7 Great Year-End Appeal Letter Tips With Free Samples

As the leaves change color and the days get shorter, the days tend to become busier. In an ideal scenario, there would only be one thing on fundraisers’ to-do list — year-end giving, of course. While it would be nice if this were the case, we know that the world doesn’t stop for nonprofit teams like yours to prioritize year-end fundraising. But no matter how busy you are, it’s important to carve out time to develop your year-end appeal letter strategy. The goal is to nurture supporter relationships to bring in valuable end-of-year contributions.

If you’re unsure how to tackle year-end appeal letters in the most effective way, fear not! In this post, we’ll provide seven unstoppable strategies for crafting effective appeals that make year-end fundraising a breeze:

1. Create a year-end-appeal timeline.
2. Present your year-end appeal letter through the right channel.
3. Personalize every aspect of your year-end appeal.
4. Share your success stories in your end-of-year appeal.
5. Format your appeal letter strategically.
6. Follow up after your year-end appeal letter.
7. Reference our free year-end appeal letter sample.

Keep in mind that like any nonprofit effort, the right software can facilitate a stress-free year-end appeal experience. Check out Giveffect’s marketing and communication tools to see how our solution can boost your fundraising strategy during the end-of-year giving season!

Now without further ado, let’s jump to the tips so you can start writing your appeal letters.

1. Create a year-end appeal timeline.

If you’re scrambling to develop your appeal letter plan in the middle of December, chances are that you won’t have much luck winning over all of the supporters in your database (much less potential new prospects).

Instead of throwing your fundraising appeals together at the last minute, start early. Schedule time with your team midway through the year to begin plotting your end-of-year strategy. Develop a clear timeline to serve as your roadmap for the last months of the year.

As you’re creating your calendar, check off the following steps:

• Delegate key responsibilities. Determine who will be writing the direct mail, email, and social media appeals? Consider if the same person or people will ensure all of the direct mail is sent and received, Decide if you design the appeals in-house or work with an outside designer.
• Establish smart goals. Using reports from previous years as a baseline, how much money do you hope to bring in through your year-end appeal letters? How much money do you need to raise to cover operational expenses?
• Determine how technology fits in. Is your email marketing software integrated with your nonprofit CRM? What about your direct mail solution? (Hint: the more connected these systems are, the easier it will be to automate tasks and limit manual data entry!)

No matter what, make sure you clearly document your timeline and inform all relevant team members about the plan. Trust us: when everyone is on the same page from square one, you’ll mitigate a significant amount of confusion and stress once the end-of-year season ramps up!

Takeaway:

Your team should think about how to manage year-end fundraising appeals well before the holiday season. Create a practical timeline to ensure that responsibilities are covered and tasks don’t slip through the cracks.

2. Present your year-end appeal letter through the right channel.

There are many channels to reach supporters. The trick is to identify the right channels to reach your specific supporter groups. The right channel means that you are contacting your supporters how they want to be contacted. As a result, they are then open and willing to learn more and contribute.

We won’t be able to touch on every creative year-end appeal approach in this post. However, we can provide real-world advice for sending fundraising letters through two distinct channels: direct mail appeals and online appeals. Let’s explore each!

Direct Mail Appeal Letters

Many nonprofits rely on traditional and time-tested, end-of-year direct mail appeal letters for a reason: they work!

The major downside of direct mail is that sending a letter or postcard through the mail costs money. For smaller nonprofits with a less flexible budget, it might be easy to write off this marketing channel in favor of free or cheap online methods.

However, all nonprofits can — and should — utilize direct mail appeal letters. Just follow these tips:

• Focus on existing donors, particularly small-to-midsized donors who’ve previously given through mail.
• Be deliberate with your design, from the color and size of your envelope to the content itself, by using direct mail software that gives you plenty of customization options.
• Make the donation easy by including a pre-addressed reply envelope and the URL to your online giving form. Don’t forget: when you use integrated direct mail marketing software, you can track appeal responses in your CRM automatically.

Direct mail can be the most compelling type of appeal you send, so don’t forget to make the most of this channel!

Online Appeal Letters

Though some may feel that it’s less personal than a letter in the mail, a year-end appeal sent through the internet is virtually free for your nonprofit and accessible to almost all of your supporters.

Take advantage of the ubiquity and cost-effectiveness of online marketing in a few ways:

• Follow up your direct mail letter with an email appeal. If you haven’t heard back after your initial solicitation letter, reach out again with an email appeal.
• Maintain a diverse social media presence. Link to your year-end giving page on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram throughout the holiday season. Be sure to capitalize on key giving days like #GivingTuesday.
• Open up a variety of online giving methods. As you promote year-end giving, offer plenty of convenient ways to donate. Be sure to include your online donation form, corporate giving option, text-to-give campaigns, or a crowdfunding page.

Another perk of online appeals? You can use them to reach a broad audience of prospective donors without spending a dime. To do that, ensure that your online content is shareable and visually engaging. Then, encourage supporters to forward your message to their peers!

