How to Design and Write a Donor-centric Fundraising Letter
As soon as your fundraising letter is opened it will get 20 seconds of attention ― or less ― in a quick scan.
That’s how much time you have to put your donor-centric writing and donor-centered design to work.
Communicate The Need And How You Plan To Solve It
You must make the problem very clear and apparent. Your reader should not have to dig to find out why you’re asking them for money. Once you’ve plainly established the need, lay out exactly how the donor’s dollars will be used to fix the issue. The more transparent you are, the easier for the donor to see and understand exactly what you’re asking and why.
Tell or Illustrate a Story That Drives the Above Home
It is much easier for a donor to digest the problem and its devastating impact when you demonstrate it through the struggle of one person, animal, or community in your fundraising appeal. People connect more intimately with stories or testimonials because they cause a natural emotional reaction. Stories or testimonials also make the problem more tangible—instead of a vast problem on a scale they can’t always comprehend, they can focus on one person in need of their help.
Your story can be incorporated into your fundraising letter design, too. Add photos of your subject looking directly into the camera, appearing sad or in need of help.
Make it Personal By Showing the Donor What They’ll Gain By Giving
In nonprofit fundraising, you are making one of the hardest sales possible. You’re asking someone to give you their money, often without receiving anything physical in return. It is essential that you address the “what’s in it for me?” question that your donor will undoubtedly ask themself as they read your letter.
Pepper your letter with donor benefits. Not once, not twice, but everywhere you can fit it in. Use your letter design to help—photo captions, the P.S., highlight certain sentences in color. Let them know exactly how their gift will be used to create an outcome that the donor will gain something from—a feeling of comfort, contentedness, happiness, safety, and trust.
Ask For a Donation
The ask is your most important call to action in your fundraising appeal letter. A hard ask listing a specific gift amount should appear on your first page. Also include several softer asks throughout your appeal letter and in your letter design. No donor should ever finish reading (or scanning) your letter and be unsure of what step to take next or how much to give in order to solve the problem. It’s not pushy; it’s direct and donor-centric in that donors find it helpful to be told exactly what to give or do.
Your fundraising letter design has to be donor centered and deliver everything the donor needs to know―in the first scan-through. Do this effectively and they’ll start reading at the beginning for a second run-through, taking their time. Or they’ll pick up the response card. Either way, you’ve gotten through to them. Because the letter content and design was donor-centric.
Need Help Writing and Designing the Perfect Donor-centric Appeal Letter?
You’ve got Five Maples for that! Our expert team of copywriters and designers will make sure we capture all these important features and more in your fundraising appeal letter so it’s easy for donors to see the problem and their role in helping!
Contact Sarah Gnerre, CFRE, VP of Philanthropy, at 1-802-387-3091 or sarahg@fivemaples.com!
