How to write a fundraising letter to raise money for medical expenses
A fundraising letter is a simple way to bring your online fundraiser to the next level. A written appeal to your friends and family members can bring in new donations, recurring donations, and most importantly, it can help everyone better understand why your fundraising cause is important to you.
But before you put pen to paper—or fingers to keyboard—and mail that letter, it’s a good idea to take the time and read up on the best ways to write a fundraising letter. This guide offers specific tips on how to write a donation letter with content that’s compelling and persuasive. We’ll also provide a donation letter sample to give you a solid starting point.
Write a fundraising appeal letter that will drive donations
Regardless of the media used, a good donation letter example should get a potential donor emotionally invested in your story while spelling out exactly what your cause is. Don’t be shy about explaining why you’re starting a fundraiser and what you will do with the donations you receive as well. People will want to know exactly how they can help you meet your goal.
If you’d like to persuade friends and strangers alike to support your cause, take a look at our other tips below for writing a donation request letter.
Tips on how to write and share your fundraising letter
Address the emotions of your audience in your letter. Successful donations request letters, whether for an adoption letter or general letters for donations, need these common elements to build a foundation for success. A well written thank-you letter is a key part of a great fundraising strategy.
Be personal
Write it as if you are talking to a friend. Use personal pronouns (“I, we, they, you”) to engage the reader and strike an emotional chord. Describe why supporting your cause will make readers feel good. People help because they want to experience good feelings about their giving.
A picture is worth a thousand words
Include photos in your letter, so people can visualize how their support will be used. Mention that more photos and videos are posted on your GoFundMe to increase understanding about your cause.
Make it easy to give
Offering people the ability to pay online is a good way to attract donations. Make sure your crowdfunding website is easy to use, secure, and has a good reputation. Don’t forget to invite people to take action. Don’t be shy about your need to raise funds for your cause and letting people know how they can give. An effective fundraising letter will always point people to where they can donate so there’s no confusion about where they can give. This is especially important for online donations. Be sure to include your fundraiser link and explain if there are any other places they can give.
Create a sense of urgency
If you need the funds for your cause by a specific date, be sure to include that information in your letter. This will allow donors to know how urgent your cause is. You can also remind people in updates about the date you need to funds or why they’re needed more urgently.
Make it easy for people to contact you
If you are an individual and you’re reaching our to individual donors, like family members, or major donors, such as businesses or large nonprofit organizations, you may want to provide clear contact information. You may not need to provide contact information to family members, but other individual donors or organizations, may need you provide clear contact details. Some online donation pages, will have a contact button where any donor can contact you you but if you are fundraising offline, you may want to consider giving a phone number and email address where people can contact you.
Consider social media
As you’re writing your fundraising letter and considering different fundraising letter templates, think about how it will read on social media. If you plan on using social media as part of your fundraising strategy, your letter may need some tone adjustments. Social media posts can be informal so you can can be a bit more casual if you do reach out with your fundraising letter via social media.
Using direct mail
Using direct mail may not be the best option if your needs are urgent, but if you have more flexibility, sending your letter via direct mail is always a nice touch. Consider sending your letter along with curated photos or other visuals that make your request stand out. Consider, for example, how some nonprofits will send their fundraising pleas with a gift of address labels or other small gifts as part of their fundraising campaign to donors.
Include a call to action
A call to action should not be overlooked in any fundraising campaign. Always ask for the donation from your potential donors. Making your fundraiser a success story requires that you always tell people exactly what you need.
Check your spelling and grammar
Before you send out those letters, be sure to check your spelling and grammar in your outreach. You can easily check for errors by using AI tools, like ChatGPT, or other free online tools. Whatever you opt to use, make sure everything from your donor’s name to your contact information are correct.
Donation request letter templates to help you reach your goal
When it comes to writing compelling donation messages, examples help immensely. If you’re stuck coming up with the right words, these sample donation request letters can help get you started.
Sample donation request letter to family and friends
With the people who know you best, you can afford to be a bit more vulnerable and offer details that you may not feel as comfortable sharing with businesses or other potential donors. Use this fundraising letter template as a framework for your letter or email, but don’t be afraid to customize it more.
Subject line: [Keep it short and avoid CAPS and exclamations]:
Hi [insert name],
I wanted to reach out and let you know that I’m fundraising to [insert reason why you’re fundraising]. As you probably already know, this cause is very important to me. [Write 1-2 more sentences about your history with this cause, and why it means so much to you.]
Would you be able to contribute to my fundraiser? A donation of any amount would truly help me reach my goal.
To help me [list goal—for example, “go on my mission trip”], simply click the link to my fundraiser below:
[Insert fundraiser link]
If you could also share my fundraiser link with your friends, it would mean so much. The more people hear about my cause, the quicker I can reach my fundraising goal.
With love/Sincerely,
[Your name]
[Your contact info]
Sample donation request letter for nonprofits
If you’re a nonprofit, you might already know how effective a nonprofit fundraising letter can be. Try this charitable donation letter template, or some version of it, to raise more awareness about your nonprofit.
Subject line: [Keep it short and avoid CAPS and exclamations]
Dear [insert name],
Our organization recently started a new fundraising campaign for [insert an explanation about your cause]. As a 501(c)(3) Certified Charity whose mission is to [insert a short explanation of your mission], we’re very excited to involve our community in our latest fundraising efforts.
With these funds, our organization will be able to [insert a few specific ways the funds will make an impact.] To find out more about how we plan to make a difference, click on our fundraising link below:
[Insert fundraiser link]
In order to meet our fundraising goal, it will truly take a village. Are you able to support this incredible cause? Any amount you can contribute will make a difference—even $5.
Thank you for reading about our latest mission, and please reach out if you’d like to learn more and get involved with our fundraising efforts.
Best,
[Your name]
[Your contact info]
Sample fundraising letter asking for donations from businesses
Asking for the support of local businesses is a good strategy when you’ve already reached out to friends and family members—especially if you plan on working with the business for a local fundraising event. Below is a sample letter asking for donations from businesses
Subject line: [Keep it short and avoid CAPS and exclamations]:
Hi [insert name],
I recently started a fundraiser for [insert cause or reason you’re fundraising]. I believe that local businesses like yours can really make a difference in our community, and that’s why I’m looking for your help. [Insert 1-2 sentences about your cause and how this ties into the local businesses or why it may interest them.]
So far, I’ve been able to raise [insert amount] with the help of our community—but I still have some work to do to meet my goal.
Would you be able to make a contribution to my cause? A donation of any amount will make a difference and would mean so much to me.
To learn more about my fundraiser and give a gift of any amount, simply click the link below:
[Insert link to fundraiser]
Thank you so much.
Best,
[Your name]
[Your contact info]
Crowdfunding makes it easy for your network to support you
When you use a crowdfunding platform it makes it simple and quick for others to contribute to your cause. You won’t have to worry about collecting donations from everyone because donations will be sent straight to your bank account.
An online fundraiser also makes it easy for others to support you in other ways. Friends and family can easily share your fundraiser link with all of their contacts to bring in even more support for your cause.
Start writing fundraising letters and raising more money
Knowing how to write a donation letter will go a long way toward making your fundraiser a success. Now that you have the top tools you need, don’t forget to sign up and create your online fundraiser if you haven’t already. You can also find additional fundraising tips to build out your fundraising strategy on GoFundMe’s blog.