What is a solicitation letter?
It is a type of letter that is written in a professional setting when a fundraising activity is about to initiate. Solicitation means asking people to act in a certain way. Many non-profit organizations write these letters to affluent people to persuade them into donating the money or raising funds in any other way.
What is the purpose of the solicitation letter?
All those organizations that are into charity work ask rich people of the society to come forward and contribute to the welfare of less privileged people of the society. In this way, those who are in real distress find help. It is important to note that not every person is suitable to write this letter. Some people or organizations have a bad reputation in society and when they write the letter to solicit donations, their letter is rejected. So, it is important to remember who can write this letter.
What is the benefit of writing the solicitation letter?
There are many ways to collect funds and donations and non-profit organizations usually opt for writing the solicitation letter for some reasons:
- These letters are very easy to write unlike proposals written for fundraising. Proposals have a proper format and language to follow. Furthermore, there are lots of requirements for writing the proposal. We can say that it requires the expertise of the person to write a convincing proposal. However, the letter for raising funds can be written by anyone who has a keen interest in collecting donations to work for a good cause.
- These letters have a strong effect on the mind of the reader since they are short and written briefly. Those who write these letters usually put forward some important details and close the letter. Since they don’t create drama in the letter to solicit funds, they seem to be authentic.
- If you writing this letter to solicit something else other than money, make sure that you have a clear plan for it. In some situations, solicitation is beneficial for both parties. In this case, this letter lets the recipient know how he can be benefited if he accepts the solicitation.
Tips for writing the solicitation letter:
If your letter has been written in an efficacious way, you can reap fruitful results out of it. Unfortunately, many people don’t know how to compose an effective and heart-touching solicitation letter. Due to this, most of the time they fail to solicit funds or anything else they are trying to elicit. Follow the tips given below and write a successful appeal letter:
- If you are writing this letter to collect money for a good cause, you should try to make the reader believe that what you think is a good cause is a charitable work. For this purpose, you will have to describe the cause briefly. For example, if you are soliciting funds for an orphanage, you must describe why that orphanage needs money and what are the challenges it is facing.
- Your letter should explain the amount you need to contribute to a good cause. This makes it clear to the reader how much he is expected to donate.
- Never hesitate to provide details of the institute for which you are collecting funds. If you don’t mention the details deliberately, you will give an impression to the donor that you are telling a lie or the information you are providing is not based on facts.
- Although there is no particular format to be followed while writing the appeal letter, if you have a proper format, you will be able to write a professional-looking letter. The letter in which there is a proper format is usually well-structured and there is a connection between every part of the letter.
- Proofread the letter well before you send it away. A letter free from errors gives an impression that you have done work on it with passion and you are serious about contributing to the campaign being run for the welfare of needy people.
Sample Templates
Solicitation Letter for Community Pantry
Date
Name
Address
Dear Community Members,
We are writing this letter to request you to help the people of our community, who are facing difficult times.
Since the pandemic of COVID-19 has hit us, many people have lost their jobs, and are unable to afford a decent living. There are people, who are not being able to feed their families even once a day. We have conducted our surveys and have realized that if we can support their food expenses, they will get back to a relatively better condition. Therefore, we have formed a community pantry, which will work in two ways:
- We will distribute food to the needy people, and
- Sell food to the people with a relatively better financial position at a lower price than the market to generate further funds.
We request you to donate generously, be it food or money so that we can reach people and provide them at least one of the necessities. As a community, it is our responsibility to support each other in any sort of crisis for the overall betterment.
If anyone wants to visit the pantry or have any questions, we are readily available at [X]. We will ensure that all your donations will reach the deserving people.
Regards,
Martha Steven.
File: Word (.docx) 2007+ and iPad
Size 20 Kb
Download
Solicitation Letter for Death
Dear Community Members,
We are sending you this letter to inform you about the death of one of our dearest community members, Mr. John Will, who has served ABC Church for three years as a janitor.
He was sick with an incurable disease, and his family spent all their money on his treatment. He died on 5th June 20XX, and his family is in such a bad financial state that they cannot even afford his burial services.
We request you to donate generously to this cause. We are planning not to just support his burial services, but also to give some money to his family. We feel that we owe him this for his dedicated work for the Church. We also request you to join in for his burial services on 6th June 20XX, to show support to his family.
If you want to donate, you can reach us at [X]. Thank you in advance.
Regards,
Sarah William.
File: Word (.docx) 2007+ and iPad
Size 19 Kb
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Solicitation Letter for Medical Assistance
Dear Mayor,
I am writing this letter to request you for financial assistance for my medical treatment.
I, Ross William, am currently residing in the slums of the ABC area. I am working as a clerk in the XYZ organization, and my salary is only enough to fulfill the basic needs of my family. I got diagnosed with heart disease, and the doctors have prescribed an immediate transplant. The total cost of the treatment is $[X], and I have only been able to arrange $[X] up till now. My doctor has given me 8th July 20XX, as the date of my transplant, which means I need to arrange all the funds till 7th July 20XX.
I want to request you to help me in this difficult time. I cannot afford it, neither can arrange this money. I even applied for a loan, which has been rejected, as I was not able to present any sort of collateral. Even my organization is not ready to cover the total cost.
Kindly, assist me in this situation, as I have knocked on all other doors, but in vain. I would be highly grateful if you can arrange the funds till 7th July 20XX.
I am attaching my medical papers along with this letter. Kindly, let me know if you need any other papers, or have any questions. Please contact me at [X].
Thank you in advance.
Regards,
Ross William.
File: Word (.docx) 2007+ and iPad
Size 21 Kb
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