The holiday season can be a great time to send out a letters to request donations. Your appeal will reach potential donors when they may be thinking about year-end tax donations and feeling particularly charitable. Sending out a well-crafted, appealing letter during the holiday season when people are more likely to open their hearts as well as their wallets can have a positive impact on your fundraising efforts.
Two Printable Sample Christmas Fundraising
If you're not sure how to start crafting your Christmas donation request letter, use one of the printable letters provided here as a starting point. Both documents can be edited, saved and printed. Simply download a PDF of the letter that most closely matches your needs by clicking the sample document. When the PDF opens, click anywhere in the text area to edit. Use the menu bar commands to save and print as needed.
If you need help downloading the printables, check out these helpful tips.
Christmas Gift Letter
This letter is ideal for a nonprofit that wants to ask previous donors to consider making a donation in someone else's name or memory as a holiday gift.
Seasonal Financial Support Request
This letter is designed to help nonprofits solicit financial support from donors during the Christmas season.
Letter-Writing Tips
While the printable templates provided by LoveToKnow can help you get started, you'll need to customize the final version of your letter to meet your organization's specific needs. The following tips will help you craft a letter that truly speaks to your mission while encouraging potential donors' generosity.
Appeal to the Heart
When planning on sending a letter to encourage a donation around the holiday season, be sure to use wording that will motivate recipients to contribute to your organization. Describing how the donation will make a difference is an important element to mention. If possible, have someone who has been helped by your organization comment in the letter. Anything that tugs at the heart will help generate donations for your cause.
Make Yours Stand Out
Since the holiday season is a popular time for organizations to send out donation letters, try to make yours stand out from the rest by being creative and unique in your wording and style. One way to make your letter stand out is to tie in a story that will compel the reader to donate to your organization. For organizations who help children or those less fortunate during the holidays and provide them with gifts or a holiday meal, consider writing the letter from their viewpoint and have them ask for the donation.
Mention Benefits
Mention the benefits of making a donation to the recipient, as well as to the organization. This may include emphasizing year-end tax deductions, as well as emphasizing the benefits of charitable donations as a unique holiday gift idea for friends, family and co-workers.
Personalize
Make the letter as personal as possible. Address each letter to a particular person rather than "to whom it may concern." For those who have donated to your cause in the past, be sure to recognize the fact and thank them for their continued support.
Make it Seasonal
A holiday letter should contain a seasonal theme. Use words that relate to Christmas such as giving, seasons greetings or holiday cheer. If your organization is a church or is religious-based, use words related to faith.
Add a Special Touch
There are many unique touches to add to your Christmas letter to make it special. There is no reason to use plain paper when you can print the letter on holiday-themed card or stationery. Another way to add a special touch is to include a small token such as a holiday bookmark with your organization's logo and name on it. Sending letters during the holiday season is the perfect time to ask for donations as well as an opportunity to thank those who support your cause.
Proofread Carefully
As with any letter, make sure that your finished product is well-written and visually appealing. Proofread carefully for tone and content, as well as to ensure that there are no typographical or grammatical mistakes. Given the potential impact the letter could have, it's a good idea to have two or three other people go over the letter as well.
More Choices
If you'd like to review additional fundraising letter templates before making your selection, see Sample Letters Asking for Donations for a few more options. While these letters aren't written specifically for holiday-season fundraising, they can easily be customized to include a Christmas theme.
