Writing a Good Personal Appeal Letter

The first step in your fundraising is to write your personal appeal letter. By far, this is the most successful fundraising strategy for Climbers. You'll be surprised how much people want you to succeed, especially those you're close to.

Paper or Email?

Given the amount of personal communication that flows on email these days, it's a good question: should I use the USPS or can I just use Email? Given that you're going to be asking for donations, there's a fair chance that an email would get caught by a spam filter, so the strategy that seems to work best is to put your initial letter on paper and send it through the mail. Then use email for your follow ups (more about that in a minute). Plus with "snailmail" you have the opportunity to put in a self addressed stamped envelop which we know from long experience increases the rate of response significantly.

Who do I sent it to?

In short: everyone. People you work with, your social circle, organizations you belong to (think church, service clubs, etc), old college room mates, teachers, relatives distant and close. Don't forget your dentist. Sit down and make a list of the people you know. Then go through the list and ask yourself "how do I know this person and who else do I know from the same place?"

The letter

1. Make sure it's personal. Convey your enthusiasm for the Climb using words you would use. Look at the samples, we've provided, but be sure to say what you would say. You're writing to people who know you, so sound like yourself, and let people know that this is important to you.

2. Talk about your goal. It is a good thing to state how much you're hoping to raise and to aim high. This helps motivate your donors to give. When you say "My goal is to raise $5000 to support the programs of the American Lung Association of Washington," then your donors know the magnitude of your undertaking and will respond in kind. If you don't say how much you're trying to raise, they may assume it's only a few dollars.

3. Talk about Lung Association programs. If you are climbing in memory or honor of someone, be sure to tell their story. If not, then pick out a Lung Association program or two that particularly appeal to you (Smoking Prevention, Air Quality, Childhood Asthma, for example) and talk about it. Say why it's important enough for you to be raising money for it.

4. Ask. Be sure to tell people what you are asking them to do: to support your commitment to the Lung Association by making a donation. And ask that they donate by a specific time. The vast majority of people you contact will want to support you. Setting a target date will help them translate their desire to help into action.

5. Provide instructions for making a donation. Ask them to send a check (made out to the American Lung Association of Washington or ALAW, indicating your name and Climb 2007 somewhere on the check) in the enclosed envelope, fill out the credit card slip (be sure to include one) or go to your personal webpage on www.cleanairadventures.org for online donations.

6. Follow up. Keep track of your donations as they come in (and whom you've heard from), then follow up with folks over time. Email can be a good way to follow up. One method that has worked well for people is to publish an electronic newsletter giving progress on your training and fundraising. Send it to everyone on your list. It will keep them reminded of your efforts.

Be sure to send thank you notes or cards to your donors as they make their donations and send them a receipt. Express your thanks to everyone who donates, no matter how much or little they give.