Advancement · Grants & Funding

A letter about the reader,
with a clear ask

The appeal letters that work tell one person’s story, say what a gift does, ask for a specific amount and repeat it in a P.S. Write each part for the audience you are mailing, add the reply card amounts, and the tool puts the letter together, counts “you” against “we”, checks the sentence length and the ask, and builds an ask string from the last gift.

Write a letterWhat you get
$12one-time · every device you sign in on
Buy · $12

Included with Caveat Classroom and Whole-school licenses. Or get it in the Grant writer’s desk, $49 for 60 items.

Appeal letters

The worked example is made up: a literacy program’s year-end letter to current donors, a draft to lapsed donors that talks about itself, and a prospect letter with no amount. Saved on this device only.

Loading the letter form. If nothing appears, turn on JavaScript.

What you get

Advancement · Grants & Funding$12 · included with Classroom and Whole-school licenses

What you finish with
A record per letter version: organization, campaign, audience, salutation and a sample last gift; the story, need, ask, P.S. and signer; reply card amounts and six send checks; word and sentence counts, you-versus-we, an ask string of 1, 1.5 and 2 times the last gift; and a printable letter with a reply card.
Who it is for
Development directors, annual fund staff, executive directors and volunteers writing appeal letters for schools and nonprofits.
Format
Browser tool with a saved record per letter version. Prints the letter with a reply card, the record, every version in a table or a blank form; downloads a spreadsheet (.csv); exports and imports a file.
Access
$12 one-time, yours on every device you sign in on; the tool opens once you are signed in with it. Included with Caveat Classroom and Whole-school licenses. Also in the Grant writer’s desk ($49) and the Advancement Suite pass ($99), and 1 more bundle. Everything you type stays in this browser; nothing is sent to Caveat.
Where it lives
The Grants & Funding space in Caveat Advancement.
Support
Questions about access, an order or a correction: team@caveatacademic.com.

How to use it

  1. Pick the audience and salutation.
  2. Write the story, need and ask.
  3. Add a P.S. and the signer.
  4. List the reply card amounts.
  5. Fix what it flags, then print.

Write a letter

How appeal letters are read

The parts of an appeal letterStoryOne person.One moment thatchanged.NeedWhat is stillmissing.What one gift does.AskA specific amount.A reason to givenow.P.S.Read first by many.Repeat the ask ordeadline.The parts of an appeal letterStoryOne person.One moment that changed.NeedWhat is still missing.What one gift does.AskA specific amount.A reason to give now.P.S.Read first by many.Repeat the ask or deadline.
Write to one reader, about what their gift does, not about the organization.

The reader skims first

Most people glance at an appeal before deciding to read it: the salutation, a bolded line, the amount and the P.S. Short sentences, a specific amount tied to what it does and a P.S. that repeats the ask carry the letter for skimmers. Count “you” against “we”: a letter about what the reader’s gift does reads warmer than one about the organization’s plans.

Asking the right amount

For people who have given before, a common practice is an ask string anchored on the last gift, such as one, one and a half and two times it, so the card neither insults a generous donor nor jumps too far. Lapsed donors respond to thanks for what they gave and what it did. New prospects need a few suggested amounts with a concrete result for each.

Sources

  1. Association of Fundraising Professionals. Fundraising Effectiveness Project reports on donor retention (afpglobal.org).
  2. Ahern, T. (2009). How to Write Fundraising Materials That Raise More Money. Emerson & Church.
  3. Burnett, K. (2002). Relationship Fundraising, 2nd edition. Jossey-Bass.
  4. Internal Revenue Service. Publication 1771, Charitable contributions: substantiation and disclosure requirements (irs.gov).

The worked example is made up, including the organizations, people and amounts. The 20-word sentence target and the 1, 1.5 and 2 times ask string are common practices stated on the page, not rules. Gift receipts follow your organization’s own practice and IRS guidance. Nothing you type is sent to Caveat. Support: team@caveatacademic.com.