Takeaway:

By pairing your online year-end appeal strategy with a stellar direct mail campaign, you’ll maximize the amount you’re able to bring in. Make sure your marketing software allows you to explore both avenues for the best results and the most seamless experience!

3. Personalize every aspect of your year-end fundraising appeal.

There’s nothing worse than a generic “To Whom It May Concern” letter, especially if that one-size-fits-all letter is asking the recipient for money!

If your year-end appeal letters lack a personal touch, draw on the information stored in your nonprofit CRM.

You should already know a thing or two about your donors based on the forms they’ve filled out, the conversations you’ve shared, and the giving and engagement history they have with your organization. If you track this information effectively in your database, you are starting from a great position for a successful year-end appeal!

Here are a few suggestions for where personalization pays off:

• Greeting. Always address a supporter by their preferred first name or title. For most donors, their first name is better than “Mr/Ms.” Major donors or individuals with prominent roles in the community may prefer a more formal salutation.
• Ask amount. Reference an individual’s giving history to determine the right solicitation amount. To maximize the ask, offer suggested giving levels that align with their previous donation amount but encourage them to increase slightly.
• Content. Personalizing your letters means more than just filling in the blanks for a name and donation amount. Craft different appeals that relate to specific segments of your list. Consider different messaging for major donors, lapsed donors, and prospective new donors.

If possible, reference the recipient’s previous involvement explicitly within the copy of your letter. For example: “Your $500 gift last year provided school supplies for five underprivileged children.” Or, “Your hard work volunteering on our fundraising event committee ensured our auction went off without a hitch.”

For direct mail appeal letters, add a special touch with a handwritten P.S. from a notable member of your team, such as a board member.

Keeping all of this data in an integrated system will help access donor, volunteer, or member data to inform your year-end marketing strategy. You’ll be able to stay on top of your end-of-year solicitations without bouncing back and forth between disparate systems.

Takeaway:

Reading a year-end appeal letter should feel personal. Use the information in your nonprofit software to guarantee that each letter is as unique as the supporter who receives it.

4. Share your success stories in your end-of-year appeal.

Distinguish year-end appeal letters from the other appeals you send by showcasing the effectiveness of your fundraising efforts throughout the year.

To make your case for support, tell the story of what your organization has accomplished over the last 12 months to warrant their contribution.

The good news is that this doesn’t have to be a source of stress for your fundraising team; instead, you should view this as an opportunity to highlight key stories of your nonprofit’s success in the communities you serve!

Here are tips to compellingly show donors how much you’ve accomplished in the past year:

• Focus on the donor. It may seem counterintuitive (after all, you are trying to illustrate what your nonprofit has achieved), but hear us out. First, remind your supporters why their donations are valued. Second, illustrate what their support has accomplished. And third, remind them that your organization can’t make an impact alone.
• Use visual elements. Use high-quality photos (and, in online appeals, videos) to put faces to the individuals, places, or animals that you support. Plus, a photo or graphic can break up the text and catch a reader’s eye, drawing them toward your call to action.
• Include statistics sparingly. A powerful statistic can validate the need for your organization, or the impact you’ve already made can motivate supporters. However, your readers will gloss over a wall of numbers. Use stats sparingly.

In a way, your year-end donation request letter reminds donors why they’ve supported your mission in the past and gets them excited about contributing once again.

The more you illustrate the powerful things your supporters have helped you accomplish, the more likely they are to make a donation again. Additionally, they are likely to help spread these stories to friends and family. After all, who wouldn’t want to broadcast such amazing stories that they’ve made possible?

Takeaway:

Your year-end appeal letter is your chance to reiterate how vital your donors’ contributions are by illustrating the impact they’ve already had. Tell the story of what your fundraising campaign has accomplished and why you need their continued support. With a compelling story, your supporters are sure to give again.

5. Format your appeal letter strategically.

Now that you have an idea of the content you’ll include in your year-end fundraising appeal let’s dive into specific tips for laying out your letter for the best results.

There’s no such thing as magic formatting. However, there are proven techniques to get your appeal letter in optimum shape:

• Start with “thank you.”: The first paragraph of your year-end appeal should include gratitude for your donors’ past contributions. Don’t launch a new request without acknowledging their support.
• Keep it conversational: Instead of a complicated dissertation, use a warm, friendly tone and simple language to invite donors to participate in your mission.
• Be brief: All your fundraising appeal letters should be easy to read. Email appeals should be shorter than direct mailings. Your storytelling should provide context, evoke emotions, and quickly get to the point.
• Write for scanners, not readers: Use short paragraphs, images, and strategic formatting (bold or italic text) to keep your appeal scannable for quick comprehension.
• Include a clear call to action: Ensure your formatting facilitates the point of your letter — a donation! Reiterate this call to action throughout the appeal and explicitly restate it in your closing.

On top of these important tactics, review your year-end appeal draft with your target audience in mind.

