Help Line: 01737 276000

• Skip menu
• Accessibility
• Contact us
• Site map
• Site A-Z
• Site help

Fundraising information

How to attract sponsorship

• News centre
• Ways to pay
• Get help & advice
• Helpshop Online

You are here: Home > Community and living > Fundraising information > How to attract sponsorship > Constructing an appeal letter

Constructing an appeal letter

This page contains information about constructing an funding appeal letter.

Important points to consider:

• Think up a project or an aspect of your work that the business sector might like to support
  Generally do not appeal for administration costs or a contribution to an endowment fund (although there will be cases where this approach will succeed). Recognise that companies are likely to be interested in some ideas and not others. For example, a drugs charity would be more likely to get money for education than rehabilitation. An appreciation of the kind of projects that companies like to support will be very helpful to you.

• Your letter should be as short as possible. Try to get it all on one side of A4
  You can always supply other information as attachments. Company people are busy. You can help by making your appeal letter short and to the point. It should be written clearly and concisely and be free from jargon. Someone not acquainted with what you are doing should be able to read and understand it and be persuaded to act on it. Give your letter in draft to someone outside of your charity/ organisation to read and comment on before finalising it and sending it out.

• You should state why you need the money and exactly how it will be spent
  The letter itself should be straightforward. It should include the following information (but not necessarily in this order). What the organisation does and some background on how it was set up; Whom the organisation serves; why the organisation needs funds; how the donation would be spent if it were to be forthcoming; and why you think the company might be interested in supporting you.

• You should attempt to communicate the urgency of your appeal
  Fundraising is an intensively competitive business; there is a limited amount of money to give away, and you have to ensure that some of it comes your way. If it appears that although you would like the money now it would not matter terribly much if you get it next year, this will put people off. But don’t give the impression you are fundraising at the last minute. Show them you are professional and you have carefully planned your fundraising appeal. You should also try to show that your charity/ organisation is well-run, efficient and cost effective in how it operates.

• You should mention why you think the company should support your cause
  This could range from rather generalised notions of corporate responsibility and the creation of goodwill in the local community, to much more specific advantages such as preventing children painting graffiti on its factory walls or the good publicity companies will get from supporting your cause. If the firm’s generosity is to be made public, for example through advertising or any publicity arising from the gift, then emphasise the good will which will accrue to the company. Most companies would say that they do not require any public acknowledgement for the contributions they make, but most will appreciate and welcome this.

• Ask for something specific
  It is all too easy to make a good case and then to mumble something about needing money. Many companies having been persuaded to give are not sure how much to give. You can ask a firm to give a donation of a specific amount (matched to what you believe its ability to contribute to be), or to contribute the cost of a particular item. You can suggest a figure by mentioning what other companies are giving. You can mention a total and say how many donations you will need to achieve this. Don’t be unreasonable in you expectations. Just because a company it large and rich, it doesn’t mean that it makes BIG grants!

• If you can demonstrate some kind of leverage this will be an added attraction
  Company donations on the whole are quite modest, but companies like to feel they are having a substantial impact with the money they spend. If you can show that a small amount of money will enable a much larger project to go ahead, or will release further funds, say, on a matching basis from another source, this will definitely be an advantage.

• Having written a very short appeal letter, you can append some support literature
  This should not be a 50 page document outlining your latest policies but; like your letter, it should be crisp and to the point: a record of your achievements, your latest annual report, press cuttings, or even a specially produced brochure to accompany your appeal.

• Make sure your letter is addressed to the correct person at the correct address
  It pays to do this background research. Keep all the information on file, as it will make your job much easier next time.

• If you are successful, remember to say thank you; this is a courtesy often forgotten
  If the company gives you a substantial amount of money, then you should probably try to keep in touch with the achievements related to its donation (such as a brief progress report or latest publications).

• If you do not succeed, go back again next year (unless the company says that it is not its policy to support your type of organisation or to give to charity at all)
  Persistence can pay. If you have received a donation, go back again next year. The company has demonstrated that it is interested in what you are doing and in supporting you. It may well do it again next year, especially if you have thanked them for the donation and kept in touch with how the ‘project’ developed.