Discover the Perfect Billing Letter Sample for NPOs

Billing letter sample for NPOs

In this video, I'll teach you how to write a  donation letter so you can start to inform donors   about your efforts and ultimately encourage donations. Together we'll go through what to   include in a donation letter donation letter  examples and best practices when writing your   own letter i'll also give you a template so you  can start writing your letter as soon as possible   if you want to skip to that the link's in  the description below so let's get started   it's important to note donation letters vary  from one non-profit to the next and for each   fundraising campaign you run but the core elements  should remain the same these include #1  the header include your non-profit's name and  branded logo if you have one #2 contact   information include your physical address and  phone number listing a contact person non-profit   website and email address although helpful  is optional #3 the donor salutation   address your donor by their preferred  name decide whether you'd prefer a formal   salutation such as dear mr and mrs richard  smith or a more informal one like hi rick   #4 the non-profit story your story is the  hook that connects your reader to your mission   on an emotional level if you don't have one  we'll deep dive into this in the next slide   #5 the call to action at the end of  your donation letter write a clear direct call   to action outlining exactly what you want from  your reader -- don't assume they know what you're   looking for #6 thank and sign finish your  letter by thanking your recipient and signing it   ignore the temptation to sign from your  organization instead choose an employee   board member or key volunteer to represent the  collective whole this helps promote the ideal   human to human element you're aiming for and  reinforces the personal connection between you   and your donor most of these are pretty  straightforward the only difficult part would be   the story a good story can be the difference maker  between a letter that entices readers to donate   and one that ends up in the junk folder. Here's a  the format you should follow when writing your story   start with the need, the solution and end with the  hero. Starting with need. The need is the problem   you aim to solve focus on the who or what is in  need be descriptive use images or statistics to   paint a clearer picture let's take a look at  an example from the non-profit organization   Feeding America here is their need hunger  in America exists for over 50 million people   that's one in six of the u.s population including  more than one in five children and two sentences   they describe what the problem is, how many people  it impacts and it uses statistics to focus in   on the children in need next comes your solution  your solution should address the need you laid out   describe what your organization does  what is the ideal result and how do you   solve or prevent the problem mentioned earlier  now we'll use the example from Feeding America   their solution is we work to get nourishing  food from farmers manufacturers and retailers   to people in need at the same time we seek to  help the people we serve to build a path to a   brighter food secure future now in this example  you can see how they solve the problem with hunger   and how they hope to prevent it in the future  with a food secure future finally comes your hero   every story needs a hero someone who makes the  change happen yes your non-profit is doing much   of the work but it's only possible with your  donor's support make your donor the hero of   the story by mentioning how they are impacting  change let's go back again to the previous example   when you join Feeding America as a monthly donor  your gift creates a reliable source of funding   to help provide meals to families facing  hunger every dollar you give can provide at   least 10 meals to families in need through  the feeding america network of food banks   this is how you should position your reader  they should be the ones to enable change   in the example the reader knows how far their  dollar will go in aiding the cause that was   one example and your story can look different  in many ways so get creative let's put it all   together and look at one more example from the  world wildlife fund this is a donation letter   in the form of an email now pause here and see  if you can spot their need solution and hero   in this email the header image and the first  paragraph are used to provide the reader with   context about snow leopards this helps set up  the need which is found in the next paragraph   the solution can be found in the final paragraph  they keep it at a high level and they provide more   details through links that way you can keep the  message short and improve the chances that the   whole email gets read this paragraph also does  a good job of positioning the reader as the hero   it mentions the reader by name and lets them know  that they are in a position to make change here's   another donation request this time for elephants  now again notice how the header image and the   first paragraph help to bring the problem to the  forefront then they provide the solution through   a link keeping the message short and the final  paragraph lists the impacts the reader can have   on the situation and puts them as the enabler for  change for their call to action they don't use the   conventional donate button instead their button  says yes i want to protect nature and this makes   the reader focus on the long-term goal which is  where the focus should be lastly they sign off   the email with an image of the sender creating a  more human to human interaction they use the same   sender consistently so over time readers become  more familiar and build a personal connection   donating becomes a lot easier when it feels  like you're helping out someone you can trust   well we're at the end of the video but before  you start writing here are some key takeaways   to keep in mind #1 Make it Friendly - write  the letter as if you were speaking with a friend   avoid internal lingo and non-profit jargon if it's  taking too long you're probably thinking too much   #2 Make it Authentic - use a real signature  from someone of importance in the organization   and whom people will recognize include  headshots to give it more of a human touch   #3 Give Options - offer alternatives  to money donation donating their time through   volunteering or sharing your message on social  media can go a long way #4 Make it Easy -   after reading your letter potential donors should  know exactly how they can contribute to your cause   if your call to action is a button make it large  and have it stand out #5 Track your   Data - record response rates from your donors  this can help you improve your letters and   timing for campaigns down the road there are  tons of email automation tools like Mailchimp   or giving mail that will help you with this but if  you're looking for a free one I would suggest Wild Apricot! I included a link to start along with some  donation letter templates in the description below   thanks for watching and if you find this  video helpful be sure to like and subscribe