Test your direct mail appeal with a board member or staff member. Ask: Is the font legible and engaging? Does the content maintain their interest through to the donation ask? Do the visuals immediately resonate and support your message?

Key Takeaway:

Strategically format your year-end fundraising appeal to immerse readers in your nonprofit’s story. The quicker you captivate their attention and present your compelling ask, the higher your chances of securing their donation. Remember, effective formatting can significantly boost your year-end campaign’s success!

6. Follow up after your year-end appeal letter.

The end-of-year season is a busy time for your nonprofit, and it’s a busy time for your supporters. Don’t let them slip away if they don’t reply to your initial solicitation letter!

Leverage integrated marketing and fundraising software to track your appeal letters’ progress and monitor donor responses. Advanced donor management systems can even automate data entry, instantly recording year-end contributions in supporters’ profiles. This streamlined process allows you to focus on timely, personalized follow-ups that can significantly boost your year-end campaign results.

Remember, effective follow-up is crucial for maximizing your year-end fundraising success. A well-timed reminder or a thoughtful thank-you message can make the difference between a missed opportunity and a generous year-end gift.

When you know where your donors are in the year-end giving journey, you can better tailor your follow-up, which might include:

• Additional Solicitations: If your recipient hasn’t responded to your initial appeal, consider a multi-channel approach with an email, direct mailing, or phone call. Time your first message early in the season to allow for follow-ups before the year’s end.
• Corporate Matching Gift information: Maximize donations by showing contributors how their gifts can double through corporate philanthropy programs. Segment your donor list by employer to provide detailed, relevant matching gift information.
• Thank You Notes: Perhaps the most crucial follow-up is the thank you note! Depending on the gift size, send either an email or a personal note by mail. Aim to send these acknowledgments as quickly as possible after receiving the gift to reinforce the donor’s decision and strengthen your relationship.

With advanced nonprofit software that automates many of your critical communication tasks, manually sending follow-ups to each supporter becomes a thing of the past. When all your nonprofit systems work in harmony, your donor profiles inform your segmentation and outreach strategies. The result? Each follow-up is personalized, relevant, and engaging – a recipe for year-end appeal success!

Remember, effective year-end fundraising isn’t just about the initial appeal; it’s about nurturing donor relationships throughout the giving season and beyond. By leveraging technology and personalizing your approach, you can significantly boost your year-end campaign results and set the stage for continued support in the new year.

7. Reference our free year-end appeal letter sample.

Now that you’ve got all the top tips, here’s one more resource to get you started on your year-end campaign.

We’ve created a versatile year-end appeal letter sample that your fundraising team can use as inspiration. This customizable template works for both direct mail and email appeals, giving you flexibility in your outreach efforts. Of course, you’ll want to tailor it to resonate with your nonprofit’s unique audience and mission.

Sample:

Sample:

Dear Jane,

Thanks to your generosity, over 5,000 homeless animals received shelter, food, and life-saving veterinary care last year. With your help, many of these dogs and cats have been placed in loving homes. On their behalf, thank you for your help.

Just take a look at a dog like Fido. We brought him in off the streets, hungry and scared. Thanks to donations from supporters just like you, our vet staff treated Fido for malnourishment, and he became healthy and trusting again in just a few weeks. Now, Fido is in the care of his forever family.

Fido can’t say thanks, but we can! We are so grateful to have supporters like you making stories like these a possibility for helpless pets.

Today, we embark on our Year-End Campaign. Our goal is to provide care for 500 more animals in need by raising $10,000 by December 31, but we can’t do it without help.

We’re reaching out to you because you’ve already demonstrated your compassion for cats and dogs like Fido. Would you be willing to make a special year-end contribution of $25, $50, or $100 to save 500 more animals in need?

With your support, we can impact our community in a lasting way.

Please join us by making your gift on our online donation form or by sending a check in the enclosed envelope. The lives of hundreds of animals are at stake.

Thank you for your continued support.

Best wishes,

John Smith
Executive Director

P.S. Visit our website to discover dozens more stories of animals just like Fido. Learn about the incredible impact your donations make possible by exploring our nonprofit’s website, Facebook, and Twitter pages.

There you have it! Customize our year-end appeal letter sample to align with your recipients, mission, and chosen communication channels, and you’ll be well on your way to fundraising success.

Final Thoughts:

Year-end fundraising appeal letters are crucial for nonprofit success. Armed with these proven strategies, you’re now equipped to create a comprehensive plan that effectively reaches donors and drives year-end contributions.

Remember, the key to a successful year-end campaign lies in:

• Crafting compelling, donor-centric messages
• Personalizing your appeals across multiple channels
• Showcasing your nonprofit’s impact through powerful stories
• Following up strategically to nurture donor relationships
• Leveraging technology to streamline your fundraising efforts

By implementing these tactics, you’ll not only boost your year-end fundraising results but also strengthen supporter relationships for long-term success. Start planning your year-end appeal strategy today, and set your nonprofit up for a strong finish to the year and a promising start to the next!