Following is a sample donation request letter to the members of a community for donating to a community fund. Feel free to copy it and modify it for your fundraising needs. (For any other use, please contact us.)
>> In light of the recent disasters, you may also find the following sample donation request letters useful:
Sample Donation Request Letter – Storm Victims
Sample Wording for 5 Components of a Successful Fundraising Letter
Maintaining Respect And Compassion When Fundraising For An Individual
For more fundraising letters consider our e-book with more samples. You can use it (copy and paste) on any device with the Kindle app.
Dear Community Member,
Nearly half of Americans – 47 percent – have no idea where they would come up with $400 if they had to in an emergency, according to surveys by the Federal Reserve Board. Most of these people are considered middle class. They are friends. They are neighbors. They have respectable jobs and salaries. They just have never been able to afford savings and live paycheck to paycheck. (Read more about this here.)
What if their car breaks down and they can’t get to work? What if a window in their house breaks in the middle of a snowy winter? And scarier – what if their toddler gets sick and they have to buy expensive medicine that their insurance does not cover?
Simply, even people that make middle class salaries sometimes need help.
Our [Community Fund] is the only resource in the entire three county area that people with jobs and incomes but still in need can come to for that help.
Mary, a 32-year old single mom of a 7-year old, was one of last year’s recipients. “I have a college degree and work a full-time job as a teacher. We generally make ends meet, but we don’t have much in savings. Last month, my checking account only had $102 left when my son fell from a playground set and broke a tooth. The dental fee, required upfront, was $375. A friend referred me to [The Community Fund]. I filled out a simple online application in 25 minutes and they had booked me an appointment with one of the area’s best dentists. Thank you from the bottom of my heart – the [Community Fund] is the true spirit of giving back.”
We started the [Community Fund] through our Church 2 years ago after one of our board members told us the story of helping his neighbors in need, a family just like his that appeared prosperous but was living paycheck to paycheck. He personally funded their car repairs so that the father did not lose his job.
That first year, we helped 16 families with a total fund of $3,000. Last year, we gave away nearly $28,000, $325 on average to each of 86 families. What is more, in-kind support from partners discounting services, products, or food totaled more than $102,000. Services included:
- A week of groceries for 13 families that make a little too much to qualify for food support;
- 15 emergency medical and dental bills for children;
- Utility bill payments for 17 families; and
- Emergency repairs for 4 households.
Though we are thrilled with the work we have been able to do to date, there are thousands of more families in need. We estimate that, if just 5 percent of the 47 percent of families in need have an emergency like Mary this year, 12,000 families could use our help. In fact, last year, we had to turn hundreds that applied to the Fund away.
That is why we are expanding our fundraising initiative this year beyond our church to our broader community. Because of our many community partners helping the program with discounted or free services and products, with even a small donation, you can make a fundamental difference in the lives of people facing difficult times this New Year.
- A gift of $40 could feed 2 children for a week in a food insecure household that does not qualify for food donations elsewhere, matching our local supermarket’s support of providing discounts to program recipients.
- A gift of $75 would match support from local contractors providing free labor to fix a window or a plumbing problem in a household.
- A gift of $150 would pay for a child’s emergency dental care, matching local doctor support to provide discounted labor for services.
Our goal is to raise a total of $50,000 for the Fund by December 31. We cannot think of a better Christmas gift from your family to your neighbors’ families than a donation to support the Community Fund this year. Thank you in advance for giving as generously as you can today!
Sincerely,
Program Director
Community Fund Initiative