Seven Tips to Creating Great Church Fundraising Letters

Does your church do fundraisers? If yes, then check out the tips below for creating a great fundraising letter and I also have free sample fundraising letters available. Be sure to check out the Raffle Secrets eBook below also.

There is also information on Church Credit Card Usage plus a free Credit Card Policy (Sample), Credit Card Use Request form and Credit Card User Log available.

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Contents-At-A-Glance

Seven Tips to Creating Great Church Fundraising Letters
Raffle Secrets eBook
Church Credit Card Usage
FreeChurchForms.com New Web Pages with New Forms
Shepherdbase (Church Membership Database) Special Sale Through February 28, 2013
FCF (Free Church Forms) CD
Church Office Package – Special Limited Offer
Free eBook - ”Top 10 Tips on How to Organize Your Office”
FreeChurchForms.com Table of Contents

Seven Tips to Creating Great Church Fundraising Letters

After your member is done with writing the letter always read over it yourself along with your committee, offering suggestions and ideas on how to make it stronger. This type of editing can create remarkable results in a short period of time, producing a great, well-written fundraising letter that you will feel confident in sending to potential donors. Here are the some tips on effective fundraising letter writing:

• 1. Know Your Donors - It is good to keep a simple question in mind before you begin to write your letter such as "Who will you be asking for funds?" Create a contact list with names, addresses and phone numbers for many people. Depending on your fundraising goal, you will need to have an exact number of donors on the list and how much you're asking each person to donate.
  Put yourself in the donors shoes and imagine what sort of request you would respond to, and think about how the donor will respond to a similar letter. Will the donor react the same way you do? Remember, a letter requesting money from private citizens will be very different from one sent in hopes of winning a government grant. If you have a list of past contributors that's good because people who have given in the past are often willing to give again. Knowing your target audience will help ensure a successful campaign.
  
• 2. Make Letters Easy to Read - Most people love the letters that are easy on the eyes. Make your fundraising letters easy to read by using wide margins, bigger font, and always put spaces between your paragraphs.
  
• 3. Ease Donors In - Open your letter being pleasant, cordial and intriguing and make them want to keep reading. Most people will scan the first sentence of a letter and then discard if they're not interested. Ask yourself, "How does your cause relate to them personally?" because people like to read about themselves.
  If writing to a past donor, always thank them for their past contributions and refer to the success of the previous campaign. This part of the letter should not be more than a few sentences in length.
  
• 4. Sincerely Make Your Case - Now is the time to make it known if you're asking for the benefit of a particular cause. Tell them why they will be donating to your fundraising effort! Immediately after your friendly introduction, state your case passionately with approximately 150 words or so. Tell them what their donations will be used for and how the money will be spent. Let your readers know how you believe strongly in the need your cause or church has, and how important it is that they donate as they are able, and don't be scared to use emotional language.
  
• 5. Ask for a Specific Amount - Fundraising letters are up to 30% more effective when you ask for a specific donation according to research. You need to even mention how much donations of this amount have helped your congregation in the past, and stress the need for continued support. A particular dollar value now gives them something they really have to consider, and your chances of seeing a good return will be a lot better. You need to also mention that donations above and below the suggested amount are always welcome because as with any fundraiser every little bit helps. This portion of the letter should come just before the conclusion of your letter, and a sentence or two should be sufficient.
  
• 6. Conclusions and Thanks - Be sure and thank your reader for their time and consideration of your cause in a few short sentences. Take a moment to mention all the good reasons why they need to contribute to your fundraiser. Always have a hand-written signature on your letters because this lets people know that it is not a form letter and a real person has written to them and is sincerely asking for their help and consideration.
  In some cases you might feel that you have more great information about your cause to share with your readers and you might consider including a second page insert with more details and photographs. This might raise your costs slightly, but it might be well worth it if you think it will make a significantly stronger case for your request. Including a return envelope will also raise your costs a bit, but it's a very direct way of encouraging returns from potential donors. You want to make the donation process as easy as possible for people who are on the fence about contributing to your cause.
  
• 7. Follow Up with Phone Calls - This is the most important tip for a direct mail campaign. Wait about a week or two after sending your fundraising letters, and then consult your contact information list and place calls to your potential donors. First, confirm that they did receive your letter and then ask them if they had any questions you might be able to answer. If they are not able to donate the amount you've requested, you might suggest smaller amounts until you find their level of giving that they are comfortable with.
  Research shows that follow up phone calls can significantly increase your rate of returns. A lot of times, the person simply needs to hear a human voice (yours) confirming what the letter has already told them in order for them to make a donation.
  Asking for money can sometimes make us uncomfortable, but remember that writing a fundraising letter can be a highly effective way of raising funds for your church or cause. Many times, you can see a big return for the cost of a few stamps!

Raffle Secrets eBook

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• How to print, advertise, and publicize your raffle
• How to build momentum toward your drawing date
• How to hold the Big Moment (the raffle drawing)
• How to wrap up the event and measure success

Church Credit Card Usage

FreeChurchForms.com New Web Pages with New Forms

• Church Sample Fundraising Letters

• Church Credit Card Policy, Credit Card Use Request Form and Credit Card User Log

• Employee Time Sheets and Employee Weekly Time Record

• Sunday School Emergency Phone List

• Sunday School "Way to Go" Award Certificate

Shepherdbase (Church Membership Database) Special Sale Through March 31, 2013