It is time again for the end of year fundraising appeal letter to be written!  And, as was true in past years, you have to work to ensure that your organization’s request stands out among the numerous other requests that will be sent to your donors and friends.  Remember that almost 50% of nonprofits annual donations are receipted between October and December!  You will want to capitalize on your donors’ generosity  by crafting a winning letter!

One way to help your appeal stand out from others is to adopt the “not one size fits all” philosophy!  Your donors have different income levels, motivations for giving, and engagement levels.  Consider segmenting your donors by crafting different messages for different groups, such as lapsed donors and first-time donors.  A targeted message to lapsed donors could be  “We miss you!  Your past gifts have allowed us to provide  services to ______.  Please consider a gift this year to allow us to continue this important work”.  A targeted message for new donors might  read something like this  “We are so happy that you have joined our family of loyal donors to support this important cause.  We hope you will continue to support our organization’s needed work”.  You can further segment your donor base by crafting an even more personal message for donors who consistently support your work “Our organization is very grateful for your consistent support of our organization.  Your loyalty allows us to continue to provide essential services for the population with whom we work”. 

Finally, use your board to personalize your appeal letter.  Ask your board to review the list of donors who will receive the appeal letter and write a note on the letter or on a sticky note,  for those donors they know,  thanking them in advance for their gift.   That personal touch enhances the probability that you will receive a gift!

If you decide to segment your donor base, let me know if taking the extra time to do so, resulted in more and larger gifts!  Good luck!

By Jill Nilsen