization may be most interested in giving to specific initiatives or programs you spearhead.
• Giving history: The donation amount you request in your appeals should align with donors’ past giving capacity. 
• Preferred communication methods: When you use donors’ preferred platforms for connecting, you optimize a fundraising appeal’s conversion potential.

Donor segmentation lets you personalize outreach while still communicating with community members at scale.

2. Personalize your donation request

The more personalized a fundraising letter, the more likely a prospective donor will read it and respond positively. In addition to donor segmentation, use individual donor data to add a personal touch to your outreach. Some ways to do this include:

• Using the recipient’s name in your salutation and when you make your ask
• Acknowledging and thanking the donor for their last gift and mentioning the specific amount
• Noting any relevant details from your past correspondence with the donor
• Leveraging your donor segments to include language that appeals to their interests

Your letter’s recipient has almost certainly received donation solicitations before—probably many times. Personalization helps your fundraising letters stand out.

3. Employ storytelling

Storytelling is crucial when drafting your donation request. You want to show how your work has had a positive impact on local communities and what partnerships have formed as a result.

Use success stories that appeal to donors’ emotions. You can select a particular beneficiary or volunteer to highlight or have them share what your nonprofit has meant to them. Also, consider how to incorporate imagery to make your story come alive.

When you provide donors with an authentic story about your work, they become more invested in helping keep that story a reality.

4. Include a compelling call to action

Effective donation request letters include a clear call to action. This is where you ask for a financial contribution or in-kind donation, such as donated prizes or gift cards for your upcoming raffle. Depending on your goals, you may also ask recipients to register for an event or sign up for a volunteer day.

Whatever your goal, be clear about what you want donors to do. Your words should be direct. Ask for exactly what you need rather than assuming donors will know how best to help. You can also tailor your call to action based on the type of campaign you run. Here are a few examples:

• Join our community of monthly donors today with a $10 recurring donation.
• Create a fundraising page to raise money for this cause as part of your birthday celebration this year.
• Register today for our annual fundraising gala.
• Make an end-of-year gift of $100 today to help us meet our annual goal.

Your call to action should be specific, timely, and compelling enough that people feel motivated to donate money, time, or goods the moment they receive your donation request letter.

5. Express thanks in advance

Thanking donors is vital to showing them that you value their contributions. When donors feel appreciated, they’re more likely to remember your mission, stay involved with your cause, and give again in the future.

When you thank donors for their gifts in advance, it helps them feel good about giving and provides encouragement to act on your request. In your request letter, thank them for their time and consideration and remind them of what it will help your nonprofit accomplish. With online donation requests, direct donors to a thank-you page immediately after they donate. 

And, of course, be prepared to follow up after donations with more creative ways to express your gratitude.

6. Consider your timing

When you send your donation request letter matters. Giving Tuesday sees a higher volume of requests from nonprofits than other times during the calendar year. Make sure to capitalize on this trend to take advantage of donors who are more open to the idea of giving during this season.

Conversely, consider sending appeals at slower times of the year when your message is less likely to get lost in a busy holiday inbox. To ensure regular touchpoints, map out several seasonal donation request letter campaigns.

Donation request letter examples

Always personalize donation request letters to your nonprofit’s mission and unique donor community. That said, many appeals include similar elements, and employing a template can be easier than starting from a blank page. 

Below are sample donation request letters to inspire your appeal letters. Customize them for fundraising campaigns focused on individual donations, corporate giving, sponsorships, in-kind donations, and event registrations.

Individual donation request letter template (New donors)

Subject: Help us raise money for [impact statement]!

Individual donation request letter template (Current and past supporters)

Subject: Help us raise money for [impact statement]!

Corporate donation request letter template

Subject: Help us improve [reason for donation request]!

Sponsorship donation request letter template

Subject: Help us host [name of event]!

In-kind donation request letter template

Subject: Provide [items needed] to help [cause] today!

Event donation request letter template

Subject: Help make our upcoming [name of event] a success!

Write effective donation request letters to engage supporters

Donation request letters allow you to share your nonprofit’s story and encourage various types of donations to fuel your ongoing mission. With personalization, strong calls to action, and the right timing, nonprofits can deploy donation appeals that inspire supporters to get and stay involved. 

Use the above templates and our free on-demand training course as a starting point, but don’t forget to customize your letters to speak to your unique donor segments and highlight the inspiring elements of your specific campaigns.